Journal article
The role of design in circular economy solutions for critical materials
One earth (Cambridge, Mass.), v 4(3), pp 353-362
19 Mar 2021
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The accelerating pace of resource consumption threatens long-term availability of critical materials: those resources that play an essential role in modern society but are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Established resource management strategies have struggled to reduce the risks of metal criticality, and the demand for these materials continues to grow. Circular economy offers a new paradigm for addressing metal criticality through solutions that enable material and product reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. However, products containing critical materials are rarely designed to be upgraded, reused, or disassembled at end of life to access the valuable materials contained within. Here, we explore the potential for design interventions across the technology life cycle that can enable circular economy solutions and minimize risks of material criticality.
Accelerating resource consumption has led to new risks to long-term availability of many “critical materials” that play an essential role in modern technologies. Circular economy offers potential solutions to alleviate these risks by decoupling economic growth from resource depletion through material and product reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. This perspective builds on past literature on criticality and circularity to outline a path for mitigating critical material risks through design interventions mapped across the technology life cycle.
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Details
- Title
- The role of design in circular economy solutions for critical materials
- Creators
- Callie W. Babbitt - Rochester Institute of TechnologyShahana Althaf - Center for Environmental HealthFernanda Cruz Rios - University of PittsburghMelissa M. Bilec - University of PittsburghT.E. Graedel - Center for Environmental Health
- Publication Details
- One earth (Cambridge, Mass.), v 4(3), pp 353-362
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000646469700009
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85102621828
- Other Identifier
- 991021894562904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Studies
- Green & Sustainable Science & Technology