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How do scholars approach the circular economy? A systematic literature review
Abstract
Circular Economy (CE) aims to overcome the take-make-dispose linear pattern of production and consumption. It proposes a circular system in which the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy as long as possible. In recent years there has been a proliferation of scholars' publications on the topic. This study presents the results of a systematic literature review exploring the state-of-the-art of academic research on CE. The paper explores the CE body of literature with a systematic approach to provide an exhaustive analysis of the phenomenon with rigorous and reproducible research criteria. The revisited material consists of 565 articles collected through the Web of Science and Scopus databases, and has been evaluated using specific structural dimensions to group literature into analytical categories. Starting from being a concept studied in connection with industrial ecology, CE has slowly acquired its independent role in academic research, framed mainly into environmental sustainability related studies. As a result of policies implementation, academic production is mainly concentrated in China and Europe, employing tools and methods for modelling processes and supporting decision-making for CE implementation (e.g. Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis). CE studies follow three main lines of action: the first aims to change the social and economic dynamics at macro and administrative level; the second to support firms in circular processes implementation at micro level to spread new forms of consumption and product design; the third, developed at meso level, discusses industrial symbiosis experiences. CE is associated with a variety of concepts, and waste management emerges as the most relevant sub-sector. CE is also strongly connected with the concept of sustainability, proposing ways to operationalize its implementation at environmental and economic level, while scholars only marginally consider social and institutional implications. The most explored practices are those related to cleaner production, aiming at reducing environmental impact and waste production along the life cycle of a product, and optimizing the performance and efficiency of processes. Conversely, studies on CE may devote greater attention to strategies for social and institutional changes able to transform the upstream process of production and consumption. Considering business model strategies, scholars mainly focus on studying closing material loops strategy, while slowing the loops, which requires a radical change of consumption and production patterns, is only marginally included with respect to CE implementation. This study's findings highlight CE as an evolving concept that still requires development to consolidate its definition, boundaries, principles and associated practices.
... Currently, there is much interest in finding economic models that disassociate economic growth from resource consumption. In this context, both the Sharing Economy [1,2] and the Circular Economy [3,4] are seen as progressive economic models that move toward this goal. While the Circular Economy seeks to achieve a complete decoupling of growth and consumption, Sharing Economy systems are more modest in their objectives, being primarily concerned with resource optimisation by rethinking ownership and access models. ...
... In this case, N is a population of owners of lightweight (i.e. with a small battery and therefore short range) EVs; in this case, M is a pool of shared heavy (long range) EVs; and T is a population of long-range EV owners who choose, on occasion, to make their vehicles available to the shared pool for remuneration (i.e. an Uber-like usage model). For instance, Tesla is currently instrumenting their vehicles and actively promoting a business model in which owners of their EVs are enabled to make them available to a peer-to-peer market 3 . ...
We propose a surge sourcing approach to address occasional synchronous high demand (surge demand) in sharing economy systems, providing a socio-economically progressive alternative to surge pricing. Instead of suppressing demand among disadvantaged consumers, our scheme increases supply by involving privileged consumer-providers (prosumers) who under-utilize their resources. This hybrid supply approach maintains high quality-of-service (QoS) for both consumers and prosumers in both normal and surge demand situations without surge pricing. To ensure prosumer QoS, we reserve a small portion of the primary supply to meet their needs if their resources become unavailable during surge periods. As the probability of such events is low compared to that of the surge demand itself, the reserved resources required are minimal. The resulting scheme is resource-efficient, socially progressive, and sustainable, exploiting under-used resources. We illustrate our scheme through two applications: high-range car sharing for owners of small EVs, and shared charging points for EV drivers.
... Despite this evidence, many proponents of the CE argue that the cessation of primary natural resource extraction should be the ultimate goal of a CE transition, and there has been an underlying assumption in the CE discourse that raw material extraction activities can eventually become obsolete (Cullen, 2017;Haas et al., 2020). Thus, mining and other raw material extraction activities situated in the upstream segments of global value chains have traditionally received limited attention in the CE literature (Alcalde-Calonge et al., 2022;Merli et al., 2018). ...
... Consequently, there has been limited engagement with managing resources within the industrial production processes that are essential for making these products in the first place. Secondly, the geographical focus of much of the CE research has been on Europe and the Global North more broadly -regions that predominantly consume rather than produce raw materials (Merli et al., 2018). As these regions' economic activities are primarily positioned in the downstream segments of global value chains, CE strategies and practices adopted (and studied) in these regions have naturally concentrated on the value chain stages concerned with the production and EoL management of final products (Kalmykova et al., 2018). ...
This paper explores the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) practices in the mining sector. Large-scale mining is essential for global material supply and the energy transition but poses significant environmental challenges. Adopting CE strategies and practices can help mitigate these challenges by reducing waste, improving resource efficiency, and minimising environmental impacts. However, existing CE frameworks are focused on downstream value chain segments and lack crucial conceptual elements to guide CE adoption in upstream industries like mining. The study advances the literature on CE, responsible sourcing of minerals and sustainable raw material extraction by identifying three crucial conceptual elements missing from existing CE frameworks: (1) a clear communication of the goal and boundary of the industrial production system that the adoption of CE practices is targeting; (2) an identification of the source and type of inputs used by the system; and (3) a consideration of the resource state of these inputs and the subsequent structural wastes generated from them. These new conceptual elements allow for a system-level analysis of CE adoption tailored to the context of the mining industry. Using the case of Chile, the study demonstrates how this new conceptual approach can be applied to map existing CE practices and strategies used in the mining sector. Findings reveal that Chilean copper and lithium mining companies are successfully adopting CE practices, such as using seawater in ore processing, remining and repurposing tailings, and remanufacturing mining machinery. This shows that there is significant potential for the mining industry to adopt CE thinking. However, the case study also highlights prevalent tendencies of a lack of systems thinking and additionality in the design of CE practices, which present significant challenges for the sector to adopt CE practices at scale.
... Some views suggest that CE is conducted within the framework of sustainable development (Suárez-Eiroa et al., 2019). It is also argued that the circular economy can be considered as an umbrella concept (Merli et al., 2018;Friant et al., 2020) to achieve sustainable development inspired by resource management concepts and ideas (Merli et al., 2018). It has also been stated that by CE proponents, it offers new methods for SD for future generations and defines it through the triple bottom line concept of addressing economic performance, social inclusion, and environmental issues together (Elkington, 1997;Geissdoerfer et al., 2017). ...
... Some views suggest that CE is conducted within the framework of sustainable development (Suárez-Eiroa et al., 2019). It is also argued that the circular economy can be considered as an umbrella concept (Merli et al., 2018;Friant et al., 2020) to achieve sustainable development inspired by resource management concepts and ideas (Merli et al., 2018). It has also been stated that by CE proponents, it offers new methods for SD for future generations and defines it through the triple bottom line concept of addressing economic performance, social inclusion, and environmental issues together (Elkington, 1997;Geissdoerfer et al., 2017). ...
... Despite the growing body of literature on CE and RE, there remains a lack of comprehensive reviews that systematically map the intellectual landscape of this interdisciplinary field. Past reviews have typically concentrated on either the technological aspects of renewable energy or the broader implementation of CE principles, often neglecting the intersection of these two crucial fields [27,28]. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of research in this field has led to a fragmented body of knowledge, with disparate research priorities and methodologies, complicating efforts to synthesize existing findings and identify key research gaps [29]. ...
... Goyal et al. identified key thematic areas in CE and RE research, including energy efficiency, waste management, and resource recovery [16], while Rosa et al. highlighted emerging topics such as the influence of digital technologies and innovative circular business models in enhancing the sustainability of renewable energy systems [17]. Despite these advances, there remains a need for a comprehensive review that synthesizes the existing literature and identifies critical gaps in our understanding of the synergies between CE and RE [27,29]. ...
This study provides a comprehensive scientometric analysis of global research trends at the intersection of Circular Economy (CE) and Renewable Energy (RE) from 2014 to 2024, addressing the critical need for a systematic understanding of this rapidly expanding field. Using VOSviewer and Scopus data, it maps the intellectual landscape of CE and RE research, identifying key trends, influential authors, and collaborative networks. The findings reveal exponential growth in publications, particularly post-2018, driven by global sustainability initiatives like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. While traditional RE technologies such as solar and wind dominate research outputs, emerging areas like green hydrogen and the circular bioeconomy remain underexplored, presenting substantial opportunities for future research. Major themes identified include sustainability performance, resource recovery, energy efficiency, and policy frameworks, reflecting the field’s interdisciplinary nature. Geographic analysis reveals significant disparities, with over 70 % of research originating from developed countries like United Kingdom, Spain, USA and Italy, while contributions from developing regions such as Africa and South America remain minimal. This imbalance highlights the need for targeted investments in research and development, alongside international collaborations to address capacity gaps and ensure inclusive global participation. Integrating emerging digital technologies such as AI, blockchain, and IoT, along with exploring the socio-economic impacts of CE and RE transitions, are critical for advancing sustainability efforts. Policymakers must prioritize tailored regulatory frameworks and financial mechanisms, particularly in low-income countries, to drive equitable adoption of circular economy principles and bridge the existing disparities.
... At the microlevel, CE involves single firms or organizations and even specific product-level changes and consumer preferences. The meso-level focuses on regional implementations involving multiple organizations, such as eco-industrial parks, where industrial symbiosis is the most studied form of CE implementation (Merli et al., 2018). Finally, the macro-level addresses national and global policies and industry structures. ...
... An effective transition toward the CE paradigm requires changing traditional patterns across all three levels, from policymakers and regulators to individual firms and even individuals (Dey et al., 2020). Scholars have predominantly studied CE at the macro-level, followed by the microlevel and meso-level (Merli et al., 2018). ...
The crucial role of circular economy business models (CEBMs) in mitigating environmental degradation and decoupling economic growth from material use has been globally recognized in the literature across every economic sector. However, while the environmental benefits of circular economy (CE) are well documented, its social value has only recently begun to receive scholarly attention. Indeed, the question how organizations with a circular business model and an integrated social mission minimize negative environmental impacts while amplifying positive social outcomes remains unclear. This chapter aims to theorize the emergent social circular economy (SCE) by analyzing a case study focused on Atelier Riforma, an Italian innovative start-up with a social vocation in the apparel sector, and modeling novel integrated CEBMs. Employing semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and internal documents, this study sheds light on the operationalization of CE principles intertwined with a social mission. It discusses, in terms of material, financial, and impact flows, how SCE strategies in a sector currently highly unsustainable as the fashion industry may create (financial) value by recovering garments and simultaneously creating both social (i.e., labor value) and environmental (e.g., the reduction of material) value. This chapter, hence, enriches the discourse on CE and the social and solidarity economy (SSE) by illustrating how innovative platform business models may address and assess the dual objectives of environmental sustainability and social equity.
... It is also difficult to define it from the perspective of economics. In a general sense, the circular economy model illustrates resource-efficient production processes that minimise waste and, in the case of those generated provides them with economic value as a raw material according to the approach: "take -make -dispose" (Merli et al., 2018). This allows maintaining added value of the products for as long as possible, thus creating conditions for their reuse in a productive way and, as a result, generating further value. ...
The purpose of the article is to assess the possibility of applying the circular business model to wine farms in Poland. The focus is on the economic aspects of producing grape seed oil as one of the waste products generated in the wine production chain. The manufacturing potential of grape seed oil in Poland was estimated based on the production resources and the processing capacity of wine farms. The profitability of oil production was determined for selected farms located in Lower Silesia. The data were obtained through interviews with wine producers participating in the “Cooperation” research project of the Rural Development Program. In the case of small wine farms, the scale of wine production does not allow achieving the level of oil production to cover its manufacturing costs. Large wine farms producing more than 10 thousand litres of wine may be interested in this type of production. The transition into the circular business model for wine farms based on grape seed oil production will, therefore, require establishing producer groups or developing relationships based on competition between wine producers.
