There are disparate concepts and strategies used to achieve the SDGs and the goals of Paris Climate Agreement; Circular economy and bioeconomy are those of most engaging interconnected strategies, together, adopting 11 SDGs out of 17. Under this synergetic concept “circular bioeconomy”. bio based feedstock are processed as an integral component under multi-functional bioprocesses (i.e., biorefinery) to generate a flow of bioproducts, while material leakages are avoided. The production of biochemicals, bioplastics, biofuel, textile, and animal feed are those of many bioproducts which have been emerged so far. However, a challenging question which arises in this domain is how to sustainably scale up long-established industries in a bio-based, close-loop framework. Broadly speaking, shifting toward circular bioeconomy brings about controversial challenges which should be addressed in environmental, social, and economic analysis. In this domain, the use sustainability assessment tools such as life cycle assessment is unavoidable. Life cycle assessment is a standard tool to assess the environmental loads by organizing the input-output inventory data and measuring the environmental impacts incorporated with them followed by interpreting results in line with the goals of the study. According to above mentioned explanations and your question, LCA is a sustainability assessment tool to move toward circular bioeconomy and thereby shifting toward circular bioeconomy leads to achieve the SDGs.

Thank you very much Nashmin Elyasi for your comprehensive and insightful answer, will surely follow it.

Thanks, Alaa Ali

No son inconvergentes las categorías. Sin embargo, sería importante revisar que tan afines con enfoques como el del Ecodesarrollo y la sostenibililidad fuerte y sostenibilidad debil.

Gracias por su respuesta Raúl Cortés-Landazury .

Logré traducir en Google lo que dijiste y entendí tu respuesta, propusiste que la LCA y la bioeconmomía circular son inconvergentes. Sin embargo, ¿puedo decir que están al final en un circuito cerrado?

Dear Omar, I think you can find ways of linking them one to one, but you should keep in mind that both the LCA ideas and Bioeconomy ideas are based on the traditional circular economy idea....

And we know today that the traditional economy idea is based on a distorted market price as it does not account for the externalities associated with economic production, a situation that green markets were supposed to solved in 2012 in the case of environmental externalities....

And this thinking should affect not just the LCA idea or the bioeconomy idea, but also it affects the fulfilments of SDGs through those ideas as the link we see or expect may not be there as we see it or expect it...

Just a positive comment to keep in mind Omar and follow your ideas....

Respectfully yours;

Lucio

Yes it can be linked together because LCA and bioeconomy have great relationship

Thank you very much Lucio Muñoz for sharing your thoughts.

Yes, I do agree with what you have said. I will try to link them together and to base them under one category, which is circular economy.

Sincerly,

Omar ElFar

Thank you Ali Bilar for sharing your answer.

Yes. It can be linked as there is a strong and resourceful relationship between LCA and circular economy which is one of hot topic in the agenda of sustainability tripod (environmental, economical and social).

Many thanks Shiyamini Ratnasabapathy for your suggestion.

Yes you can

Omar Elfar

Yes, LCA and Circular economy as well as bioeconomy are being linked by many. Infact as others have pointed out LCA is an invaluable tool to link the same. I also completely agree with Nashmin Elyasi as she has beautifully explained the linkage that you want to do.

Also as Lucio Muñoz pointed out there are limitations. LCA will be considering only the environmental aspect where in circular economy there are other aspects such as social, economic etc that need to be assessed using other tools.

You may also contact the author of this study for further details:

Lignin valorisation: Life Cycle Assessment considerations for enabling Circular Bioeconomy

https://lignocost.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/WSED-2019_Final-Poster_Lignin-valorisation.pdf

Many thanks Anju Baroth will definitely look through it.

Dear Anju, thank you for mentioning my comment. As part of limitations/food for thoughts to keep in mind with respect to traditional economy thinking and traditional circular economy thinking and the need for corrections of limitations as pointed out by the 1987 Brundtland commission report including these LCA linking idea I am sharing here with positive intentions some work about to be published and some published, that can be check when you have time....

Sustainability thoughts 109: Linking perfect green market theory to the circular green economy

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341282635_Sustainability_thoughts_109_Linking_perfect_green_market_theory_to_the_circular_green_economy

Sustainability thoughts 106: Can we solve an environmental sustainability problem by managing the consequences of that problem? If not, why not?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340442676_Sustainability_thoughts_106_Can_we_solve_an_environmental_sustainability_problem_by_managing_the_consequences_of_that_problem_If_not_why_not

Sustainability thoughts 107: Comparing the structure of the circular green economy with that of the circular environmental externality management based economy to identify differences as well as to point out the market implications of these differences

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340439009_Sustainability_thoughts_107_Comparing_the_structure_of_the_circular_green_economy_with_that_of_the_circular_environmental_externality_management_based_economy_to_identify_differences_as_well_as_to_poi

Sustainability thoughts 103: How the shift from traditional markets to green markets would have looked like had the 1987 Brundtland Commission recommended then an environmental sustainability fix?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339926878_Sustainability_thoughts_103_How_the_shift_from_traditional_markets_to_green_markets_would_have_looked_like_had_the_1987_Brundtland_Commission_recommended_then_an_environmental_sustainability_fix

Sustainability thoughts 105: An overview of the externality structure of all possible markets and of the specific market illusion under which each of them operates.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340133824_Sustainability_thoughts_105_An_overview_of_the_externality_structure_of_all_possible_markets_and_of_the_specific_market_illusion_under_which_each_of_them_operates

Respectfully yours;

Yes LCA is vital to understanding and assessing the sustainability of biobased value chains in a circular bioeconomy. Especially consequential LCA will help us to understand the global impact of new solutions, for example land use changes to produce biofuels.