Freecycling Markets as Sustainable Materialist Movements?

The aim of our research is to gain understanding about material flow related information sharing in the circular economy value network in the form of industrial symbiosis. We need this understanding for facilitating new industrial symbiosis relationships and to support the optimization of operations. Circular economy has been promoted by politics and regulation by EU. In Finland, new circular economy strategy raises the facilitation of industrial symbiosis and data utilization as the key actions to improve sustainability and green growth. Companies stated that the practical problem is to get information on material availability. Digitalization is expected to boost material flows in circular economy by data, but what are the real challenges with circular material flows and what is the willingness of companies to develop co-operation? This paper seeks understanding on how Industry 4.0 is expected to improve the efficiency of waste or by-product flows and what are the expectations of companies. The research question is: How Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions can fix the gaps and discontinuities in the Industrial Symbiosis information flow? This research is conducted as a qualitative case study research with three cases, three types of material and eight companies. Interview data were collected in Finland between January and March 2021. Companies we interviewed mentioned use-cases for sensors and analytics to optimize the material flow but stated the investment cost compared to the value of information. To achieve sustainable circular material flows, the development needs to be done in the bigger picture, for the chain or network of actors, and the motivation and the added value must be found for each of them.

Their geomorphological characteristics make island systems special focal points for sustainability challenges. The Circular Economy (CE) Action Plan of the European Union foresees tailored solution sets for Europe's outermost regions and islands to tackle region-specific sustainability challenges. We address the question of how islands can achieve more sustainable resource use by utilizing the socioeconomic metabolism (SEM) framework to assess and explore CE strategies for the Greek island of Samothraki. For this purpose, we apply material and energy flow analysis on a regional level and derive, as one of the first studies, a complete time series from 1929 to 2019 for socioeconomic biophysical stocks and flows according to mass-balance principles for an island economy. Results show that in the past 90 years Samothraki's material stocks grew fivefold, domestic material consumption threefold, and solid waste generation fivefold. Samothraki transitioned from an almost entirely circular biophysical economy toward one in which 40% of input materials and 30% of output materials are estimated as non-circular. This transition resulted in an accumulated solid waste stock on the island almost half the size of current material stocks in use. With this study we aim at providing ideas and opportunities for achieving more sustainable and circular material use on small islands. The published SEM database aims at supporting the public and the private sector and the island community at large with information key to establishing more sustainable material and energy use patterns on Samothraki. This article met the requirements for a Gold–Gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges.

Unlocking value for a circular economy through 3D printing: A research agenda

Circular Urban Metabolism Framework

Design for Change and Circularity – Accommodating Circular Material & Product Flows in Construction

The construction industry stands at the forefront of the Circular Economy (CE) transition, drawing considerable attention due to its high resource intensity. Despite its vital role in economic development, this industry consumes nearly half of the world's annually extracted primary materials and significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This reality forces our younger generations to a hopeless lifestyle where skyrocketing housing costs come with a deteriorating environment. The current paradigm of designing, constructing, and demolishing buildings aligns with a linear economic model of take-make-waste. This can no longer be sustained.<br/><br/>The paradigm shift towards a CE attracted increasing interest from academics, industrial actors, and governmental bodies over the last decades. A CE entails an integrated approach to the design of processes, products, services, and business models, harmonising economic growth, environmental protection, and societal well-being. It is not only about reducing the negative environmental impact, but rather envisages a systematic shift towards a restorative and regenerative production system. Such a system should foster circular flows of materials, energy and water, which helps to reduce resource consumption and ultimately eliminate waste.<br/><br/>At the core of a CE lies the concept of system where material flows of multiple products interact over space and time, across the boundaries of industries. These interactions make circular construction more complex, chaotic, yet stronger and more resilient. We can no longer ignore these interactions and blindly aim for another new construction. As raised by David Chipperfield, the 2023 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, our approach should involve “embracing the pre-existing structures, and designing in a dialogue with space and time”, while creating “structures able to last, physically and culturally”. <br/><br/>Beneath physical material flows, information flows link everything together. They are intertwined and fragmented, handled by various actors in different formats. I argue that it is not possible to close a material loop if the associated information loop remains open. Therefore, I seek opportunities to collect, connect, and enhance these broken pieces of information, to create a coherent narrative of CE transition among existing and future structures. To manage a circular built environment at scale, beyond the scope of an individual project, this work provides some theoretical guidance and empirical insights through a Design Science perspective.<br/><br/>I aim to design a Circularity Information Platform (CIP) for the built environment. The CIP is envisaged as a digital collaboration platform facilitating the identification, coordination, and evaluation of circular material flows among multiple projects. It serves as a comprehensive information basis where material flows are characterised based on temporal, spatial, and supply-demand features. Managing multiple building projects as one integrated community, CIP matches waste generation and resource consumption across projects in a closed-loop structure at multiple levels.<br/><br/>Working in the built environment gives us the privilege to have a more prominent and engaged role in shaping our society not only towards a higher, faster, and stronger direction but a more sustainable one too. It is essential to address common environmental challenges, inspire the next generation to embrace this responsibility with vision and courage, and explore innovative ways to improve livelihoods on our fragile planet. This thesis is my modest contribution to that end.