... The CE debate has largely focused on the material aspects of food systems (Hamam et al. 2021;Harder, Giampietro, & Smukler 2021) emphasizing waste reduction and resource efficiency. However, it has paid little attention to the social and political dimensions that shape these systems (Keblowski et al. 2020;Merli, Preziosi, & Acampora 2018;Blomsma & Brennan 2017;Sauvé, Bernard, & Sloan 2016). At the same time, Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) provide important frameworks for rethinking food production and consumption in more socially embedded ways (see for instance Lamine et al. 2012), yet they seldom engage with the closed-loop ideal of Circular Economies. ...
In this article I place into dialogue the challenges of the circular economy (CE) with Political Ecology by using the notion of autonomy. I examine two circular food initiatives in the capital city region of Brussels, Belgium, a cooperative supermarket and a surplus food redistribution project, with a framework of autonomous food spaces. Inspired by post-capitalist debates on the economy I argue that these spaces are cases of diverse economy mobilizing autonomous practices and imaginaries. My analysis shows the heterogeneity and complexity of these spaces. It illustrates how urban circular food projects offer examples of possible economic activities that rely on cooperation, solidarity and conviviality instead of profit. It explores the diversity of practices and imaginaries that prefigure a viable and alternative future, and sheds light on our understanding of diverse and circular economies by focusing on the social and political dimensions of CE.
... CE, on the contrary, aims at no net effect on the environment, as it even tries to restore some of the damages caused by the acquisition of natural resources, while ensuring that minimum waste is generated during the production process and product life cycle (Murray et al., 2017). The idea behind CE is to keep products in use as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them, and then recover and remanufacture products and materials at the end of their life cycle (Merli et al., 2018;Slack et al., 2016). For these reasons, the implications of the CE concept on the entire supply chain are very clear, being necessary to 'close' the resource loop to recover or regenerate products. ...
The paper offers an extensive review of literature regarding the role of RFID technology in promoting the circular economy (CE). Initially, it underscores the urgent need for resource recirculation to minimize waste and prevent the depletion of natural resources. Subsequently, it explores how RFID can improve traceability and enhance the efficiency of supply chains. The paper also delves into various CE frameworks, particularly focusing on the 9R framework, which encompasses strategies like Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, among others. The literature is classified by industry sector, study type, and CE principles that RFID could enable or facilitate. Additionally, the paper highlights the significance of digital technologies in facilitating the transition to CE and examines whether RFID could be considered a key CE enabler within the IoT infrastructure. The findings confirm that RFID has the potential to support a range of CE strategies across various industry sectors, emphasizing sustainability and efficient resource use. The paper concludes by synthesizing RFID’s contributions to the CE transition thus far and identifies future research areas, such as exploring approaches that incorporate other digital technologies alongside RFID to enhance and accelerate the CE transition.
... Nevertheless, there is still a need for the development of more refined frameworks and comprehensive research efforts that concentrate on CE assessment tools at design and product levels. Additionally, the nexus between sustainability and circularity remains undefined [18], [19], primarily due to the limited implementation of circular practices within the industries, especially for construction [20]. This ambiguity can result in a lack of accountability and transparency, making it challenging to assess the effectiveness of CE practices in minimising waste and maximising the material efficiency [21]. ...
The construction industry faces increasingly more significant pressure to reduce resource consumption, minimise waste, and enhance environmental performance. Towards the transition to a circular economy in the construction industry, one of the challenges is the lack of a standardised assessment framework and methods to measure circularity at the product level. To support a more sustainable and circular construction industry through robust and enhanced scenario analysis, this paper integrates probabilistic analysis into the coupled assessment framework; this research addresses uncertainties associated with multiple criteria and diverse stakeholders in the construction industry to enable more robust decision-making support on both circularity and sustainability performance. By demonstrating the application in three real-world MMC products, the proposed framework offers a novel approach to simultaneously assess the circularity and sustainability of MMC products with robustness and objectiveness.
... De wereldwijde transitie naar een circulaire economie wordt algemeen erkend als een noodzakelijk alternatief voor het lineaire "take-make-waste-model dat de natuurlijke hulpbronnen uitput en milieuproblemen veroorzaakt (Merli et al., 2018). In dit kader speelt samenwerking in de waardeketen een sleutelrol (Vegter et al., 2022). ...
De transitie naar een circulaire economie vraagt om intensieve samenwerking binnen waardeketens. Dit artikel bouwt op concepten voor de analyse van logistieke systemen zoals ge¨ıntroduceerd door prof. Kees Ruijgrok, en verbindt deze aan recent onderzoek naar Value Chain Collaboration en circulaire prestaties. Met behulp van kwalitatieve data, verzameld via semi-gestructureerde interviews, en
kwantitatieve data, verkregen uit twee opeenvolgende vragenlijsten, is de relatie tussen samenwerking en prestaties op de R-ladder van de circulaire economie nader onderzocht. Samenwerking blijkt sterk te correleren met circulaire prestaties, met name in technologie-intensieve sectoren die profiteren van gedeelde platforms en infrastructuur. Traditionele sectoren lijken te worden belemmerd door een gebrek
aan vertrouwen en beperkte middelen. Deze resultaten benadrukken de noodzaak van maatwerkoplossingen om unieke uitdagingen en kansen binnen sectoren te benutten. Het artikel beoogt bij te dragen aan de literatuur over circulaire economie en samenwerking in de logistiek, als basis voor toekomstig onderzoek en praktijktoepassingen.
... Una de las prácticas clave para lograr un sistema circular es cerrar ciclos de materiales y recursos (Merli et al., 2018). Hay expertos que creen que establecer bucles más pequeños, locales o incluso hiperlocales, mejora la circularidad. ...
Economía circular. El camino hacia la sostenibilidad pretén aproximar al lector a l'economia circular (EC), una de les estratègies clau del segle xxi que afavoreixen el desenvolupament sostenible, i plantejar si serà una realitat o un desig a curt termini analitzant factors polítics, econòmics, socials i ambientals. El sistema econòmic actual és insostenible: només el 7,2 % dels productes i serveis són circulars, i totes les projeccions indiquen que l'impacte socioambiental del consum continuarà creixent en els pròxims anys. Front aquesta problemàtica, l'economia circular és una necessitat i està començant a ser una realitat gràcies a una major sensibilitat dels consumidors i a un marc regulador ambiental més estricte. La EC pretén aconseguir uns sistemes de producció i consum més eficients i resilients, que preservin els recursos dins d'un cicle continu optimitzant el seu valor i minimitzant la generació de residus. En aquest llibre es presenten polítiques, indicadors, eines i estratègies d'innovació, prevenció i minimització de recursos, així com exemples d'ecodisseny circular i millora global de productes i serveis, des del seu disseny fins a la seva gestió final, que mostren que un futur més circular i sostenible és possible.
... In the literature on Circular Economy, research typically follows three primary approaches: the macro level, which examines economic and social factors; the micro level, which supports firms in adopting circular principles and promotes new consumer behaviors; and the meso level, which explores Industrial Symbiosis (IS) initiatives and eco-industrial parks (Merli, Preziosi, & Acampora, 2018). This categorization situates IS clearly within the domain of Circular Economy. ...
Industrial symbiosis is a sub-area of industrial ecology and involves using waste or
by-products from one actor as resources for another actor to achieve ecological and
economic benefits. Industrial symbiosis is of central importance for the reuse of
resources and the avoidance of waste. It is driven by opportunities for collaboration
and synergies facilitated by geographical proximity (Chertow, 2000). In other words,
industrial symbiosis is a link between industrial facilities or companies where the
waste or by-products of one company become raw materials for another.
Industrial symbiosis (IS) can reduce the amount of industrial waste and the need to
recover raw materials from waste generated by one industry as raw materials for
another. These relationships are driven by several factors, such as resource-saving
economic benefits that meet environmental requirements, e.g., reducing greenhouse
gas emissions, natural resource scarcity and reducing waste that would otherwise end
up in landfills and incinerators. The IS concept uses symbiotic collaborations and
business linkages to close the loop.
... In recent years, the CE has been deeply analyzed by practitioners and scholars. It serves as a pivotal economic model that facilitates the transition of organizations toward sustainability (Geisendorf & Pietrulla, 2018;Merli et al., 2018). CE is also a fundamental topic within a range of legislative initiatives, including the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2023a), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (European Commission, 2024a), and Germany's national circular economy strategy (Federal Ministry for the Environment, 2024). ...
The automotive industry’s transition toward a circular economy (CE) presents challenges critical for achieving sustainability. Implementing circularity requires navigating through complex decisions, including legal issues, digital technologies, and organizational practices. Some of the decisions are even conflicting and lead to tensions that capture related opposites pulling in different directions. While understanding tensions is crucial, they often receive only limited attention, which is problematic because making appropriate decisions and developing coping mechanisms require an awareness of potential tensions. This study, therefore, empirically investigates tensions in implementing CE strategies within the automotive industry. Through semi-structured interviews with 17 industry experts across diverse CE focus areas, six tensions for implementing circularity were identified that require careful management and reflection. Also, promising practices were extracted from the qualitative analysis. The presented findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on CE by highlighting the role of transition processes, digital technologies, and data in enabling effective CE implementations. By identifying tensions, the paper provides actionable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, ultimately supporting the development of sustainable and circular economies
... Sin embargo, Rodríguez et al. (2020) defienden que la EC no puede vincularse a una única fecha o autor, ya que numerosos autores han escrito sobre el tema utilizando diferentes terminologías y enfoques. De hecho, Kirchherr et al. (2023) han hallado hasta 95 definiciones de EC distintas y, además, se han realizado numerosos esfuerzos por consensuar el concepto (Kirchherr et al., 2023;Merli et al., 2018;Nobre & Tavares, 2021;Prieto Sandoval, et al., 2018). La atención que ha generado la EC y el impulso que ha recibido en los últimos tiempos se debe tanto a su implementación en diferentes ámbitos (Kirchherr et al., 2023;Köhler et al., 2019;Reike et al., 2018), como a la necesidad de garantizar a largo plazo el suministro de recursos clave necesarios para asegurar la prosperidad de las economías industrializadas (Preston, 2012;Rizos et al., 2017), así como a su potencial para contribuir a lograr un desarrollo sostenible (Knäble et al., 2022). ...
... It is a solution for businesses that want to balance the preservation of social and biological systems for following generations with economic growth (Hobson, 2016;Bocken, de Pauw, Bakker, & van der Grinten). Despite the fact that knowledge exists on the practical and technical flows of materials and energy that minimize emissions, waste, and energy losses, the necessary changes at the level of institutions for the transition to a circular economy are currently underdeveloped (Merli, Preziosi, & Acampora, 2018;Ghisellini, Cialani, & Ulgiati, 2016;Korhonen, Honkasalo, & Seppälä, 2018). To facilitate the transition to a circular economy and implement choices among this path, we should first comprehend the flow of energy and materials which enter, are consumed, transformed, or are stocked. . ...
The main goal of this research is to investigate the way circular start-ups incorporate innovation into their business plans in order to facilitate transitions to a circular economy and have a positive impact on the environment. For this qualitative study we did exploratory investigation of few circular start-ups in Romania. Wide-ranging interviews with start-up founders, articles, and other sources were used to collect data. This paper demonstrates the value of using circular business strategies in the growth of start-ups for a variety of stakeholders. Circularity can be viewed as an important component of the new approach to improving sustainability.
