This course will provide an introduction to systems analysis, the principles of the Circular Economy, and the tools and metrics used to measure progress towards more material circularity. These tools and metrics build on industrial ecology, a sustainability science that uses a holistic systems approach while assessing the material, energy, and environmental implications of economic activity. Participants will be introduced to material flow analysis (MFA) as a tool to:

• Inform about the efficiency of material management at any spatial or temporal level of interest

• Illustrate the circularity of material systems

• Calculate recycling and efficiency metrics

 A brief introduction to life cycle assessment (LCA) will explain how LCA is used to understand the energy and environmental implications of alternative material management options. Examples using the above approaches will be provided for metals, plastics, and fibers (paper, textiles), demonstrating how systems wide analyses can help identify opportunities, challenges, and barriers towards more circularity.

Learning Objectives of this new certificate pathway include introductions to:

• The circular economy concept, its motivation and goals

• Material Flow Analysis, the research questions it addresses (e.g., material efficiency, future scrap supply), and examples

• Life Cycle Assessment, the research questions it addresses, how it complements MFA in systems analyses, and examples

• Calculation of recycling metrics “end-of-life recycling rate” and “recycled content”, barriers to their improvement, and examples for different materials

• Techno-Economic Analysis, the research questions it addresses (e.g., cost of current and future technologies), and examples

• Systems Analysis and how a holistic use of the above mentioned tools creates new insights for REMADE that help prioritize future research

*This certificate pathway webinar replay is coming soon and will be available exclusively for active Members of the Institute through the Member Portal. If you are interested in learning more about member benefits or becoming part of our consortium, please visit the membership page.