Projects that reduce GHG emissions and are issued Riverse Carbon Credits typically also contribute to a circular economy. The assessment of a project's circularity is considered under the co-benefits criteria, and represents the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 12.2.
The Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) is the selected measure of circularity, due to its comprehensive assessment of material flows and alignment with global standards, notably established by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The MCI examines mass of material flows throughout a product's lifecycle. It evaluates how efficiently materials circulate within a closed-loop system, assigning “more circular” scores to systems that minimize waste and optimize resource reuse. The formula uses input parameters such as material feedstock amount and type (e.g. from recycled, reused or biological sources), recycling rates, and lifespan extension potential to quantify a product's circularity.
in the dedicated methodology document, on pages 22 to 31, following the Product-level Methodology under the Whole product approach). Figure 3, modified from summarizes the MCI material flows.
The MCI is a unitless indicator that varies from 0 to 1, where 0 represents a fully linear product and 1 is fully circular. The project scenario MCI is compared to the baseline scenario MCI, measuring how much more circular the project scenario is than the baseline.
The MCI methodology has been applied to electronic device refurbishment using the input data presented in Table 7.
Table 7 All variables needed to calculate the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) for the Riverse Electronic Device Refurbishing methodology are detailed below. The full methodology and equations can be found in the dedicated methodology document.
Symbol
Definition by the MCI
Guidelines for the project scenario
Guidelines for the baseline scenario
Mass of a product
Total mass (kg) of refurbished devices in the project scenario, according to Table 3.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Fraction of mass of a product's feedstock from recycled sources
Assumed zero
Assumed zero
Fraction of mass of a product's feedstock from reused sources
Assumed zero
Fraction of a product's biological feedstock from Sustained production.
It is assumed that no biological feedstock is used in electronic devices.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Material that is not from reuse, recycling or biological material from sustained production.
The amount of virgin materials used in the project scenario is the same as the Np when virgin material shall be extracted to produce new pieces.
All the input materials are considered virgin as no reuse or recycled materials are assumed in a status quo scenario.
Fraction of mass of a product being collected to go into a recycling process
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Fraction of mass of a product going into component reuse
Fraction considered under the Cr variable, according to the country's rates.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Fraction of mass of a product being collected to go into a composting process
As no biological feedstock is used in electronic devices, this value is assumed to be zero.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Fraction of mass of a product being collected for energy recovery where the material satisfies the requirements for inclusion
Energy recovery as part of a circular strategy only applies to biological materials, according to the MCI methodology. This value is assumed to be zero.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Mass of unrecoverable waste through a product's material going into landfill, waste to energy and any other type of process where the materials are no longer recoverable
Following the MCI calculation methodology, this value is the same for both scenarios. Due to the comparative approach, it can be excluded.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Efficiency of the recycling process used for the portion of a product collected for recycling
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Mass of unrecoverable waste generated in the process of recycling parts of a product
Following the MCI calculation methodology, this value is the same for both scenarios. Due to the comparative approach, it can be excluded.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Efficiency of the recycling process used to produce recycled feedstock for a product
Assumed equal to Ec as no data are available specifically for electronic devices. Additionally, since Fr is considered zero, this variable is not impactful.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Mass of unrecoverable waste generated when producing recycled feedstock for a product
Following the MCI calculation methodology, and considering Fr equal to zero, this value is zero.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Mass of unrecoverable waste associated with a product
Following the MCI calculation methodology and Riverse's guidelines, this value is the same for both scenarios. Due to the comparative approach, it can be excluded.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Linear flow index
Varies from 0 to 1, where 1 is a completely linear flow and 0 is a completely restorative flow. In a circular project, the LFI shall be closer to zero, while the baseline shall be closer to 1.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Actual average lifetime of a product
Sum of lifespan of the product's first and second life according to Table 3, using an average weighted across all device types refurbished by the project.
Assumed 1
Average lifetime of an industry-average product of the same type
Average lifespan of the product's first life, weighted across all device types refurbished by the project (Table 3)
Assumed 1
Calculated based on the extended lifetime of the project's product.
Assumed 1
Average number of functional units achieved during the use phase of an industry-average product of the same type
Assumed 1
Assumed 1
Utility of a product (function of the product's lifespan and intensity of use)
Equal to 1 as the baseline scenario regards the status quo market (average industry scenario).
Material Circularity Indicator of a product
Varies from 0 to 1, where 0 represents a fully linear product and 1 is fully circular.
Consider the same guidelines as for the project scenario
Where is the number of refurbished devices , and represents the weight in kilograms of device
Considers the mass of devices refurbished () and the mass of new pieces acquired (, in kg):
Project developers shall provide or an assumption based on its activity. If not available, 9% of virgin pieces will be considered in full refurbishing devices.
Value based on the collection rate of each country and its recycling rate as presented in the . After the end of the device's first and second life, the product is assumed to follow the country's recycling rates where waste is generated.
Varies according to the country's rate, presented by .
achieved during the use phase of a product
In electronics refurbishing projects, X is higher in the project scenario, as the project extends the product's life ()