... Concerning such initiatives, Merli et al. (2018) discuss "performance access" (in which the consumer pays for the use of a product instead of owning it) and "sufficiency" (promoting efficient use and reducing resource consumption). Henry et al. (2020) include service-based models in which the consumer pays for the use rather than the ownership of a product and models that encourage collection and recycling through deposit and return systems. ...
CE themes related to life cycle, resource use, design and waste recovery. The SAs were evaluated to determine whether they aligned with the themes or not. The results show that the Agreements comply with the legislation in terms of stakeholder responsibility, but do not favor CE. The one that came closest to EC CE was the Agreement of lubricant oil packaging, by introducing recycled material into the manufacture of new products. There is plenty of room for improvement in SAs to make the reverse waste cycle more circular, such as industrial symbiosis, eco-design, life cycle extension and circular business models. RESUMO A Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS) e a Logística Reversa (LR) estão alinhadas aos princípios da Economia Circular (EC). No entanto, este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar se os Acordos Setoriais (EA) para Logística Reversa de Resíduos, previstos na PNRS, contribuem para o desenvolvimento de uma economia mais circular. Primeiramente, foi necessário definir os fundamentos da EC por meio de uma revisão sistemática de outras revisões. Após a análise de 36 artigos, foi possível descrever 9 temas de EC relacionados a ciclo de vida, uso de recursos, design e recuperação de resíduos. Os EAs foram avaliados para determinar se estavam alinhados ou não aos temas. Os resultados mostram que os Acordos atendem à legislação em termos de responsabilidade dos stakeholders, mas não favorecem a EC. O que mais se aproximou da EC EC foi o Acordo de embalagens de óleo lubrificante, ao introduzir material reciclado na fabricação de novos produtos. Há muito espaço para melhorias nos EAs para tornar o ciclo reverso de resíduos mais circular, como simbiose industrial, ecodesign, extensão do ciclo de vida e modelos de negócios circulares RESUMEN La Política Nacional de Residuos Sólidos (PNRS) y la Logística Inversa (LR) están alineadas con los principios de la Economía Circular (EC). Sin embargo, este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar si los Acuerdos Sectoriales (AS) para la Logística Inversa de Residuos, previstos en el PNRS, contribuyen al desarrollo de una economía más circular. En primer lugar, fue necesario definir los fundamentos de la EC a través de una revisión sistemática de otras revisiones. Después de analizar 36 artículos, fue posible describir 9 temas de EC relacionados con el ciclo de vida, el uso de recursos, el diseño y la recuperación de residuos. Los AS se evaluaron para determinar si se alineaban con los temas o no. Los resultados muestran que los Acuerdos cumplen con la legislación en términos de responsabilidad de las partes interesadas, pero no favorecen la EC. El que más se acercó a la EC fue el Acuerdo de envases de aceite lubricante, al introducir material reciclado en la fabricación de nuevos productos. Hay mucho margen de mejora en los AS para hacer que el ciclo inverso de los residuos sea más circular, como la simbiosis industrial, el ecodiseño, la extensión del ciclo de vida y los modelos comerciales circulares.
... Though a relatively nascent concept, CE has already generated a significant body of literature that explicates it conceptually [12], discusses its prevalence and practice across domains [35,36], and focuses on certain aspects such as assessment methods [37], consumption of products generated from a CE [38], and innovations [39]. The existing literature also provides evidence of the CE in various segments, such as manufacturing [21], human resources [29], construction [40], and the urban water sector [41]. ...
Globally, economies are experiencing a paradigm shift from linear production practices (make–use–dispose) towards circular economy (CE) pathways as critical development strategies to achieve Agenda 2030. In the context of the progressive shift to CEs, we critically review extant literature to comprehend the trends and constraints concerning the adoption of CE practices, with a primary focus on India. Our review reveals the growing body of literature encompassing a range of CE practices prevalent in multiple domains globally. We also discuss the emergent trends and patterns in adopting CE across sectors in India. Our study also confirms that implementing the transition to CE with ad hoc policies or as a tactical response to external or internal stimuli is unsustainable; instead, it necessitates organisational agility and strategic collaboration among stakeholders. We also identify consumer perceptions and economic feasibility as the most significant criteria determining the institutionalisation of CE. Further, responding to calls for an investigation into the CE in small and medium enterprises in India, we present a conceptual framework that can enable a non-disruptive transition towards CE. This framework discusses the interlinkages of the above objectives and underscores the need for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders towards a sustainable CE. When practices align with these objectives, firms can successfully manage low environmental impacts while enhancing their economic relevance and social responsibility. The paper also adds to the ongoing investigations into the intersection of the Circular Economy (CE) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by outlining both direct connections (SDG 12) and indirect relationships (SDGs 2, 6, 8, and 13) among the three key pillars of CE: society, environment, and economy.
... According to Ghisellini et al., CE is an economic system that has no connection to environmental effects (Ghisellini et al., 2016); yet, it is still a concept that is being developed and discussed in the scientific community (Korhonen, Honkasalo, et al., 2018;Velenturf & Purnell, 2021). There is a lack of a cohesive conceptual framework and a significant fragmentation in the CE literature, despite increased academic interest, according to recent bibliometric and scientometric studies (Alnajem et al., 2021;Anaruma et al., 2022;Homrich et al., 2018;Majiwala & Kant, 2022;Merli et al., 2018;Ruiz-Real et al., 2018;Türkeli et al., 2018). ...
The “circular economy” is a concept embraced by policymakers in the European Union and China. It represents a recognition of growing global environmental challenges, including climate change, and the externalities costs of waste. In this review paper, the authors compare the nascent policy efforts to define and operationalize the circular economy in the EU, China, and the United States (US), the major global economies. We begin by comparing how each entity defines circular economy, finding widely varying and ambiguous concepts, then turn to macro-level or economy-wide policies. Here we find notable efforts to spread principles. In the EU, such efforts are taking the form of new global standards and regulations, while in China they are in the form of goals for industrial waste reduction at the provincial level. The US is notable for its lack of action at the national level. The real activity in the US around circular economy transformation appears to be happening at the meso - or industry-level. The authors compared policies and strategies of circular economy and challenges, we find out that the E.U. has adopted the circular economy since 1950 and are way ahead the U.S. and China. I therefore, suggest recommendations for international cooperation among U.S, E.U. and China to promote circular economy in these regions and; spreading circular concepts to ensure adequate societal support to accept the consumption changes required.
... While institutional reports and research predominantly address circular cities in terms of resources and policy leverages (Bucci Ancapi, Van Den Berghe, Van Bueren, 2022), the spatial and territorial dimensions of the circular economy have received comparatively little attention (Bahers, Durand, Beraud, 2017;Torre, Dermine-Brullot, 2019). Existing literature agrees that fundamental assumptions regarding economic and social structures, cultural norms, and everyday behaviours related to the development of closed-loop systems remain largely unexplored (Hobson, 2020;Marin, De Meulder, 2018;Merli, Preziosi, Acampora, 2018). In particular, there is a growing focus on examining the geographical norms and scales underlying closed-loop systems, with the aim of elucidating how spatial factors influence the implementation of CE strategies (Tapia et alii, 2021). ...
In the southern outskirts of Milan, a manufacturing area that has undergone multiple cycles of exploitation is now faced with a radical transformation perspective: from small and medium-sized manufacturing partially dedicated to recycling to new land uses and residential functions. Here, the coexistence of structures slated for demolition alongside a construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant makes it an ideal case for investigating the alignment (or lack thereof) between urban circularity policies and urban planning. The paper employs urban mining and material flow analysis adapted to the scale of the urban project. Firstly, it reviews policy programs and plans related to two key aspects: the implementation of
the circular economy in the construction sector in Milan, and the regeneration of this particular urban manufacturing area. Secondly, it presents an original estimate of the
potential material flow generated within the case study. It then outlines two different transport scenarios for their recycling and assesses their impact in terms of carbon
emissions and energy consumption. The analysis aims to address the gap in the discussion surrounding the future of Milan’s urban waste recycling infrastructure and the implications of urban regeneration in terms of C&D waste arising. Available at: https://shs.cairn.info/revue-flux-2024-4-page-37?lang=fr.
... Some studies [e.g. Duroha, Macht, 2023;Mariani et al., 2018;Merli et al., 2018] used several repositories simultaneously, making research more time-consuming. Another limitation was the search terms: social media, higher education institution, and marketing. ...
The main aim of this article is to present a systematic literature review of the use of social media in higher education marketing activities. A Systematic Literature Review methodology has been used to identify, select and evaluate the published research. A set of 78 papers deduced from Scopus has been analyzed and synthesized. Based on the survey, the following questions were answered: (1) In which publications has information on the use of social media in higher education marketing activities appeared? (2) Which publications on the use of social media in higher education marketing activities were cited most frequently? (3) Which countries have contributed most to the development of the use of social media in higher education marketing activities through publication activities? (4) To which subject areas are articles on the use of social media in higher education marketing activities assigned? (5) Which social media have been used in higher education marketing activities? The paper discusses the gap in the literature and proposes new opportunities for future research.
... (PRISMA) guidelines (Goyal et al., 2021;Gregorio et al., 2018;Homrich et al., 2018;Merli et al., 2018;Prieto-Sandoval et al., 2018;Medupin et al., 2023), we used a reproducible and transparent three-step process, outlined in Fig. 2 to answer the research questions. Using keywords such as "strategies, "plastic waste" "regulatory framework/effort," "circular economy," "recycle," and "sustainable solid/ plastic waste management," 209 relevant peer-reviewed articles, scientific journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters were initially identified. ...
... Supply chains are networks of independent stakeholders directly involved in both upstream and downstream material flows [1]. Prevalent in modern societies, linear supply chains (extract -manufacture -consume -dispose) significantly promote large-scale overconsumption and resource waste, leading to strained profitability [2,3]. The circular economy thus presents itself as a solution to these contemporary challenges by transforming conventional linear supply chains into more sustainable systems of production and consumption [4]. ...
The transition from linear to closed-loop supply chains can generate financial gains through the recirculation of residual materials. However, closed-loop supply chains face risks of financial losses that may impact all stakeholders. Therefore, to mitigate stakeholders’ risk aversion and ensure their profitability, a systemic risk management approach for closed-loop supply chain managers is necessary. This article proposes a novel methodology to support a fair distribution of the financial gains resulting from the circular economy, based on stakeholders’ contributions within the closed-loop supply chain, by sharing risks among them. The main contributions of this study include the conceptualization of four risk categories to assess (pre-existing, new, individual, and interrelated), and the definition of eight stakeholders’ contribution criteria (categorized into investment, responsibility, control, and qualification). The risk management methodology was applied to a real case study of a closed-loop supply chain involving two stakeholders for the reuse of spring street sweepings in winter road maintenance. The results demonstrate that: i) the transition generates a 4,666 gain for the service provider due to risk reduction, and iii) risk sharing enables a fair distribution of the total $30,734 gain based on stakeholders’ contributions (55% for the road authority and 45% for the service provider). This study should encourage closed-loop supply chain managers to address risks of financial losses to overcome stakeholders’ reluctance to engage and collaborate in closed-loop supply chains, thereby strengthening their implementation.
... The filtering criteria by document type were article, review article and early access. The search was limited to articles in English, which is considered the international academic language and therefore the most widely used (Merli et al., 2018;Pe´rez-Pe´rez et al., 2019). With these search criteria, we obtained an initial sample of 2,277 articles. ...
