Advancing and conducting the impact assessment of circular economy initiatives on all three sustainability pillars through integrated life cycle sustainability assessment, with a focus on PVC in the construction sector

The Luxembourgish and European governments ambition the implementation of circular economy to increase sustainability. Circular economy entails recycling, reuse and other similar practices, which is different from the business as usual of disposing of products through incineration etc. Although circular economy sounds promising, we still need to analyse its sustainability and steer practices where needed. Moreover, besides probable beneficial environmental (e.g. less greenhouse gas emissions because incineration is avoided) and economic (e.g. more local profit) effects, the social implications of circular economy should as well be regarded. Studies have shown that circular economy will induce more job creation and a shift to different types of jobs. In this project, we aim to conduct and improve sustainability assessment of circular economy initiatives considering all these aspects, with a focus on cases regarding circular economy practices for

PVC in the construction sector. Hereto, we will set up a more advanced scientific framework where also two integrated effects would be considered: (1) the effect of reduced environmental impact on the health state of labour force, influencing labour availability and costs; (2) rebound effects on the environment due to more expenditure associated with job creation. To support this interdisciplinary research of CIRCUSTAIN, there will be involvement of researchers with different

backgrounds and experts/stakeholders from the Luxembourgish government and industry. The outcomes will provide new insights in the sustainability impact of circular economy (distinguishing also local from global impacts), serve as template for further research, and allow to pinpoint certain measures that can be taken to improve sustainability of circular economy initiatives (e.g. delimit transportation distances for waste collection).