Research project supported by ADEME : RecSub – Substitutability between virgin and recycled raw materials (2021 – 2023)
The UN states that resource extraction and processing is responsible for 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress, and nearly half of global greenhouse gas emissions . It warns that if the world’s population reaches 9.6 billion people by 2050, the equivalent of nearly three planets may be needed to provide the resources to sustain current lifestyles. Resources must therefore be at the center of climate and biodiversity policies, especially since the energy transition requires an increased need for mineral resources – through the investments it implies in the construction, transportation or power generation sectors in particular – and may also generate tensions on biomass resources. The circular economy, by increasing efficiency in the use of natural resources and recycling, while promoting sustainable lifestyles, plays an important role in achieving sustainable management of natural resources and ensuring that the global temperature increase remains below 2°C.
The objective of RecSub is to describe material production and consumption behaviors, and in particular to better understand the substitutability between virgin and secondary materials. This is a first element of a longer term work on public policy choices to optimize recycling, while taking into account environmental and health aspects. This optimization will introduce the notion of recycling quality in addition to the quantity of waste recycled. It will take into account the diversity of public policy instruments in place, particularly those targeting the end-of-life of products placed on the market (such as Extended Producer Responsibilities), and the diversity of economic actors in the competitive structures along the value chains of the different sectors.