A new report provides guidance on assessing the environmental impacts of products and processes within the PlastLIFE project, which aims to support a safe and sustainable circular economy for plastics in Finland by 2035.
The starting point for the assessment methodology is the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework developed by the European Union. The report clarifies this framework and discusses whether deviations from the PEF methodology should be made in the PlastLIFE project.
The focus is on key issues identified in a dialogue with project participants, such as the assessment of littering and microplastics, the choice between attributional and consequential LCA, co-product allocation, waste management and recycling, dynamic modelling, electricity, and chain-of-custody (CoC) approaches.
The report presents the advantages and limitations of different methods while recommending PEF as the default approach. Any deviations should be transparently documented and justified.
