Advancing waste valorization and end-of-life strategies in the bioeconomy through multi-criteria approaches and the safe and sustainable by design framework

Proper waste management is a key element in the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. Population growth and the demand for food and services have led to an ever-increasing production of biotic waste whose disposal in landfills is no longer considered a sustainable option. For this reason, efforts are being made to find an appropriate management strategy for biotic waste, whose organic content allows it to be considered as a resource for the development of biotechnological and/or biorefinery processes. Assessing the sustainability of alternative options is of paramount importance. To this end, this systematic review researches trends in waste management in terms of technology and sustainability profile according to the life-cycle approach and multi-criteria analysis. The aim is to provide insights into potential resource recovery and waste valorization schemes towards high-value-added products in the marketplace, beyond their direct energy recovery. Our results show that future studies should focus on the development of multi-criteria analysis from an SSbD perspective, so that all pillars of sustainability and risk assessment are properly assessed from an early design stage. • Analysis of waste valorization technology to enhance circular economy. • Use of life cycle thinking to assess valorization strategies. • The assessment with circular economy indicators should be encouraged. • Multicriteria assessment shows advantages for decision making on waste valorization. • SSbD as a new framework that could be applied to bio-based valorization systems.