Material flow analysis and circularity assessment of plastic packaging: An application to Portugal

Material flow analysis (MFA) has been used to investigate plastic flows, albeit with limitations in providing a comprehensive assessment. This article proposes an MFA-based approach to assess circularity and presents an application to plastic packaging in Portugal, assessing flows (from polymer production to post-consumption treatment), calculating circularity indicators with different scopes, and analyzing circular economy scenarios. Results show that plastic packaging has a low circularity due to short lifespans and low recycling rates. The recycled input rate indicates an 11 % contribution of recycled materials in reducing the use of virgin materials. The circular economy scenarios analyzed show that meeting the European Plastics Pact targets for 2025 is theoretically viable; however, achieving them requires ambitious enhancements, such as improvements in recyclability and incorporating more recycled materials towards a more circular plastic packaging system. The MFA-based approach proposed can be applied to other products and materials.