CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Almasi, David |
|---|---|
| Title | Is the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy feasible? |
| Summary | This research investigates the feasibility of the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy (SPCE), which addresses the circular economy transition of plastic waste trade management within the framework of the European Green New Deal and its Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP). With a combination of material flow analysis (MFA) and vector autoregressive models (VAR) and cost-benefit analysis, the aim of this research is to pinpoint the possible directions of waste production, waste exports, and recycling capacities in the EU until 2030, the benchmark date for the SPCE policy goals using three scenarios. Furthermore, the aim of the study is to determine the possible consequences of SPCE to the economy, the environment and to human health. Results show a significant increase in recycling capacities and a stark decrease in exports to non-EU countries if the policy is successful, in line with the goals of SPCE. Regarding the consequences of SPCE, the study finds robust profitability from increasing recycling capacities and a substantial decrease in CO2 emissions, moderately depending on whether the policy is successful. An estimated amount of 14.1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions could be saved if the SPCE is implemented, which means a yearly 14 000 drop in preventable mortality by 2030. Hence, the research provides a transdisciplinary assessment on an important strategy for circular economy transition. |
| Supervisor | Schaffartzik, Anke; Lee, Soomin |
| Department | Economics MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/almasi_david.pdf |
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