Are the resource strategies for sustainable development sustainable? Downside of a zero waste society with circular resource flows

The present study is a follow up study of Lee et al. (2014), which presented the mass flow of plastic and paper products in Europe with accompanying flows of three phthalates, i.e. DEHP, DBP, and BBP, in above mentioned products. This study aims to investigate how the resource strategies aiming at a sustainable and circular economy influence on the recirculation of micro-pollutants in the product cycle. In order to estimate the recirculating flow of hazardous chemicals in recycled material, the substance flow analysis of the three anti-androgenic phthalates, i.e. DEHP, DBP, and BBP, in the two Future Scenarios of the year 2020 has been performed: (1) all the EU waste legislations are fully implemented with the same demands for phthalates as in 2012 (Scenario A), (2) all the EU waste legislations are fully implemented and because of the efforts to reduce the use of phthalates, the production of virgin DEHP, DBP and BBP used for plastics and paper will be reduced up to 50% compared to the production numbers in 2012 (Scenario B). The result shows a possible, and unintended, downside of current resource strategies which mainly focus on increasing the recycling rate of wastes to foster the transition into a circular economy. If the resource strategies only focus on quantitative goals such as increasing recycling rates of wastes, a full implementation of the EU waste legislations in 2020 will increase unwanted recycling of micro-pollutants: as exemplified in the present study with 70%–300% increase of phthalates re-entering the product cycle compared to the year 2012.