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Packaging re-use: a starting point for its quantification

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • The 4th International Conference on Final Sinks (4th ICFS 2017)
  • Published:
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is the overarching aim of the circular economy to maintain the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible, and the re-use of packaging can play an important role in achieving this. Nevertheless, reliable information about reusable packaging in Europe is lacking. To address such a gap, this paper proposes a methodology to collect data on packaging re-use, aimed at carrying out some preliminary assessment. This methodology can be applied in different geographical contexts (i.e., in different countries) and allows the creation of an inventory of comparable data for legislative compliance and statistical purposes. The suggested methodology has been applied to the Italian context, as a case study, resulting in a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the practice of packaging re-use in Italy. The emerged criticalities and limitations are finally discussed, and recommendations are given to get reliable and representative data.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the consortia, associations, companies, and experts that supplied information and data for the analysis. Dr. Giovanni Dolci and Dr. Camilla Tua are also gratefully acknowledged for their help in the data collection for some types of packaging.

Funding

This study has been carried out with the financial support of the National Packaging Consortium (Conai).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Lucia Rigamonti, Laura Biganzoli & Mario Grosso

Authors
  1. Lucia Rigamonti
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  2. Laura Biganzoli
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  3. Mario Grosso
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucia Rigamonti.

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Rigamonti, L., Biganzoli, L. & Grosso, M. Packaging re-use: a starting point for its quantification. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 21, 35–43 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0747-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0747-0

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