Circular Technology Roadmapping (TRM): Fostering Sustainable Material Development

Raphael Cobra, Paula Sanvezzo, Marcia Branciforti and Janaina Mascarenhas
Additional contact information
Raphael Cobra: Department of Production Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil
Paula Sanvezzo: Department of Material Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil
Marcia Branciforti: Department of Material Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil
Janaina Mascarenhas: Department of Production Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: To design more sustainable products often means improving the sustainability of materials. Currently, sustainable innovation calls upon materials to not only minimize environmental impacts but also to become circular. That requires efforts to keep materials functional for longer, avoid early disposal, and re-entering the cycle via recycling and other feedback processes. Those emerging challenges for materials development and the Circular Economy (CE) are especially critical in the case of polymers. How to develop strategies to preserve the value of polymers remains a question that mobilizes both researchers and practitioners. Technology Roadmapping (TRM) is a tool traditionally used for planning innovation processes and has supported the development of sustainable materials and other sustainability-related projects. This study tests TRM’s potential to assist with the planning of new circular polymers solutions and proposes the Circular TRM method. This proposition results from the case study of the development of waste-based fiber-polymer materials and strategies for getting them into the market. Our case study demonstrates how it would be possible to differentiate the various polymer material technologies and determine the most circular strategy path.

Keywords: technology roadmapping; TRM; technology development; circular economy; sustainable material (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7036/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7036/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7036-:d:580332

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().