The advent of the “New Era for Mental Health” has made the management of this intangible asset one of the hottest topics in the workplace. It is the leading cause of disability today. Organizations are encouraged to use psychological interventions to promote and prevent more sustainable and productive workplaces. The aim of this article is to develop an exploratory and systematic mixed review that combines quantitative and narrative analysis to synthesize the available literature on the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions in the workplace—an increasingly popular therapy to address this challenge. This review provides a comprehensive reflection of the existing state of the art, gaps in current research, and future directions on the topic. The analysis of 59 articles collected from Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and PubMed databases from 2000 to 2023 reveals, firstly, that the use of ACT interventions in the workplace is increasing significantly, with an upward trend over the last 5 years and a presence in high-impact journals. Secondly, the research themes identified reveal that ACT intervention is still focused on clinical settings with limited presence in other sectors or organizational settings—such as education, business management, or return-to-work programs. Based on these results, this research underscores the growing importance of ACT in the workplace, revealing seven research opportunities to extend its application across various sectors and accelerate its effective implementation in industry and academia, thereby enhancing mental health and productivity.
... adopting more sustainable strategies and procedures, thereby challenging the prevailing Fast Fashion model. This model of fashion production and consumption follows a linear trajectory, marked by production, purchase, use, and waste generation (maketake-disposal) [1,2], a journey that leads the product from inception to its final resting place, a "cradle-to-grave" [3] approach. This necessity to challenge the traditional linear economic model of the fashion industry sparked a circular transformation within the sector, guided by the principles of the circular economy (CE) ("Cradle-to-Cradle" approach [3]). ...
The growing awareness, particularly concerning environmental issues within the fashion industry, highlights the crucial role of education in promoting the adoption of circular practices and fostering sustainability principles within fashion design education. This article investigates the integration of circular economy (CE) and sustainability in fashion design education, with a specific fo-cus on the Fashion Design Technician course (FDTC) at the secondary education level. The primary objective is to explore the importance of these concepts in FDTC, as perceived by educators. The study employs a methodological approach that combines qualitative and quantitative analysis, including documentary source study and a questionnaire survey administered to forty FDTC teachers during the academic year 2023/24. The findings reveal that FDTC teachers place considerable emphasis on sustainability and CE matters, recognizing their im-portance not only in preparing secondary school students but specifically in shap-ing future fashion designers. This recognition persists despite the absence of ex-plicit mentions of these principles in the curriculum documents across the various course subjects. Moreover, the study observes that teachers actively integrate many of these principles into their teaching strategies, showcasing a wide array of resources incorporated within the classroom environment. This research un-derscores the significance of aligning educational systems with the evolving dy-namics of the fashion industry to foster positive change and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Keywords: Circular Economy · Sustainability · Education · Fashion Design
... Expansive work has been conducted to date, with scholars producing systematic literature reviews (e.g., Merli et al., 2018;Suárez-Eiroa et al., 2019;Nikolaou & Stefanakis, 2022), contributing to conceptual and theoretical development (e.g., Figge & Thorpe, 2023;Fromberg et al., 2023) as well as investigating implementation (e.g., Hellström & Olsson, 2024;Tuladhar et al., 2023), the relationship with the sustainable development concept (e.g., Garcia-Saravia Ortiz-de-Montellano et al., 2023;Geissdoerfer et al., 2017) and the role of digital technologies as enablers of the transition (e.g., Rusch et al., 2023), among other themes. However, CE is still a contested concept (Korhonen et al., 2018;Corvellec et al, 2021) with multiple definitions (for a review see Kirchherr et al., 2023). ...
The circular economy’s potential to support more resource efficient, competitive and resilient economies is ubiquitous in discourses across disciplines, industry and policy. Despite its prevalence, conceptual developments at the intersection between the circular economy and the tourism sector remain limited. This article draws on developments across the disciplines to establish a new conceptualisation of circular tourism, which recognises circular economy principles while also acknowledging the multiplicity of value creation that exists across a circular ecosystem. The paper highlights the centrality of multiple actors, the importance of places for the consumption and production of circular activity and unpacks the role of social value and its potential to (re)shape attitudes, values and integrate sustainability-orientated knowledge into tourists’ and tourism actors’ everyday lives. By contributing to conceptual clarity, we pave the way to further conceptual, theoretical and empirical work in the literature at the intersection between the circular economy and tourism.
... The last decade has seen numerous government and intergovernmental initiatives based on the circular approach, aiming to provide a roadmap for society [25,26]. Regarding the different aspects of the circular economy, it has been argued that waste management is still one important approach to closing the loops [27]. The producers of packaging have a responsibility to circulate waste back as resources by means of recycling (this includes newspapers and packaging made of paper, glass, metal and plastics). ...
This paper aims to explore the relation between gamification and recycling of household waste by answering the question of how a gamified recycling station can make recycling a more engaging experience. The station was designed to make recycling a smart, neat and engaging experience for fifteen households during six months. A smartphone application based on gamification mechanics was developed including missions, achievements, quizzes and a visual progression map. Participants were using the smartphone application providing data during the project, as well as were interviewed before and after the period. Results show that when examining recycling experiences in terms of interaction, knowledge, attitudes, and perception, three different groups of participants could be identified. It was shown that the connection between the physical environment and smartphone application was important to consider as these had to be congruent. Further, it was revealed that such intervention via gamification and a new recycling station could contribute to a better recycling experience and increase knowledge, depending on the type of user ranging from engaged, partly engaged to not engaged.
The decommissioning of offshore O&G structures in Brazil is substantial and an ongoing challenge. Sustainability of such operations can be increased by robust business models that provide optimized or completely new processes for dismantling platforms and recycling materials and equipment under the logic of the circular economy and social justice. Brazilian National Petroleum Company (BNPC) is putting forward a technological solution designed to address these challenges between 2024 and 2034, which strategies, goals and scenario will be presented in this paper. We analyze how the innovation ecosystem can promote the Brazilian process of implementing a circular economy in the context of the decommissioning of O&G platforms from the identification of sustainable value opportunities and for the capture of this value. For this we use 4EM to understand how an orchestrating company such as BNPC plans the development of a sustainable decommissioning in Brazil, the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool to build information on sustainable value and the Pie Ecosystem Model to understand how an innovation ecosystem can act to capture the desired sustainable value organizing a new circular business model. Finally, we discuss the insufficiency of a technological innovation system (TIS) to promote sustainable transition and the need for a future study that analyzes, based on a specific framework, the current TIS and an understanding of the longitudinal events related to the Brazilian naval industry and how the activity of dismantling and recycling of platforms and vessels represents a recent element of a transition that has been occurring within this industry.
Despite the environmental imperative of a transition to a circular economy ( CE ), the current literature finds that globally firms are being slow to engage with such a transition. In this context, our thematic review explores how artificial intelligence (AI) might accelerate firm CE transition. In a departure from the dominant approach that adopts the product life cycle as the unit of analysis, the authors contribute to the literature by framing the potential of AI in terms of how it might accelerate greater CE maturity on the part of firms. A maturity model is advanced, identifying four stages of firm CE maturity, and then, different AI techniques are applied to each of the stages, providing guidance to adopting the correct AI technique for each stage in the maturity journey. The paper makes a further contribution to the literature by utilising a novel literature review method, whereby the authors themselves utilise AI in the form of a machine learning algorithm that optimises manual classification outcomes. This method provides greater objectivity to a review of 601 papers and reveals its future research potential.
Certified B Corporations (B Corps) are organizations committed to creating positive environmental and social impacts beyond shareholder profit. Due to the potential link between B Corps and sustainable development, they have recently received increasing attention from academics. However, there remains a lack of empirical research on their business models and strategies, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this study was, first, to examine selected US-based B Corps’ environmental and social sustainability practices and their impacts; second, to explore their keys to success; third, to assess their contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by analyzing their sustainable business models within the circular economy and creating shared value frameworks; and fourth, to explore how young adults should be educated to become the future leaders in social entrepreneurship and sustainability. A qualitative research method was used employing interview and document analyses. This study provides empirical evidence of the significant roles that B Corps play in addressing global problems and contributing to the UN SDGs.
In the quest for environmental sustainability, the circular economy offers a transformative approach, emphasizing resource efficiency, waste reduction, and conservation. This chapter delves into innovative strategies that leverage circular economy principles to enhance environmental management and conservation efforts. Key areas explored include resource optimization, waste minimization, product lifecycle extension, and sustainable design. The chapter begins by outlining the fundamental concepts of the circular economy, contrasting them with traditional linear models. It highlights the importance of closing the loop through practices such as recycling, reusing, and remanufacturing. Innovative strategies for resource optimization, including the use of renewable materials and efficient resource management, are discussed in detail. Waste minimization techniques, such as industrial symbiosis and zero-waste initiatives, are examined for their potential to significantly reduce environmental impact. The chapter also explores the role of product lifecycle extension through repair, refurbishment, and repurposing, showcasing examples from various industries. Sustainable design principles, focusing on creating products with a longer lifespan and reduced environmental footprint, are highlighted as crucial elements of circular economy strategies. The chapter underscores the importance of supportive policies and economic incentives in promoting these practices. By providing a comprehensive overview, this chapter aims to inspire stakeholders to adopt circular economy strategies, driving progress toward a sustainable future.
The paper describes a web application developed for managing and presenting experiment data of the WIDER UPTAKE project funded by Horizon Europe. The project's goal is to promote water-smart and sustainable solutions among stakeholders in multiple countries. The application enhances data management and stakeholder engagement through the use of a third-party large language model. It integrates data from demonstration case studies with real-time sensor measurements and laboratory tests, into a comprehensive cloud-based platform. It facilitates data visualization, regulatory compliance checks, and risk assessments for chemical and microbial hazards. The application significantly aided in the coordination and communication of project findings among stakeholders. Key functionalities include interactive diagrams, risk assessment tools, and automated report generation using artificial intelligence (AI). The AI-generated reports, while maintaining confidentiality of data in most cases, provided clear and informative summaries of data compliance with regulatory standards. The web application extended stakeholder engagement, democratized access to complex data, and supported decision-making processes for implementing sustainable water management solutions. However, the development encountered significant challenges surrounding transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy, which impedes the refinement and scalability of this approach for broader use. Future research should focus on overcoming these obstacles to ensure a more effective and ethical application.
The Circular Economy (CE) has become an essential management model to address the environmental challenges of the traditional linear model employed by companies, protecting society and ecosystems from resource depletion and intensified ecological emissions. Thus, this study proposes a framework with recommendations for CE implementation, structured around the Triple Helix (TH) model and designed to be government-led in guiding joint actions among government, organizations, and academia. The framework comprises 21 recommendations distributed across six interconnected stages: (1) Policy Generation from Academic Inputs, (2) Development of Pilot Projects with Industry, (3) Analysis and Academic Validation of Results, (4) Policy Improvement and Scaling, (5) Promotion of Innovation and Technology Transfer, and (6) Global Connection and Replicability. These stages collectively enhance policies and practices, accelerating the transition to a CE. This framework underscores the importance of regionally adapted public policies, technological innovations to extend material lifespans, and the promotion of conscious consumption. It also emphasizes the need for intersectoral collaboration to foster sustainability and efficiency in resource management. Methodologically, this study employs an integrative review to map technical and scientific CE practices in the United Kingdom, China, and the United States. The theoretical contribution validates the TH model as a strategic tool for developing the CE. Furthermore, the practical contribution is the structured pathway to implementing the CE, detailing the main phases of collaboration among TH actors to ensure the effective operationalization of circular strategies.
