7. Conclusion

The prospects for improving the circular economy of plastics will require a better understanding of their lifespan in order to optimize waste management and reduce environmental pollution. This will involve aligning the useful life of products on the market with the lifespan of the waste associated with the choice of materials used in these products. An eco-design approach, driven from or for end-of-life, could be one of the solutions for the emergence and development of a true circular economy logic.

This new approach will require a deeper understanding of the global biogeochemical cycle of plastic waste in order to assess and reduce its impact, particularly on the fragmentation kinetics of macroplastics and microplastics and the size distribution of fragments released into the environment in relation to their useful life (short-lived and long-lasting)....