Scholarlink

<p>Single-use lab consumables are the main contributors to plastic waste. This study aimed to investigate the performance of laboratory consumables in relation to circularity, assessed with the help of the Material Circularity Indicator across the examined circular economy scenarios. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation created MCI to determine the circularity of materials. The scenarios included landfill (S0), reuse of some items (S1), substitution with biodegradable or biobased materials (S2), use of recycled content (S3), recycling of waste packaging (S4), and an integrated approach (S5), which combines all measures. Results indicated a considerably heightened material circularity. The MCI was at its lowest with a value of 0.10 in S0 (Landfill). In S1, circularity increased to 0.25 (Reuse), and 0.33 in S2 (Biobased/Biodegradable Alternatives), while S3 (Recycled Content) gave a slight improvement (MCI = 0.14). Of the analysed scenarios, the integrated scenario (S5) had the highest circularity (MCI = 0.85). Accounting for packaging waste reduces the MCI to 0.51, reflecting lower circularity owing to the short-lived nature of packaging materials despite high recycling rates. In general, the results show that reuse and biobased adoption can significantly enhance circularity. The study contributes to the implementation of circular economy measures in laboratories in an original and practice-oriented way by adapting the MCI framework to research laboratories.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Applying circular economy principles to laboratory consumables using the material circularity indicator

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月24日

查看全文
  • Vildan Zülal Sönmez

摘要

Single-use lab consumables are the main contributors to plastic waste. This study aimed to investigate the performance of laboratory consumables in relation to circularity, assessed with the help of the Material Circularity Indicator across the examined circular economy scenarios. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation created MCI to determine the circularity of materials. The scenarios included landfill (S0), reuse of some items (S1), substitution with biodegradable or biobased materials (S2), use of recycled content (S3), recycling of waste packaging (S4), and an integrated approach (S5), which combines all measures. Results indicated a considerably heightened material circularity. The MCI was at its lowest with a value of 0.10 in S0 (Landfill). In S1, circularity increased to 0.25 (Reuse), and 0.33 in S2 (Biobased/Biodegradable Alternatives), while S3 (Recycled Content) gave a slight improvement (MCI = 0.14). Of the analysed scenarios, the integrated scenario (S5) had the highest circularity (MCI = 0.85). Accounting for packaging waste reduces the MCI to 0.51, reflecting lower circularity owing to the short-lived nature of packaging materials despite high recycling rates. In general, the results show that reuse and biobased adoption can significantly enhance circularity. The study contributes to the implementation of circular economy measures in laboratories in an original and practice-oriented way by adapting the MCI framework to research laboratories.