The concept of zero waste manufacturing has surfaced as a revolutionary method for attaining sustainability, transitioning from the conventional linear economy to a circular economy (CE). This comprehensive review delves into the conceptual underpinnings, motivating factors, obstacles, illustrative case studies, technological advancements, regulatory structures, and evaluation metrics linked to zero waste manufacturing. The tenets of circular economy—minimizing resource consumption, repurposing materials, reclaiming waste, and innovating product designs—provide both ecological and financial advantages, such as diminished resource exhaustion, decreased carbon footprints, and enhanced cost efficiency. Although it holds great promise, the implementation of zero waste manufacturing encounters considerable obstacles, such as technological constraints, elevated expenses, absence of uniform recycling methods, and reluctance to embrace change. Significant advancements like chemical recycling, resource tracking through IoT, 3D printing technology, and modular design are improving sustainability; however, they demand considerable financial commitment. Moreover, regulatory structures such as the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and China’s Circular Economy Promotion Law are instrumental in advancing zero waste initiatives, although the implementation of these measures often lacks consistency. Case studies across diverse sectors such as construction, fashion, and electronics showcase effective implementations while also uncovering unique challenges specific to each industry. Successful collaboration among stakeholders—including governmental bodies, enterprises, and consumers—is essential for amplifying zero waste initiatives. Additionally, indicators like material recovery percentages, reductions in carbon footprints, and rates of waste diversion play a crucial role in assessing advancement. Subsequent investigations ought to concentrate on evaluating long-term effects, the behavioural elements that affect adoption, and the contribution of AI in enhancing resource utilisation. This evaluation highlights the critical need to shift towards zero waste production to guarantee ecological sustainability, economic robustness, and worldwide resource stability.
Ekonomi sirkular merupakan pendekatan untuk mengurangi limbah dan mengoptimalkan penggunaan sumber daya untuk menjaga nilai produk dan material selama mungkin, meminimalkan dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan, dan mendorong praktik berkelanjutan. Ekonomi sirkular merupakan manajemen rantai pasok yang tertutup dimana produk dari pengguna akhir dikembalikan ke retailer, distributor, pabrik atau supplier untuk didaur ulang atau digunakan kembali sehingga lebih berkelanjutan dan ramah lingkungan. Dalam buku ini juga dibahas cara untuk menilai penerapan ekonomi sirkular dengan 10R dari tingkat terendah sampai tertinggi, yaitu refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, dan recovery.
Beberapa area ekonomi sirkular di industri maritim yang didiskusikan yaitu galangan kapal, pelayaran, pelabuhan, perikanan, dan akuakultur. Keunikan dari buku ini adalah mengangkat ekonomi sirkular di industri galangan kapal ikan tradisional yang terbuat dari kayu khususnya pada pembangunan kapal baru. Bagian atau komponen dalam kapal ikan tersebut merupakan hasil produk remanufaktur yaitu mesin kapal, kursi kemudi, besi, paku, mur, dan baut. Ekonomi sirkular memiliki keterkaitan dengan industri 4.0, dimana peningkatan penggunaan teknologi 4.0 akan berdampak pada pemanfaatan 10R.
The circular economy vision assumes that consumers will be increasingly turning into users of circular services, enabled by various digital platforms. Yet while apps can help to connect and educate consumers on circularity, the app market can be overwhelming. Moreover, many digital tools are designed for consumers as independent rational individuals, interested in self-gain and self-education. Our study combines social learning theory, literature on circular consumption and digitalisation to highlight the need for digital solutions that could reinforce existing social relations and serve as enabling tools for neighbourhood-based approaches of reusing, sharing, renting and recycling together with close circles of friends, relatives or neighbours. Empirically, we draw on everyday experiences of front-runner citizens who have been implementing circularity, zero waste and sustainable consumption principles to examine whether and how digital platforms have facilitated their circularity in everyday life. Our study is based on a set of 40 semi-structured interviews, analysing the circular experiences of eco-activists and eco-influencers from Finland and the city of St Petersburg (Russia) and their use of digital platforms for circularity. Our results show that despite the flourishing app market, the circular citizens from our data often relied on ad-hoc solutions developed through social media platforms and messenger apps to facilitate their circular consumption in local communities with shared values regarding circularity. While these solutions might lack the sophistication and technical flexibility for convenient search and filtering, they still remain attractive due to their capacity to embed circular consumption locally and among preferred social circles.
Globally, interest is growing in the circular economy in response to the current unsustainable model of production and consumption based on increased use and depletion of resources. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the academic literature on the circular economy, circular economy assessment methods as well as circular strategies in agri-food systems to understand its main characteristics. This review aims to identify opportunities provided by the circular economy (CE) and quantify the CE research trend, the CE assessment method, the CE practices, and the research gaps for further study to help solve issues of managing limited resources for circular and sustainable development. Europe had the highest number of articles, highlighting the level of CE implementation. Results indicate that circular economy practices are not widespread; however, these practices are gradually gaining acceptance. The most implemented CE practices are waste-to-energy and composting. The results show that life cycle assessment is the most employed method; researchers have proposed and used both life cycle assessment and material circularity assessment complementarily. Case study and interview research approach were mostly used to assess the agri-food CE. These circular economy practices are also shown to have linkages with Sustainable Development Goals. The findings show the need for the implementation of cleaner production models and consequent increases in stakeholder responsibilities and awareness. Transitioning to agri-food CE has its own barriers such as technology, market, regulation, and coordination. Future research on the development of a comprehensive circular economy assessment method is proposed to facilitate its implementation in agri-food systems.
The success of the circular economy transition depends on the involvement of all stakeholders. However, research on consumer participation in the circular economy is limited. This study identifies the micro-level dynamics of the circular economy within the post-consumption network, mainly focusing on re-commerce operations. Through exploring re-commerce networks in 20 countries and a statistical analysis of factors influencing sales performances on Facebook, this research aims to identify the primary elements influencing re-commerce activities on Facebook and their role in promoting circular economy. This study uses grounded theory and a mixed-methods approach, combining literature reviews and interviews, to explore the impact of re-commerce on the circular economy. Based on the research findings, this research develops four propositions to promote future research on post-consumption networks in the circular economy context.
The next chapter extends more with the discussion of CE principles integrated into CSR strategies maintaining a business case strong in sustainable practice beyond the traditional model. Closed-loop supply chains, sustainability in product design, Product-as-a-Service for resource efficiency, waste minimization, and improvement within the corporate resilience system come to mind as CE-oriented strategies. This chapter continues to cover the challenge of responsible leadership and advocacy in policy to push over hurdles, support sustainable culture change, and position companies as corporate citizens. It brings out attention to future trends of urban mining and CE in developing markets, showing how companies adopting circular models will derive long-term growth and competitiveness. Recommendations to firms to totally embed CE in their CSR framework could include, notably around actionables, especially in terms of strong metrics, engagement, and creating leadership that supports environmental and social accountability.
The fashion industry accounts for large impacts on the environment and social welfare, both on the consumers' and companies' sides. This study systematically reviews the literature on sustainable consumption in the fashion industry, clarifying sustainable fashion's meaning. Existing sustainable fashion solutions are investigated from consumers' behavior perspective and classified into three consumption phases, that is, (pre‐)purchase, use, and post‐use. 187 articles are included, and twenty‐six sustainable solutions are identified across the consumption phases. These include techniques, features, services, and behaviors able to increase garment sustainability by mitigating negative impacts and ensuring product circularity by recycling and/or reusing at the product's end of life, representing promising strategies for fostering a transition toward sustainable fashion consumption practices. An innovative and comprehensive framework of sustainable fashion solutions is developed. Future research agenda and a sustainable offering inventory for marketers are provided.
The exponential growth of data-driven technologies, including IoT, 5G, and edge computing, has significantly increased the complexity of modern networks. This surge in traffic demands intelligent and adaptive strategies for efficient traffic management. Traditional approaches often fall short in meeting the dynamic and heterogeneous requirements of these networks. This systematic literature review (SLR) examines the state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) techniques utilized in modern networking for traffic management. By analyzing 15 recent studies, this review categorizes AI methodologies into machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and hybrid approaches. Key contributions of AI include its ability to enhance traffic prediction accuracy, optimize resource allocation, and reduce latency, all of which significantly improve Quality of Service (QoS). For instance, deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks have achieved up to 30% improvement in predictive analytics. Similarly, reinforcement learning models have demonstrated robust performance in dynamic routing and congestion control, reducing packet loss by up to 25% in simulated environments. Despite these advancements, this study highlights several challenges. A reliance on simulated datasets limits the real-world applicability of many AI models. Additionally, computational overheads and energy consumption pose significant barriers to the deployment of AI techniques in resource-constrained environments. This review also identifies emerging trends, such as federated learning and explainable AI, which aim to address scalability and interpretability issues. The findings underscore the transformative potential of AI in intelligent networking, while emphasizing the need for further research to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and real-world deployment. This study provides researchers and practitioners with critical insights into the current state of AI-driven traffic management and offers recommendations for future research directions.
Excessive industrialization is creating enormous economic gaps, chaos and unequal societies that are approaching dangerous limits. Simultaneously, large quantities of residues, waste and ecological footprints have been created in detriment to the natural environment and the quality of life of most of the planet’s population, mainly in developing regions. This presents most innovators with a new dilemma: Invest in sustainable long-term projects with low economic returns, or innovate in short-term incremental production and negotiate the environmental harm caused by an excessive industrialization. In fact, a significant milestone emerges from these arguments. Somehow, we must reverse the perverse cycle created by industrialization and transform the current ecological footprint into valuable assets, for all sub-systems of the biosphere. A proposal has been designed to go beyond sustainability and create sustainable wealth, based on the modification of the conventional growth paradigm, that can be used to regenerate regional natural resources and simultaneously be economically competitive and capable of offering important social benefits to the community. The proposed framework, SWIT (Sustainable Wealth creation based on Innovation and Technology) has been developed to provide multiple businesses of zero-value residue industrial ecology processes (ZRIES), inserted into circular value ecosystems (CVES), all managed and governed by a sustainable sharing value system for the benefit of a community. Several cases of the application of the sustainable wealth creation framework, mainly in developing countries, are described.
The circular economy concept is a novel economic model aiming to foster sustainable
economic growth, boost global competitiveness, and generate new jobs. In order to make
the circular economy mainstream, radical and systemic innovation is needed. Currently,
a majority of the business modelling tools and methods lack at least some of the identified
and needed elements for innovating business models in a circular economy. In this
article, we build a framework for sustainable circular business model innovation by
adding important perspectives: recognizing trends and drivers at the ecosystem level; understanding
value to partners and stakeholders within a business; and evaluating the impact
of sustainability and circularity. We present the results of a case study with a startup
company, which was designed to test the framework and provide a concrete example of
its usage and future development needs.
So far, organizations had no authoritative guidance on circular economy (CE) principles, strategies, implementation, and monitoring. Consequentially, the British Standards Institution recently launched a new standard “BS 8001:2017 – Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations”.
BS 8001:2017 tries to reconcile the far-reaching ambitions of the CE with established business routines. The standard contains a comprehensive list of CE terms and definitions, a set of general CE principles, a flexible management framework for implementing CE strategies in organizations, and a detailed description of economic, environmental, design, marketing, and legal issues related to the CE.
The guidance on monitoring CE strategy implementation, however, remains vague. The standard stipulates that organizations are solely responsible for choosing appropriate CE indicators. Its authors do not elaborate on the links between CE strategy monitoring and the relevant and already standardized quantitative tools life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow cost accounting (MFCA).
Here a general system definition for deriving CE indicators is proposed. Based on the system definition and the indicator literature a dashboard of new and established quantitative indicators for CE strategy assessment in organizations is then compiled. The dashboard indicators are mostly based on material flow analysis (MFA), MFCA, and LCA. Steel cycle data are used to illustrate potential core CE indicators, notably, the residence time of a material in the techno-sphere (currently 250–300 years for steel). Moreover, organizations need to monitor their contribution to in-use-stock growth, a central driver of resource depletion and hindrance to closing material cycles.
