Probabilistic Material Flow Analysis of Seven Commodity Plastics in Europe
Open accessAbstract
The omnipresence of plastics in our lives and their ever-increasing application range continuously raise the requirements for the monitoring of environmental and health impacts related to both plastics and their additives. We present a static probabilistic material flow analysis of seven polymers through the European and Swiss anthropospheres to provide a strong basis for exposure assessments of polymer-related impacts, which necessitates that the plastic flows from production to use and finally to waste management are well-understood. We consider seven different polymers, chosen for their popularity and application variety: low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). We include synthetic textile products and consider trade flows at various stages of the life cycle, thus achieving a complete overview of the consumption for these polymers. In Europe, the order of consumption is PP > LDPE > PET > HDPE > PVC > PS > EPS. Textile products account for 42 ± 3% of the consumption of PET and 22 ± 4% of PP. Incineration is the major waste management method for HDPE, PS, and EPS. No significant difference between landfilling and incineration for the remaining polymers is found. The highest recycling share is found for PVC. These results can serve as a basis for a detailed assessment of exposure pathways of plastics or their additives in the environment or exposure of additives on human health.
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- Authors
- Kawecki, D., Scheeder, P. R. W., & Nowack, B.
- Affiliations
- Empa (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Nowack, Bernd
- ORCID
- Nowack, Bernd
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2018-07-13
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 17
- Pages
- 9874-9888
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2883715821
- Cited by
- 232
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 5.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.dora.lib4ri.ch
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DORA Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Bundesamt f?r Umwelt
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
- Keywords
- commodity plastics, plastic waste management, incineration, landfilling, plastic recycling, synthetic textiles, trade flows, exposure assessment, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate
- MeSH terms
- Europe, Plastics, Polymers, Polystyrenes, Recycling
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