A universal Recycling Index to quantify the recyclability of products: A case study

This paper presents a universal recycling index to quantify the recyclability of products, regardless of their constituent materials and product category. As environmental challenges intensify and resources become scarcer, the importance of developing sustainable practices in production and consumption is increasing. Given the growing environmental awareness, assessing product recyclability is paramount. In this context, the main objective is to provide a conceptual framework for measuring and comparing product recyclability across different product categories. The proposed recycling index supports manufacturers and consumers to make well-founded, environmental-friendly decisions and serve as a basis for the design and development of future more sustainable products. After reviewing the state of the art of existing recycling indexes, a conceptual framework is developed based on identified requirements, including the consideration of material composition, ease of disassembly and mass share of the component in the total product. A suitable application scenario is illustrated where the index is validated through three representative examples. Critical discussions on individual components of the framework are provided. The result is a user-friendly, practical index that enables consumers and manufacturers to evaluate and compare the recyclability of products across diverse product categories.