The circular economy concept has gained momentum both among scholars and practitioners. However, critics claim that it means many different things to different people. This paper provides further evidence for these critics. The aim of this paper is to create transparency regarding the current understandings of the circular economy concept. For this purpose, we have gathered 114 circular economy definitions which were coded on 17 dimensions. Our findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift. We further find that the definitions show few explicit linkages of the circular economy concept to sustainable development. The main aim of the circular economy is considered to be economic prosperity, followed by environmental quality; its impact on social equity and future generations is barely mentioned. Furthermore, neither business models nor consumers are frequently outlined as enablers of the circular economy. We critically discuss the various circular economy conceptualizations throughout this paper. Overall, we hope to contribute via this study towards the coherence of the circular economy concept; we presume that significantly varying circular economy definitions may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.
As the circular economy (CE) gains traction in literature and practice, several academic communities are opening up spaces that move away from the CE as a pure engineering concept. This systematic literature review (n = 77) analyses and discusses the fragmented body of knowledge on the meso-level of supply chains (SCs): (a) to find common ground that underpins the current implementation of the CE on this level; and (b) to identify drivers, inhibitors, and enablers from which CE SC configurations emerge. The review finds that there remain differences in CE definitions that result from claimed antecedents and scopes, resulting in distinct research streams. On the meso-level, eco-industrial parks, environmental SCs, and closed-loop SCs each face significant challenges. The latter potentially offers the largest environmental benefits but engenders radical changes for business models and exposes SCs to more risk. We firstly argue for moving away from using a prescriptive set of practices as definitions for the CE towards a set of overarching goals to allow for the inclusion of future practices and techniques. Secondly, we highlight that research going beyond the meso-level to consider the wider social and institutional environment is needed to solve current challenges.
Despite their evidently different assumptions and operationalization strategies, the concepts of Circular Economy, Green Economy and Bioeconomy are joined by the common ideal to reconcile economic, environmental and social goals. The three concepts are currently mainstreamed in academia and policy making as key sustainability avenues, but a comparative analysis of such concepts is missing. The aim of this article is thus to comprehensively analyse the diversity within and between such concepts. The results are drawn from a bibliometric review of almost two thousand scientific articles published within the last three decades, coupled with a conceptual analysis. We find that, for what concerns environmental sustainability, Green Economy acts as an ‘umbrella’ concept, including elements from Circular Economy and Bioeconomy concepts (e.g. eco-efficiency; renewables), as well as additional ideas, e.g. nature-based solutions. In particular, Circular Economy and Bioeconomy are resource-focused, whereas in principle Green Economy acknowledges the underpinning role of all ecological processes. Regarding the social dimension, Green Economy is more inclusive of some aspects at local level (e.g. eco-tourism, education), while there is an emerging discussion in Bioeconomy literature around local processes in terms of biosecurity and rural policies. When considering weak/strong sustainability visions, all concepts remain limited in questioning economic growth. By comparing the different sustainability strategies promoted by these concepts we do not advocate for their substitutability, but for their clarification and reciprocal integration. The findings are discussed in light of the concepts’ synergies and limits, with the purpose to inform research and policy implementation.
In this article, we use Hirsch and Levin’s notion of umbrella concepts as an analytical lens, in order to articulate the valuable catalytic function the circular economy (CE) concept could perform in the waste and resource management debate. We realize this goal by anchoring the CE concept in this broader debate through a narrative approach. This leads to the insight that whereas the various resource strategies grouped under the CE’s banner are not new individually, the concept offers a new framing of these strategies by drawing attention to their capacity of prolonging resource use as well as to the relationship between these strategies. As such, the CE offers a new perspective on waste and resource management and provides a new cognitive unit and discursive space for debate. We conclude by discussing research opportunities for the industrial ecology (IE) community relating to the concept’s theoretical development and its implementation. Specifically, we pose that reinvigorating and growing the social science aspects of IE is required for both. After all, it is in understanding and facilitating the collective implementation of any idea, also the CE concept, that the potential lies for shaping our material future.
Transforming the linear economy, which has remained the dominant model since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, into a circular one is by no means an easy task. Such a radical change entails a major transformation of our current production and consumption patterns, which in turn will have a significant impact on the economy, the environment and society. Understanding these impacts is crucial for researchers as well as for policy-makers engaged in designing future policies in the field. This requires developing an in-depth knowledge of the concept of the circular economy, its processes and their expected effects on sectors and value chains. This paper reviews the growing literature on the circular economy with the aim of improving our understanding of the concept as well as its various dimensions and expected impacts. On the basis of this review, it attempts to map the processes involved and their application in different sectors. The paper suggests that research on the circular economy is currently fragmented across various disciplines and there are often different perspectives and interpretations of the concept and the related aspects that need to be assessed. This fragmentation is also evident in the available studies that adopt different approaches in calculating the impacts, which makes efforts at comparing the results from different sources very challenging. Finally, this paper suggests that there is limited information on the indirect effects on the economy (e.g. impacts on the value chain or changes in consumption spending patterns) as well as the social impacts of the circular economy transition.
On-site management of construction waste commonly determines its destination. In the case of plasterboard (PB), on-site segregation becomes crucial for closed-loop recycling. However, PB is commonly mixed with other wastes in Spain. In this context, the involvement of stakeholders that can contribute to reversing this current situation is needed. This paper analyzes on-site waste management of PB in Spain through a pilot study of a construction site, with the main objective of identifying best practices to increase waste prevention, waste minimization, and the recyclability of the waste. On-site visits and structured interviews were conducted. The results show five management stages: PB distribution (I); PB installation (II); Construction waste storage at the installation area (III); PB waste segregation at the installation area (IV) and PB waste transfer to the PB container and storage (V). The proposed practices refer to each stage and include the merging of Stages III and IV. This measure would avoid the mixing of waste fractions in Stage III, maximizing the recyclability of PB. In addition, two requisites for achieving enhanced management are analyzed: ‘Training and commitment’ and ‘fulfilling the requirements established by the current regulation’. The results show that foremen adopted a more pessimistic attitude than installers towards a joint commitment for waste management. Moreover, not all supervisors valued the importance of a site waste management plan, regulated by the Royal Decree 105/2008 in Spain.
Assessing product circularity performance is not straightforward. Meanwhile, it gains increasingly importance for businesses and industrial practitioners who are willing to effectively take benefits from circular economy promises. Thus, providing methods and tools to evaluate then enhance product performance—in the light of circular economy—becomes a significant but still barely addressed topic. Following a joint agreement on the need to measure product circularity performance, this paper provides an overview of mechanisms aiming to help industrial practitioners in this task. In fact, three existing approaches to measure product circularity performance have been tested on an industrial case study and criticized regarding both their applicability in industry and their accordance with circular economy principles. Although these methods and tools deliver a first and rapid trend of product circularity performance, the whole complexity of circular economy paradigm is far from being considered. In addition, operational guidance for engineers, designers or managers to improve their products in a circular economy context are missing. As a result, both recommendations for industrial practitioners and guidelines for the design and development of new frameworks, tools and indicators aiming at measuring product circularity performance are provided. This includes cornerstones, key requirements and practical implications to support enhanced circularity measurement that will be developed in further work, accordingly to circular economy paradigm and industrial reality.
Although the 2Rs (reduce and reuse) are considered high-priority approaches, there has not been enough quantitative research on effective 2R management. The purpose of this paper is to provide information obtained through the International Workshop in Kyoto, Japan, on 11–13 November 2015, which included invited experts and researchers in several countries who were in charge of 3R policies, and an additional review of 245 previous studies. It was found that, regarding policy development, the decoupling between environmental pressures and economy growth was recognized as an essential step towards a sustainable society. 3R and resource management policies, including waste prevention, will play a crucial role. Approaches using material/substance flow analyses have become sophisticated enough to describe the fate of resources and/or hazardous substances based on human activity and the environment, including the final sink. Life-cycle assessment has also been developed to evaluate waste prevention activities. Regarding target products for waste prevention, food loss is one of the waste fractions with the highest priority because its countermeasures have significant upstream and downstream effects. Persistent organic pollutants and hazardous compounds should also be taken into account in the situation where recycling activities are globally widespread for the promotion of a material-cycling society.
The paper presents the current situation of the waste management system of the megacity Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, and the options for waste and land recycling in a low income country. Generally, there is a large potential for circular economy in the city as the main proportion of the waste flows are recyclables. Due to the missing selective collection system, this potential is not used in the full extend yet, even if the collection of the entire waste volumes is envisaged in the National Waste Management Strategy by 2025. The waste stocks are the landfill locations in the region of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), two of them being in operation and two of them already being closed. A special focus is given to the landfill Gò Cát, which was subject to an option analysis in terms of waste and land recycling options. The results indicate that there are several reuse options: the use of the landfill material in a waste-to-energy process after landfill mining, the reuse of the re-gained land in case of landfill mining, the reuse of the capped landfill for energy crop cultivation, and the gasification in a biogas plant in case of a remaining landfill.
The “pay-as-you-throw” (PAYT) scheme is an economic instrument for waste management that applies the “polluter pays” principle by charging the inhabitants of municipalities according to the amount of residual, organic, and bulky waste they send for third-party waste management. When combined with well-developed infrastructure to collect the different waste fractions (residual waste, paper and cardboard, plastics, bio waste, green cuttings, and many recyclables) as well as with a good level of citizens’ awareness, its performance has frequently been linked to an increase in the collection rates of recyclables. However, the establishment and operation of PAYT systems can require significant resource inputs from municipalities. In this paper, PAYT is analysed through a case study from the German County of Aschaffenburg, covering nearly 20 years of implementation across 32 municipalities with 173,000 inhabitants. Key performance indicators include temporal trends in the county’s recyclables collection rate, waste treatment fees for residents, and municipal waste management costs, benchmarked against German municipalities not implementing PAYT. We conclude that PAYT could make an important contribution towards material reuse and recycling objectives for the new circular economy.
Bioeconomy solutions potentially reduce the utilization demand of natural resources, and therefore, represent steps towards circular economy, but are not per se equivalent to sustainability. Thus, production may remain to be achieved against losses in natural resources or at other environmental costs, and materials produced by bioeconomy are not necessarily biodegradable. As a consequence, the assumption that emerging bioeconomy by itself provides an environmentally sustainable economy is not justified, as technologies do not necessarily become sustainable merely through their conversion to using renewable resources for their production. A source of the above assumption is that the utility of bioeconomy is mostly assessed in interaction between technology developers and economists, resulting in biased assessment with private commercial technology benefits being included, but environmental costs, especially longer term ones, not being sufficiently considered in the economic models. A possible solution to this conceptual contradiction may come from bioethics, as a strong concept in environmental ethics is that no technological intervention can be imposed on nature beyond its receptive capacity. To achieve a better balanced analysis of bioeconomy, environmental and ecological, as well as non-economic social aspects, need to be included in the overall assessment.
Circular economy (CE) is a term that exists since the 1970s and has acquired greater importance in the past few years, partly due to the scarcity of natural resources available in the environment and changes in consumer behavior. Cutting-edge technologies such as big data and internet of things (IoT) have the potential to leverage the adoption of CE concepts by organizations and society, becoming more present in our daily lives. Therefore, it is fundamentally important for researchers interested in this subject to understand the status quo of studies being undertaken worldwide and to have the overall picture of it. We conducted a bibliometric literature review from the Scopus Database over the period of 2006–2015 focusing on the application of big data/IoT on the context of CE. This produced the combination of 30,557 CE documents with 32,550 unique big data/IoT studies resulting in 70 matching publications that went through content and social network analysis with the use of ‘R’ statistical tool. We then compared it to some current industry initiatives. Bibliometrics findings indicate China and USA are the most interested countries in the area and reveal a context with significant opportunities for research. In addition, large producers of greenhouse gas emissions, such as Brazil and Russia, still lack studies in the area. Also, a disconnection between important industry initiatives and scientific research seems to exist. The results can be useful for institutions and researchers worldwide to understand potential research gaps and to focus future investments/studies in the field.
