Circular economy indicators for the design and procurement of plastic products in the healthcare sector – a review
2024 (English)In: 31st CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, LCE 2024, Elsevier BV , 2024, Vol. 122, p. 1095-1100Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
Policymakers in the EU are betting on a transition from a linear to a circular economy to ensure human activity remains within the planet's boundaries. Public procurement is vital in this context, e.g., accounting for 20% of Swedish GDP, with circular public procurement being critical to the transition. Although circular public procurement is garnering increasing interest, until now, the research focus in this area has been narrow, concentrating on, e.g., IT equipment or furniture. Plastic medical products have remained absent in the literature despite generating substantial environmental impact and offering a tremendous upside. To enable the application of circular economy strategies in this context, changes are required on two ends: the design of the products and the criteria under which the products are procured. Indicators are a central basis of any purchasing decision and are considered powerful enablers and drivers of the transition to a circular economy. This paper reviews circular economy indicators as a starting point toward guidelines for the circular design and procurement of plastic products in the healthcare sector. Thus, this review identifies critical factors for developing a comprehensive indicator for designing and procuring circular plastic medical products.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2024. Vol. 122, p. 1095-1100
Series
Procedia CIRP, ISSN 2212-8271
Keywords [en]
Circular economy, design, healthcare, indicators, medical devices, plastics, procurement
National Category
Environmental Management
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-349915DOI: 10.1016/j.procir.2024.05.001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85196734245OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-349915DiVA, id: diva2:1881693
Conference
31st CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, LCE 2024, Turin, Italy, Jun 19 2024 - Jun 21 2024
Note
QC 20240704
2024-07-032024-07-032025-02-10Bibliographically approved