Topicality. The circular economy is designed to maximize production by keeping material flows within value creation chains for as long as possible. Thus, the restoration of raw materials becomes a key objective, implying a new perspective on waste management. Understanding the processes of circularity and their impact on economic sectors is essential for the efficient operation of industrial fields. The challenge lies in the fact that circular economy research is scattered across various disciplines, often offering different interpretations of the concept. Some scholars emphasize its economic objectives, others highlight its ecological aspects, and some see it as a means of achieving social justice within sustainable development. The principles of circularity require thorough investigation, particularly in the context of interdisciplinary interactions. This approach can help develop additional mechanisms for implementing the circular economy model, taking into account both the economic realities of leading global economies and Ukraine’s domestic context. It may also serve as a catalyst for Ukraine’s post-war recovery and the pursuit of its European integration ambitions. Aim and tasks. To establish the interrelations of the circular economy with other scientific research fields that apply the principles of circularity in analyzing production systems. Additionally, to explore potential pathways for integrating circular economy principles into Ukraine's economic landscape within the context of its European integration commitments. Materials and Methods. The study's theoretical and applied foundation was established using the abstraction method to synthesize and clarify the key concepts of the article. The modelling method helped visualize the connections between the circular economy and other research areas, observable through the clusters they form. A significant aspect of the research involved analyzing inter-cluster relationships, which reveal the impact of circularity on different sectors and areas of society. Using inductive and deductive methods enabled the identification of core research directions within the defined theme and helped determine pathways for adapting this model in line with the specific features of Ukraine’s economic development. Research results. The article outlines the primary interdependencies that shape or are indirectly related to the concept of the circular economy. Given the government's European integration policy and based on the experiences of European countries, the analysis reveals differences in how the concept is implemented at various levels. Drawing on the practices of developed economies, the study identifies key strategies for advancing the circular economy in Ukraine. Conclusion. The identified interactions of the circular economy have shaped implementation strategies tailored to Ukraine’s specific context. This has allowed for the characterization of priority areas for change, including monitoring material and energy flows within production systems, improving waste management systems, tracking carbon footprints in production, optimizing logistics, and implementing industrial symbiosis. These aspects are crucial for transitioning to a circular economy, as they support future integration into the European community and promote sustainable economic growth in Ukraine.

