Life cycle assessment of plastic waste end-of-life scenarios in South and South East Asia

Plastic waste has a significant environmental impact when mismanaged. The study quantifies the environmental impact of plastic waste management systems using consequential life cycle assessments in selected countries in Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The scope covers from plastic waste generation to end-of-life treatments, including environmental impact avoided from not producing raw materials due to plastic waste utilization. Eleven environmental impacts were considered, including global warming potential (GWP100) and carcinogenic human toxicity (HTPc). India has the lowest net GWP100 (-0.648 kg CO₂-eq) per kg of plastic waste while Indonesia has the highest (1.128 kg CO₂-eq). Future scenario analyses showed that increasing recycling can reduce the GWP100 of plastic waste management systems by up to 611 % by 2030. Policymakers and investors can use these results to focus their efforts on waste management methods which reduce the impact of plastic waste on the environment and human health.