The so-called circular economy—the concept of closing material loops to preserve products, parts, and materials in the industrial system and extract their maximum utility—has recently started gaining momentum. The idea of substituting lower-impact secondary production for environmentally intensive primary production gives the circular economy a strong intuitive environmental appeal. However, proponents of the circular economy have tended to look at the world purely as an engineering system and have overlooked the economic part of the circular economy. Recent research has started to question the core of the circular economy—namely, whether closing material and product loops does, in fact, prevent primary production. In this article, we argue that circular economy activities can increase overall production, which can partially or fully offset their benefits. Because there is a strong parallel in this respect to energy efficiency rebound, we have termed this effect “circular economy rebound.” Circular economy rebound occurs when circular economy activities, which have lower per-unit-production impacts, also cause increased levels of production, reducing their benefit. We describe the mechanisms that cause circular economy rebound, which include the limited ability of secondary products to substitute for primary products, and price effects. We then offer some potential strategies for avoiding circular economy rebound. However, these strategies are unlikely to be attractive to for-profit firms, so we caution that simply encouraging private firms to find profitable opportunities in the circular economy is likely to cause rebound and lower or eliminate the potential environmental benefits.
The current linear system of production and consumption is unsustainable. In the food sector, despite the fact that valuable natural resources are intensively used to produce and distribute food products, little is done to upcycle residues generated along the supply chain. Circular economy strategies are crucial for restructuring the take-make-dispose model through the active participation of all actors of supply chains. However, little is known about consumers’ willingness to participate in circular economy. A structured questionnaire was submitted to a representative sample of Italian households to assess the willingness of consumers to be actively involved in closed loops aiming at reducing food waste. Consumers are involved by returning their organic food waste to retailers in exchange for discounts on the purchase of animal products. The organic food waste returned enters in the production process of animal products. A choice experiment was designed to analyse alternative programs. Two scenarios were presented: one with a traditional technology (composting), and a second one with a radically innovative technology (insects as feed). Preferences and trade-offs, in monetary terms, among attributes were computed. Results depict a comprehensive portrait of the potential participation of consumers to closed loops inspired by the principles of circular economy.
Objectives: To explore current Waste Management practices in India and assess inadequacy; To assess successful WM practices examples and draw inferences for CE; To discuss CE as solution for WM inadequacy. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews and informal discussions with the experts in Waste Management (WM); Secondary data analysis collected from relative research papers and reports. Findings: Section 3 describes current WM practices, with insightful solutions from a case example of a for-profit waste management private company, VIVAM. Section 4 describes advancements in WM practices in three approaches: 1) Innovations in WM India, with two case examples. 2) WM practices in developed countries
3) Green consumerism. The inferences about inadequacy of above approaches lead us to propose modern advanced solution of Circular economy (CE). Section 5 infers CE as solution with insights from four case examples of successful CE implementations summarized in table3. The realignment of industry-government-citizen towards CE is demonstrated in these cases. In Section 6, CE is advocated as comprehensive solution aimed towards sustainable development in India. Useful inferences drawn from a total of seven case examples, including economies of China and UK. The contribution of this research to the existing body of sustainability knowledge is a renewed thinking for sustainable development in India. Drawing learning from developed economies infuses new thinking in future WM for India thus leading to sustainable development in India. Conclusion: Indian WM practices are less effective as performed in Silos. Adapting CE practices, educating/increasing awareness of effective WM methods goes long way towards accepting new sustainability policies and practices.
While the terms Circular Economy and sustainability are increasingly gaining traction with academia, industry, and policymakers, the similarities and differences between both concepts remain ambiguous. The relationship between the concepts is not made explicit in literature, which is blurring their conceptual contours and constrains the efficacy of using the approaches in research and practice. This research addresses this gap and aims to provide conceptual clarity by distinguishing the terms and synthesising the different types of relationships between them. We conducted an extensive literature review, employing bibliometric analysis and snowballing techniques to investigate the state of the art in the field and synthesise the similarities, differences and relationships between both terms. We identified eight different relationship types in the literature and illustrated the most evident similarities and differences between both concepts.
Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country.
Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources.
Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly aware of the benefits of closing loops and improving resource efficiency, such as saving material costs, creating competitive advantages, and accessing new markets. At the same time, however, various barriers pose challenges to small businesses in their transition to a circular economy, namely a lack of financial resources and lack of technical skills. The aim of this paper is to increase knowledge and understanding about the barriers and enablers experienced by SMEs when implementing circular economy business models. Looking first at the barriers that prevent SMEs from realising the benefits of the circular economy, an investigation is carried out in the form of a literature review and an analysis of a sample of SME case studies that are featured on the GreenEcoNet EU-funded web platform. Several enabling factors that help SMEs adopt circular economy practices are then identified. The paper concludes that although various policy instruments are available to help SMEs incorporate circular economy principles into their business models, several barriers remain. The authors recommend that European and national policies strengthen their focus on greening consumer preferences, market value chains and company cultures, and support the recognition of SMEs’ green business models. This can be achieved through the creation of dedicated marketplaces and communities of practice, for example.
The transition to a circular economy bodes well for a future of environmentally sustainable growth and economic development. The implications and advantages of a shift to a circular economy have been extensively demonstrated by the literature on the subject. What has not been sufficiently investigated is how this paradigm can be enabled through the inter-organisational cooperation among different business enterprises. In order to illustrate this point, in this paper we aim to contribute to the circular economy debate by describing and discussing such a meta-model of inter-organisational cooperation. The present study is therefore based on the analysis of three cases from an equal number of industries, from which we identified factors of potential impact for the stimulation of cooperation in a circular economy perspective. Last, but not least, we discuss the relations between the case studies and try to formulate all possible implications for both managers and research.
Value streams for collected post-consumer textiles continue to be analyzed within the global challenge to develop and employ commercially viable, yet ethical and sustainable strategies within the fashion industry. Upcycling is an existing strategy applicable to fashion production, with discarded materials used to design and create higher value products, keeping them in productive use for longer. A number of very small, niche upcycling enterprises have emerged in the UK. These brands have succeeded in creating stylistically relevant and commercially successful fashion styles utilizing waste textile materials. The advantages of scaling these enterprises up are not only environmental, but also economic and social, thereby creating a sustainable and innovative business model for UK-led fashion production. Due to high levels of three key metrics of carbon, water and waste, UK government agency WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has identified textile products as prior- ity materials for reuse and recycling. Upcycling enables a sustainable design option for reuse techniques to be employed for greatest economic and environmental benefit, in which used clothing and textiles are sourced for the production of newly designed fashion products. This paper identifies the key differences between standard fashion design and production processes and upcycled fashion design and production pro- cesses, in order to aid the development of large-scale fashion upcycling in the UK, and contribute to a circular economy.
This study analyzes the operation of Biomass System (BIO System) technology for the combustion of pellets from almond and olive trees within the circular economy model. Its aims are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as waste removal and its energy use by reintroducing that waste into the production process as technological nutrient. In order to do so, combustion efficiency under optimal conditions at nominal power was analyzed. In addition, a TESTO 350-XL analyzer was employed to measure CO and NOx emissions. High combustion efficiency values were obtained, 87.7% and 86.3%, for pellets from olive tree and almond tree, respectively. The results of CO and NOx emission levels were very satisfactory. Under conditions close to nominal power, CO emission levels were 225.3 ppm at 6% O2 for pellet from almond tree and 351.6 ppm at 6% O2 for pellet from olive tree. Regarding NOx emissions, the values were 365.8 ppm at 6% O2 and 333.2 ppm at 6% O2 for pellets from almond tree and olive tree, respectively. In general, these values were below those legally established by current legislation in European countries. Therefore, BIO System technology is a perfectly feasible option in terms of energy use and circular economy.
Design has been recognised in the literature as a catalyst to move away from the traditional model of take-make-dispose to achieve a more restorative, regenerative and circular economy. As such, for a circular economy to thrive, products need to be designed for closed loops, as well as be adapted to generate revenues. This should not only be at the point of purchase, but also during use, and be supported by low-cost return chains and reprocessing structures, as well as effective policy and regulation. To date, most academic and grey literature on the circular economy has focused primarily on the development of new business models, with some of the latter studies addressing design strategies for a circular economy, specifically in the area of resource cycles and design for product life extension. However, these studies primarily consider a limited spectrum of the technical and biological cycles where materials are recovered and restored and nutrients (e.g., materials, energy, water) are regenerated. This provides little guidance or clarity for designers wishing to design for new circular business models in practice. As such, this paper aims to address this gap by systematically analysing previous literature on Design for Sustainability (DfX) (e.g., design for resource conservation, design for slowing resource loops and whole systems design) and links these approaches to the current literature on circular business models. A conceptual framework is developed for circular economy design strategies. From this conceptual framework, recommendations are made to enable designers to fully consider the holistic implications for design within a circular economy.
The aim of this paper is to investigate consumer behavior regarding the environment and the adoption of new patterns of behavior and responsible consumption in the promotion of a Circular Economy (CE) in Romania. With this goal in mind, a questionnaire survey was performed on-line on a nationwide scale to explore consumers’ behaviors and attitudes, which was distributed in all four of Romania’s macro-regions and interviewing 642 respondents. The results indicate that the consumers have a positive attitude towards the importance of the environmental protection, in general and it also measures the frequency of adopting eco-friendly behaviors by the consumers, showing that the consumption behavior is not very consistent with the general attitude regarding environment. As a parallel, consumers are aware of the importance of CE business models, in general, both for the economy and for the environment, but the adoption of consumption patterns specific to CE business models, necessary for the development and the success of the CE business models, has a low probability in the absence of direct or indirect incentives and benefits fostering the adoption of these consumption patterns. In conclusion, the development of CE business models in Romania requires a national strategy, which includes means to sustain the adoption of necessary new consumption behaviors, besides awareness raising and educational campaigns for explaining to consumers the liaison and the impact of their behavior to the environment and to the economy.
The circular economy (CE) can be a driver for sustainability and CE can be promoted and supported by the creation of new and innovative business models, which embed CE principles into their value propositions throughout the value chains. This study focuses on the environmental value propositions of the CE business models. The term environmental value proposition refers here to an absolute value being a promise of environmental improvement, which a company provides to the environment by its impacts throughout the whole value chain. The aim of this study is to outline a framework for evaluating the environmental value propositions of CE business models. The framework consists of an environmental value propositions table (EVPT) and a step-by-step approach towards an evaluation process. The framework was tested in three CE business model cases. The outlined framework enables a better understanding of circular economy principles, combining them with the environmental value proposition. With the framework, companies can plan and design new CE business models or they can verify intended environmental benefits and analyse their contribution to sustainability. The biggest challenges, when applying the framework, were related to the estimation of environmental benefits gained from the environmental value propositions at the system level. In the future, intensive scientific work should concentrate on developing environmental assessment methods specifically for companies developing new CE business models.
Circular Economy (CE) currently represents a viable option for countries, governments, academia and society to transform the linear and semi-circular materials and energy flows into circular flows and obtain better sustainable benefits. In this sense, Industrial Ecology (IE) with its tools can assist in the transition to CE. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to present the theoretical contribution of IE to CE. The methodology used was based on bibliometric analysis in the international context. With regard to the bibliometric analyses, we have identified that the evolution of CE would not be possible without the existence of IE concepts and tools, especially with tools such as Industrial Symbiosis (IS) and Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs). Furthermore, three levels of IE contribution to CE were identified, such as: conceptual, technical and policy aspects. Finally, new CE based researches from an IE perspective with bibliometric analysis and with co-citation networks are possible, including, solid waste management and policies.