Sustainability is high on the agendas of public and private organizations. Governments are setting targets for reducing the use of virgin raw materials in products and to eliminate waste. To accelerate the transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) policymakers are launching instruments. However, policy instruments, such as financial incentives or new regulatory guidelines, are prone to manipulations when the stakes for the involved stakeholders are high. Therefore, policymakers and government authorities need a solid system to monitor and control the implementation and effectiveness of their CE measures. To this end, digital technologies are key to enabling visibility and monitoring of materials flows. They allow governments and other stakeholders to use data to steer the transition towards a CE. However, data from different materials supply chains reside in a diversity of digital platforms used by a diversity of stakeholders involved. Blockchain-based platforms can support the required visibility by combining data from different stakeholders across different materials supply chains. But connecting all data for CE visibility throughout the entire materials flows into one singular platform is unlikely. With the growing number of blockchain-based platforms that each covers parts of data on CE flows, there is a need to assess the level of visibility they offer and to determine which data is lacking to monitor full CE flows. In this article, the development of a framework to evaluate blockchain-enabled information systems on their ability to act as monitoring systems for CE purposes is presented. The design science research approach was followed to develop the framework. Insights provided by academic literature as well as empirical data from three extant blockchain-enabled platforms were used (i.e., TradeLens, FoodTrust, and Vinturas). The evaluation framework can be deployed by public and private actors (e.g., governments and banks) for monitoring purposes, but also by IT providers to offer CE visibility solutions.

Material circularity in large organizations: Action-research to shift information technology (IT) material flows

The circular economy is rapidly rising up political and business agendas. In contrast to today’s largely linear, ‘take-make-use-dispose’ economy, a circular economy represents a development strategy that enables economic growth while aiming to optimise the chain of consumption of biological and technical materials. A deep transformation of production chains and consumption patterns is envisaged to keep materials circulating in the economy for longer, re-designing industrial systems and encouraging cascading use of materials and waste. Although there are some elements of circularity such as recycling and composting in the linear economy (see Figure E1) where progress needs to be maintained, a circular economy goes beyond the pursuit of waste prevention and waste reduction to inspire technological, organisational and social innovation across and within value chains (see Figure E2). There are already several policies in place and activities underway that support a circular economy; however there remain a range of untapped opportunities, costs to be avoided and obstacles to be addressed in order to accelerate the move towards a circular economy in the EU. Against this backdrop, the European Commission (DG Environment) launched a Scoping study to identify potential circular economy actions, priority sectors, material flows & value chains. The study was carried out by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), BIO and Ecologic Institute between November 2013 and July 2014. The aim of the study was to provide an initial scoping assessment of potential priorities and policy options to support the transition to a circular economy in the EU. The study reviewed existing literature, identified potential priority areas for action where accelerating the circular economy would be beneficial and where EU policy has a particular role to play, and developed policy options for consideration across a range of areas.

Implementing the Results of Material Flow Analysis

Sustainable construction materials have become increasingly critical in modern construction due to their capacity to reduce environmental footprints and enhance building energy efficiency, thereby contributing significantly to climate change mitigation. Despite growing awareness of these ecological benefits, their adoption remains limited, largely due to high upfront costs and the lack of comprehensive tools and methodologies for evaluating their long-term economic and environmental performance.Current cost estimation methods typically focus on initial capital expenditures, often neglecting operational costs, energy consumption, maintenance, and end-of-life impacts—factors essential for assessing true sustainability throughout a building’s lifecycle. This gap hinders informed decision-making by architects, engineers, and construction companies striving to implement circular economy principles and bio-based solutions in the built environment.This article reviews existing approaches and challenges related to integrating sustainable construction materials into cost estimation processes, highlighting opportunities for enhancing long-term economic efficiency alongside environmental benefits. It discusses methodologies that can support comparative analysis between conventional and sustainable materials and emphasizes the need for developing more transparent, data-driven frameworks to inform stakeholders.By synthesizing current knowledge and identifying research gaps, this review supports transformative resilience pathways toward climate-neutral and circular economies and aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).Ultimately, this work contributes to advancing industrial ecology and eco-design practices in construction, promoting innovation strategies that balance economic feasibility with ecological sustainability.

