PhD defence

Material and carbon intensity reduction behind circular consumption practices

• L. Amatuni

Date

Friday 18 October 2024

Time

11:30 - 12:30 hour

Address

Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden

Supervisor(s)

• Prof.dr. A. Tukker
• dr. J.M. Mogollón

Summary

We often hear about ways to reduce our environmental impact: car-sharing instead of owning, buying second-hand, repairing, and recycling. Businesses promoting such circular practices often market themselves as inherently sustainable or green, claiming to reduce carbon and material impacts. However, the reality is more complicated. The actual benefits depend on how we engage with these services, how they influence our consumption habits, and what alternatives we might choose in their absence. For example, without car-sharing, would you use cleaner public transport more often?

In my thesis, I challenge some of these green claims through empirical studies to measure the true carbon and material savings they offer. I investigated how much “greener” people become when they join car-sharing platforms in various countries. My findings show that the average user reduces their mobility-related impact by only 3-18%. I also studied the material content and lifespan of consumer electronics. This data, combined with consumer surveys, allowed me to measure the actual impact of smartphone reuse. It was revealed that, on average, buying a second-hand smartphone displaces only about a third of a new device from the market.

This research shows that many “sustainable” practices are less impactful than expected and highlights the need for more rigorous empirical assessments of these claims on a case-by-case basis.

PhD dissertations

Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.

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