Environmental impact of recycling in France
The French environment and energy management agency (ADEME) and the recycling industry association FEDEREC have conducted the first European study into the positive effects of recycling, based on life cycle analyses. The study reveals that recycling avoids 22.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. In 2014, recycling processes also helped to save 250 million cubic metres of water.
The study informed the creation and standardisation of the life cycle analysis method across all recycling processes, and provided insights into the factors affecting the results.
The study focused on eight processes representative of the market. These processes relate to ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals (such as aluminium and copper), paper, card, glass packaging, plastic packaging, aggregate and rags.
An environmental impact calculator was developed with the aim of giving a second life to these secondary raw materials and identifying new outlets.
Click the following link for more information: http://www.syvadec.fr/L-ADEME-et-FEDEREC-deploient-un-outil-pour-mesurer-les-bienfaits-du-recyclage_a1017.html
Source: SYVADEC