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Role of life cycle assessment (LCA) in achieving a circular economy

Role of life cycle assessment (LCA) in achieving a circular economy

Research Group Activity

Research Methods and Project Discipline Group

Research Area - Circular Economy

Project Description

Circular economy as a concept is gaining global traction. While circular economy is increasingly included in policies and decision making in developed countries, with many organisations committing to make the shift, it is also imperative to assess the circularity of their claims. Yet, how to assess circularity of a product or a process is a challenge as there is no agreed standard indicators. Life cycle assessment (LCA) on the other hand is a standardised technique to assess environmental impacts of the complete life cycle of a product/process and the results can support decision making in adopting circular practices. LCA has been commonly employed in the developed countries where credible data is available for majority of processes and inventory databases also exist for most processes. The situation in developing countries however is different. The lack of credible data means that LCA of a productor process does not yield meaningful results. Therefore, this project aims to assess the feasibility of using LCA in a developing country context and the role it can play in achieving a circular economy. To conduct the study, the student will focus primarily on existing literature in order to assess the role of LCA in a developed country context in the shift to circular economy. Then propose what actions are required to make this a meaningful tool in developing countries context in order to aid their shift to circular economy

Student Level

Open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students

Location

This project can be completed remotely

Skills you can learn from this project

The student will learn the essential skills of conducting research. They will also receive training on research communication. They will also develop Warwick Core Skills for employability, including the application of key transferrable skills of critical thinking, information literacy, digital literacy, communication and problem solving.

Required Skills

None.

If you wish to apply for this project, fill in the form below including uploading your CV and personal statement, explaining why you want to do this particular internship project. Attachments must be in PDF format.

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Project Team

markelliott

Dr Maryam Masood