Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of traditional and circular carpets for the exhibition industry: a case study

Circular Economy solutions applied to carpet can contribute to the decarbonization of the exhibition industry. However, they often need additional processes which may offset the intended environmental savings. This study aims to compare, through a LCA study, the environmental impacts connected to a ‘traditional’ carpet (landfilled at the end of life) and to a ‘circular’ one (leased and recycled). A case study of a carpet manufacturing company is carried out. Results show that, in the case of 100% recycling, the circular carpet decreases CO2 emissions from 1.46 to 0.33 kgCO2/m2. Although preliminary, this research responds to the call for more application studies for the environmental effectiveness of circularity-oriented systems.