Summary The circular economy (CE) concept advocates drastically reduced primary resource extraction in favor of secondary material flowing through internal loops. However, it is unreasonable to think that society will not need any resources, for example, metals, from mining activities in the short, medium, or longer term. This article explores the role of the mining industry in transitioning to the CE and shows that mines can make significant progress if they apply the CE principles at the mine site level. Circular flows within the economy aim at keeping resources in use for as long as possible and limit final waste disposal. Likewise, operating mines for as long as minerals can be extracted at acceptable environmental costs, thus minimizing the loss of a nonrenewable resource, can be viewed as a contribution of the mining industry to CE objectives. To test this idea, we propose a framework where the conservation of nonrenewable resources is a core concern. The first part establishes a set of material flow indicators relevant to a mine project. The second part considers the entire mine's life cycle, in particular, the consequences of interruptions in activities on material losses. The framework is then illustrated by a case study of the Mount Morgan mine in Australia, where three distinct extractive strategies were applied throughout its history. The results from applying the framework show that proactive and preventive management of mining waste provides significant environmental benefits and generates value from mine waste. These outcomes illustrate that the concept of the CE can be applied in a practical manner to a mining operation.

The construction industry is responsible for large quantities of construction and demolition waste and almost 50% of the worldwide annual resource consumption, putting the environment, its natural resources, and ecosystems under high pressure. Therefore, governments are implementing regional policies that support a circular economy (CE). But how do we know whether these developments will lead to a shift toward a CE on a regional scale? How can we identify hotspots in a value chain and regional economy to support decision‐makers and to develop regional policies? We propose an integrated assessment method that considers indicators for environmental impacts and economic benefits by combining Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Input‐Output Analysis (IOA) as the connecting element. It provides the necessary data and indicators for a holistic and comprehensive evaluation of a region or industry. We demonstrate its benefits and limitations taking the Swiss canton of Aargovia as an example. We analyze which processes in the material flow system of construction minerals are decisive for formulating mass‐related or financial policies encouraging a CE. We show that a shift toward a CE can only be captured by combining material and money flows in a joined model, because a significant increase of services—mainly waste management—is a core element in this development. It can only be covered sufficiently by combining environmental and economic assessment. Our model captures the degree to which a regional economy is advanced in the transition toward a CE to compare different regions or analyze scenarios of future developments.

This research paper explores the critical nexus between supply chain management and sustainability by examining the integration of sustainable materials within supply chains and its profound impact on the environment, society, and economy. The paper delves into the significance of sustainable materials in the context of current global environmental concerns. It outlines the benefits of their integration in supply chains. Through a comprehensive literature review, the paper identifies the environmental, social, and economic advantages of incorporating sustainable materials, including reduced carbon footprints, resource conservation, waste reduction, enhanced brand reputation, and long-term resilience. However, the paper acknowledges that integrating sustainable materials is not without challenges. It highlights barriers such as higher costs, limited availability, resistance to change, and regulatory complexities that organizations must navigate. The paper presents an array of strategic approaches that organizations can adopt to overcome these challenges and effectively integrate sustainable materials. Strategies discussed include green procurement, life cycle assessment, circular economy principles, collaboration with suppliers, eco-design, certification, pilot programs, and education. Furthermore, the paper addresses the critical role of tools and technologies in assessing the environmental impact of supply chains. It explores carbon footprint calculators, environmental management systems, life cycle assessment methodologies, traceability technologies, and other digital solutions that enable data-driven decision-making, risk mitigation, and process optimization. The importance of these tools in promoting transparency, accountability, and innovation is emphasized. The findings underscore the necessity of integrating sustainable materials for positive environmental impact and highlight the broader implications for responsible resource management. The paper concludes by proposing areas for further research, including circular economy implementation, technological integration, multi-tier supply chain impacts, consumer behavior, and advocating for continued efforts to promote sustainable practices in supply chain management. In a world grappling with environmental challenges, this paper contributes to the discourse surrounding sustainable materials' pivotal role in reshaping supply chains for a more sustainable future. Keywords: Sustainable Materials, Supply Chain Management, Environmental Impact, Carbon Footprint, Circular Economy, Green Procurement, Traceability Technologies, Sustainability Tools.