Circular Economy has undoubtedly become one of the hot topics in public debates about new and more sustainable industrial paradigms and strategies. In this respect, the fashion of Circular Economy is in the
fact that it aims at overcoming the dominant linear take, make, disposal economy model, i.e. “a traditional open-ended economy model developed with no built-in tendency to recycle, which is reflected by treating the environment as a waste reservoir” (Su et al., 2013). Circular Economy, indeed, bases on the establishment of closed production systems, where resources are reused and kept in a loop of production and usage, allowing generating more value and for a longer period. Despite the interest for Circular Economy by politicians and practitioners, scholars, particularly in the strategic management field, are still struggling with a lack of a framework explaining how companies willing to become circular adapt their existing
business model or create a new one. By extensively reviewing, through the lens of business model literature, the extant contributions on Circular Economy, we propose a taxonomy of Circular Economy
Business Models based on the degree of adoption of circularity along two major dimensions: (i) the customer value proposition & interface, i.e. the implementation of the circularity concept in proposing
value to customers; (ii) the value network, i.e. the ways through which interacting with suppliers and reorganizing the own internal activities. The taxonomy is then initially tested through some explorative
case studies, showing in practice the ability of the framework to properly distinguish different modes of adoption of Circular Economy.
Circular economy (CE) is currently a popular concept promoted by the EU, by several national governments and by many businesses around the world. However, the scientific and research content of the CE concept is superficial and unorganized. CE seems to be a collection of vague and separate ideas from several fields and semi-scientific concepts. The objective of this article is to contribute to the scientific research on CE. First, we will define the concept of CE from the perspective of WCED sustainable development and sustainability science. Second, we will conduct a critical analysis of the concept from the perspective of environmental sustainability. The analysis identifies six challenges, for example those of thermodynamics and system boundaries, that need to be resolved for CE to be able to contribute to global net sustainability. These six challenges also serve as research themes and objectives for scholars interested in making progress in sustainable development through the usage of circular economy. CE is important for its power to attract both the business community and policy-making community to sustainability work, but it needs scientific research to secure that the actual environmental impacts of CE work toward sustainability.
The European Union (EU) has set its sights on becoming a circular economy, envisaging a transition that implies systemic changes in natural resource transformations and material flows; and offering a response to what is commonly labelled as the ‘take-make-dispose’ conventional economic model. What does the transition toward a circular economy entail and what can it do? This paper analyses the emergence and mobilisation of expectations that are shaping the EU transition to a circular economy. It traces the narrative elements through which the circular economy is configured through an analysis of position papers presented to inform the debate on the European Commission’s circular economy package. Expectations for the circular economy are articulated as: (1) a perfect circle of slow material flows; (2) a shift from consumer to user; (3) growth through circularity and decoupling; and (4) a solution to European renewal. Extending boundaries of what is ‘in’ benefits actors driving the circular economy as, in the short-term, they can actively support a deliberately vague, but uncontroversial, circular economy. On the one hand, the expectations present a strong sense of a collective ‘we’, on the other hand we are yet to see the contentions and contestations being full playing out.
Literature reviews are an essential part of all kinds of research. Their importance
is frequently emphasized in introductory texts on research methodology as well as
in methodological papers. The methodological basis for a literature review is
usually a document analysis conducted as a content analysis. Therefore, criteria
have to be chosen which allow the search for and the categorization of relevant
literature. Such classification forms part of the structured analysis. Yet, not all
aspects can be assessed this way, so conceptual research must also be a part of
the research. Using the example of sustainability in supply chains, this paper
offers insights on how a literature review might be conducted. This field provides
and interesting example, as it is a young field of academic writing, so a total
analysis of all relevant work published since 1990 is feasible.
Qualitative issues as observed in literature on environmental and sustainability
management as well as supply and supply chain management are used to identify
criteria to review the literature.
A linear economy approach results in many environmental challenges: resources become depleted and end up as waste and emissions. One of the key strategies to overcome these problems is using waste as a resource, i.e. evolving toward a circular economy. To monitor this transition, suitable indicators are needed that focus on sustainability issues whilst taking into account the technical reality. In this paper, we develop such an indicator to quantify the circular economy performance of different plastic waste treatment options. This indicator is based on the technical quality of the plastic waste stream and evaluates resource consumption by using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE) method. To illustrate the use of this new indicator, it was applied in a case study on post-industrial plastic waste treatment. The results show that the indicator can be a very useful approach to guide waste streams towards their optimal valorization option, based on quality of the waste flow and the environmental benefit of the different options.
The built environment puts major pressure on the natural environment; its role in transitioning to a circular economy (CE) is therefore fundamental. However, current CE research tends to focus either on the macro-scale, such as eco-parks, or the micro-scale, such as manufactured products, with the risk of ignoring the additional impacts and potentials at the meso-scale of individual buildings. This article sets out to unpack the fundamental defining dimensions of a CE and frame them for CE studies for the built environment. A critical literature review forms the basis for identifying and framing such fundamental dimensions. Our contribution highlights the key roles of interdisciplinary research and of both bottom-up and top-down initiatives in facilitating the transition to ‘circular buildings’. The frame for reference has been used to capture current discourse on the sustainability of the built environment and has proved to be a valuable tool to cluster existing initiatives and highlight missing links for interdisciplinary endeavours. The article represents a contribution to the theoretical foundations of CE research in the built environment and a stepping stone to shape future research initiatives.
Collaborative approach and infrastructures sharing are key industrial symbiosis initiatives adopted in clusters of SMEs. Several studies have dealt with the environmental benefits of industrial symbiosis however only a few have adopted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess the benefits of these initiatives on the typical product of the cluster. Our paper presents the case of an Italian tannery cluster located in Tuscany. Through the calculation of an LCA with average data, our study compares the impact category results between two scenarios: the existing scenario where the IS initiatives are implemented and the other where these initiatives are less developed. The results show the positive contribution of these initiatives in several LCA impact categories such as climate change and terrestrial eutrophication.
The circular economy is an economy that meets sustainable requirements, and that advocates a new paradigm, the paradigm of regeneration. This paradigm allows creating new businesses, new jobs and new skills all along about the product lifecycle. This is especially the case for maintenance and retirement processes. Indeed, these processes are the regeneration core. Those of retirements do not sum up to destructuring process but match also with repair, reuse and disassembly processes. As for maintenance, it becomes the cornerstone of all this. Through all its current skills, it allows managing and optimizing the regeneration by deciding when to stop a use and where studied items should go. Besides, maintenance must adapt to the regeneration. In other words, tools and methods used by maintenance can be able to maintain the regeneration potential of an item, and thus, create new jobs and experts. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the major challenges brought by the paradigm of regeneration to maintenance.
The challenges of balancing industrial development, environmental and human health, and economic growth in China and elsewhere in the world are drivers for recent resource use and low-carbon development strategies that include the application of the circular economy (CE) concept. A central theme of the CE concept is the valuation of materials within a closed-looped system with the aim to allow for natural resource use while reducing pollution or avoiding resource constraints and sustaining economic growth. The objectives of this study are (1) to review the history of the CE concept to provide a context for (2) a critical examination of how it is applied currently. Thematic categories are used to organize the literature review results including policy instruments and approaches; value chains, material flows, and products; and technology, organizational, and social innovation. The literature review illustrates the variability in CE project success and failure over time and by region. CE successes, key challenges, and research gaps are identified. The literature review results provide useful information for researchers as well as multi-stakeholder groups who seek to define the CE concept in practical terms, and to consider potential challenges and opportunities it presents when implemented.
Rapid innovation in the field of electronic technologies through the use of rare earth and specialty elements (RESE) has made the electronics industry one of the most rapidly evolving industries to date. However, innovations to harvest these same materials from complex waste streams have not kept pace, thus leading to an unsustainable material supply chain reliant on the mining of increasingly difficult-to-extract ores. Here, we aim to provide a strategy to mitigate these challenges, identifying the technical research and development needed to further sustainable electronics through Green Engineering and the vision of a "circular economy". This strategy includes (1) design devices for disassembly, (2) materials for substitution, (3) manufacturing processes that enable the use of recycled materials, (4) fabrication efficiency, (5) technology interventions to enable e-waste recovery, (6) methods to collect and separate e-waste components, (7) technologies to digest and recover RESE, and (8) technologies to separate commercially desirable, high-purity outputs.
This research paper shows how a firm pursues innovation activities for economic, social and environmental value creation in the context of time sensitivity. We make a conceptual link between lean startup thinking, triple bottom line value creation, and organizational capabilities. The case study firm uses a novel experimentation approach to pursue the goal of diverting all of its sold clothing from landfill through a two-year project. This requires substantial changes to the current business practice because in 2012, the clothing retailer recovered 1% of all garments sold. The fibre input value for all garments sold in 2012 exceeded $7m. We found that despite a stated need for fast learning through project experiments, the experiments were not executed quickly. (1) The desire to plan project activities and the lack of lean startup approach expertise across the whole project team hampered fast action. This led to the extension of the project timeline. However, project team confidence about learning by doing increased through privately executed experiments. (2) Some project experiments were not fit to meet the triple bottom value creation project goal and were dropped from the project. Overall, the corporate mindset of economic value creation still dominated.
In the drive towards a sustainable Bioeconomy, a growing interest in the development of composite materials made of plastics compounded with wood particles, known as wood-plastic composites (WPC), can be observed. Wood is seen as one of the cornerstones for sustainable economic growth, while the use of thermoplastics from hydrocarbon fossil resources and additives for WPC potentially cause severe environmental impacts along the entire life cycle. In this study, the life cycle stages of raw material supply and end-of-life pathways of WPC were assessed environmentally from different perspectives with life cycle assessment (LCA). The utilization of alternative raw materials reflected the WPC producer’s point of view. Harmonized product LCA standards were applied and combined with physical parameters of actually produced composites to give credit to substitution potentials in terms of resource quality. The downstream pathways of post-consumer WPC products reflected the recycler’s perspective. A system LCA approach was needed where systems with equal functions were generated to secure a comparison of end-of-life (EoL) treatment systems. Results showed that WPC produced from secondary materials is the ecologically and technically superior alternative. Recycling of the composites would be the ecologically preferable pathway, but the recycled WPC content in novel WPC is a sensitive issue when comparing both EoL treatment systems. Yet, incineration of the composites is the predominant EoL pathway due to current recycling directives and lack of markets for secondary WPC material.
Eine übersichtliche und leicht verständliche Einführung in die Denkhaltung und die Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung, die für Studierende aller sozial- und humanwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen geeignet ist.
This paper sets out to contribute to a critical theory debate through the presentation and use of a framework for the categorisation of literature linked to Product Service System (PSS). Moving from the analysis of literature we provide a conceptual structure depicting the current situation of literature dealing with the analysis of economic impact and environmental/social impact of Product Service System. Moreover, we provide a methodological structure, concerning methodologies and research purpose behind papers. Literature mainly agrees about PSS benefits, barriers, and partly also on drivers, but from the descriptive and thematic analysis what emerged is a lack of clarity about PSS and its main fields: it started as a topic closely connected with sustainability, but subsequently different fields have developed other terminologies and focuses of research, developing their own theoretical base and frameworks. Therefore, we have found a lack of interconnection among fields and subject areas. A critical aspect in current literature is about the analysis/evaluation of Product Service System performance: economic and environmental analyses should be updated with new methodologies and new perspectives (i.e. privileging an ex post perspective rather than an ex ante one). Furthermore, these analyses should be integrated in a unique tool, which would be essential in providing a complete perspective on the PSS phenomenon and its effects. Finally, we propose and discuss main future research directions, connected to the main current research streams: sustainability, Product Service System business models and collaborative consumption.