Integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Abiotic Depletion-Weighted Circularity Metrics: A Case Study of Photovoltaic Modules

Conventional mass-based circularity indicators quantify material recirculation but do not distinguish between materials with different levels of resource scarcity, potentially overestimating circularity performance. This study integrates life cycle assessment (LCA) with abiotic depletion potential (ADP)-weighted circularity metrics to evaluate the environmental performance of circular economy strategies for crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. Five scenarios representing linear production, recycling, ecodesign, lifetime extension, and a combined strategy were assessed using conventional circularity indicators alongside ADP-weighted metrics, Virgin Material Demand (VMD), and Global Warming Potential (GWP). The results indicate that scenario rankings depend on the assessment method and the adopted modeling assumptions. Under the considered conditions, recycling exhibited the lowest ADP and GWP impacts, whereas ecodesign achieved the highest scarcity-weighted recovery performance. Lifetime extension resulted in the lowest virgin material demand per functional unit. These findings should be interpreted in the context of the selected functional unit, recycling allocation approach, and uncertainties associated with the scenario assumptions. The comparison shows that mass-based indicators alone can overestimate circularity by overlooking material scarcity, while ADP-weighted metrics provide a more representative assessment or resource conservation. The proposed integrated framework enables a more comprehensive evaluation of circular economy strategies by simultaneously considering material recirculation, resource depletion, environmental impacts, and functional performance. The methodology provides a practical design-support tool for product designers, manufacturers, and policymakers seeking to improve the sustainability of photovoltaic systems and other resource-intensive technologies.