A Tool for Evaluating Environmental Sustainability of Plastic Waste Reduction Innovations

Abstract

Plastics and their byproducts are littering our cities, oceans, and waterways, and contributing to health problems in humans and animals. Since plastics have become significant in our economic and social activities, it is urgent and essential to make progress in plastic waste reduction. Many large investors are looking into technologies and solutions that reduce plastic waste, but a sole plastic waste reduction innovation or project does not guarantee or equate to sustainability performance. In this Master’s project, the team at the School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) investigated the plastics industry, with the objective of developing a framework and sustainability assessment tool for evaluating plastic reduction innovations to support investment decisions. The team reviewed sustainability assessment literature and studied plastic waste reduction strategies to determine key criteria and a process for evaluating sustainability performance of plastic waste reduction innovations. Through this work, the Plastic Waste Reduction Innovation Sustainability Evaluation Tool (PRISET) was created, setting educational guidelines around the criteria for both investors and other potential users. General guidance is presented for evaluating environmental sustainability of basic business models that focuses on the company’s mission & vision, circular economy attributes, and potential scale of the waste reduction innovation. More indepth tools for evaluating specific technology innovations include third party certifications and life cycle assessments that require expertise to conduct. Waste reduction innovations were classified into four categories: reuse & refill, alternative materials, innovative design and recycling; and specific guidance criteria in the form of questions were presented to highlight key drivers of sustainability performance in each category. Finally, we also conducted a case study to test the feasibility of the tool. Those innovations that address a wider set of criteria are expected to be more preferrable, while feedback from the assessment will also be useful for innovation companies themselves to focus efforts on those criteria they have not addressed.