Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Xavier, Lúcia Helena
• Giese, Ellen Cristine
• Ribeiro-Duthie, Ana Cristina
• Lins, Fernando Antonio Freitas

Titel

Sustainability and the circular economy: A theoretical approach focused on e-waste urban mining

Ist Teil von

• Resources policy, 2021-12, Vol.74, p.101467, Article 101467

Ort / Verlag

Kidlington: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

PAIS Index

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Reuse and recirculation of products and materials are the basis of the concept of the circular economy (CE). The CE is an innovative proposal that can result in positive impacts such as reduced demand for raw materials, reduced consumption of basic resources, and job creation, as well as preventing negative impacts resulting from the exploitation and processing of natural resources. Mining is infamous for its potential environmental impact, but mining waste from traditional mining (in the linear economy) may recover material through upcycling techniques, as can urban mining of industrial and post-consumer waste categories (in the circular economy). Urban mining, a form of closed-loop supply chain management, offers an attractive alternative to the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) and, at the same time, as a sustainable way to exploit mineral resources, reduces primary material intake and stimulates the circularity in the supply chain. The present study reviews the main CE solutions for e-waste management, highlighting the importance of recovering and classifying mineral material according to urban mining procedures. •Carrying capacity is the basis of sustainability and CE concepts.•Impact prevention in the mining sector can be mitigated by sustainable CE approaches.•We propose a classification of secondary resources for urban mining procedures.•E-waste urban mining is a closed-loop (or circular) and sustainable alternative for mineral exploitation.