The role of Life Cycle Assessment to measure progress on the Circular Economy

The circular economy (CE), as opposed to the current linear economy, is seen as a sustainable economic system where the economic growth is decoupled from the resources use, through the reduction and recirculation of natural resources. In the shift towards the CE, quantifying the circularity of products and services (or their contribution to the CE) is crucial in designing policies and business strategies, and prioritizing sustainable solutions based on evidence. This study explores the role of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in assessing the circularity of products and services. A review was made on current LCA case studies assessing progress in the CE, attending to the following aspects: the goal of the studies, the modelling and allocation approaches, the assessment methods used, and their alignment with the CE goals. The results indicate that LCA is one of the most used and comprehensive tools to assess CE. However, the multifunctional and multidimensional nature of the CE strategies impose methodological challenges that are still not solved.