On December 14, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 30 as International Zero Waste Day, an initiative led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat. This initiative aims to address the global waste crisis, recognizing that households, businesses, and public service providers generate between 2.1 and 2.3 billion tons of municipal solid waste annually, while 2.7 billion…
An international team of the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change ESCI-UPF has developed the first study to evaluate the circularity of food distribution systems in Spain. Its results have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Heliyon. The linear economy follows the take-make-waste model, based on the presumption that resource availability and ecosystem regeneration are unlimited, neglecting…
Plastic is a synthetic material, made from organic polymers, that has become essential in current supply chains due to its beneficial properties – light weight, durable and easily shaped – and low cost. Since the 1960s, plastic production has increased by 20 times, with a global manufacture of 360 million tonnes in 2018, 40% of which were used for packaging…
