THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Toward a circular economy for plastics

Application of circular economy principles in buildings: A systematic review

Bioengineering textiles across scales for a sustainable circular economy

Framework conditions for the transformation toward a sustainable carbon-based chemical industry – A critical review of existing and potential contributions from the social sciences

Objective: This article aims to identify the main characteristics and trends in the development of the circular economy in EU countries and the key features of this process concerning the implementation of traditional linear economic systems. Theoretical framework: The industrial revolution and rapid economic development over a short time have changed the state of the environment. Excessive consumption, the basis of modern society, has caused climate change and intensified countless environmental and social problems. Method: Questionnaire survey, which was conducted by the authors of the study online to practically clarify the most critical issues related to the analysis of trends in the implementation of the circular economy. Results and conclusion: The study identified the top, most important features of the concept and the circular economy model, the main trends in the development of the circular economy in EU countries, and the key differences between the circular and linear economies. The research authors proposed classifying circular business models, which include four main types: closed loop, circular supply chain, resource recovery, and product life extension. The study also found that implementing circular economy principles in EU countries positively impacts economic growth, job creation, and environmental protection. Implications of the research: The authors concluded that the transition to a circular economy is a global trend that requires the joint efforts of all countries and stakeholders. Originality/value: The originality and value of this research lie in its specific focus on the circular economy as an alternative to the traditional linear economy, using the case study of the European Union (EU).

One of the industries that makes a significant contribution to the overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions around the globe is agriculture. In this regard, the use of bioenergy in the agricultural and food processing industries might benefit from the implementation of circular economy techniques. Despite the fact that just roughly 9% of the global economy is circular, there have been worldwide efforts to improve that reality. The linear economy, commonly known as the "take-make-use-dispose" model, is in sharp contrast to the circular economy, also known as "grow-make-use-restore," which seeks to influence the flow of materials and energy in order to maximize the benefits to the environment and minimize any associated costs. Garbage-to-energy, also known as WTE, is the focus of both academics and businesses as a direct result of the increasingly diminishing number of energy supplies and the ever-increasing amount of garbage. This project intends to turn trash into profit, lessen the impact waste has on the environment, and generate energy from biowaste by conceptualizing a focus on the supply chain characteristics of waste-to-energy processing. The adoption of a waste-to-energy (WTE) supply chain as a district energy system should be a viable solution toward a circular industrial economy that can solve energy consumption, waste management, and greenhouse gas emission concerns all at once. In the framework of a "circular economy," this study investigates how the management of waste-to-energy supply chains impacts the performance of businesses. The present investigation makes use of life cycle assessments, technical innovation, waste-to-energy conversion, and capacities related to circular economies. The study makes use of data obtained from an online survey that was administered between March 2021 and November 2021 to employees of 285 representative samples drawn from 457 European enterprises and firms that have accepted the concepts of the circular economy. The data is examined using a technique known as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM for short). The findings indicate that waste-to-energy serves as a mediator between the life cycle assessment and the capabilities of the circular economy and that sustainable supply chain management, sustainable supply chain design, technological progress, and waste-to-energy all have positive effects on these metrics.

Current production and distribution models in agriculture primarily operate based on the 'linear economy' approach. This means that after the exploitation of natural resources and the production of the final product, a significant portion of these resources and products, now contaminated or turned into waste, exit the economic cycle. The circular economy approach in agriculture seeks to reuse waste products and depleted inputs, thereby reducing the intensity of resource exploitation and taking a step towards sustainable agriculture. However, applying circular economy concepts in agriculture across different regions, especially in developing countries like Iran, can encounter various obstacles and challenges. The present study aims to identify and analyze these obstacles and challenges in the agriculture sector of Kurdistan Province, one of Iran’s key agricultural regions. For this purpose, after reviewing the literature and gathering expert opinions from the province's agrarian elites, 16 challenging factors were identified as potential barriers to expanding the circular economy in Kurdistan Province. These were examined and analyzed using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach. The required data were collected via a questionnaire in the spring of 2024. The research findings indicate that among the 16 factors analyzed, the key variables are the second, first, and third factors—namely, the illiteracy and low literacy rates among farmers, traditional and subsistence farming, and the small size and fragmentation of agricultural lands in Kurdistan Province. According to the experts and specialists interviewed, addressing these variables can significantly influence others, reducing the barriers and challenges facing the circular agricultural economy and the sustainable development of agriculture in Kurdistan Province.

Необходимость смены парадигмы развития обусловила формирование концепции экономики замкнутого цикла (ЭЗЦ) и поиск практических путей перехода отраслей и сфер деятельности на новую модель. Несмотря на отмечаемую многими авторами ограниченность исследований применимости концепции ЭЗЦ в сфере туризма, растет понимание неизбежности циркулярного перехода и ширятся практики применения принципов ЭЗЦ субъектами туристского сектора экономики. Вместе с тем существует целый ряд серьезных как общих, так и характерных для сферы туризма организационных, экономических и институциональных ограничений, препятствующих формированию и развитию ЭЗЦ. Результаты исследований триггеров и барьеров позволяют назвать в качестве основных препятствий несформированность институциональных условий циркулярной трансформации туризма, в частности невключение целей перехода в стратегии и планы развития туризма и туристских дестинаций, а также неразвитость инфраструктуры, обеспечивающей функционирование ЭЗЦ. В данном исследовании предпринята попытка оценить уровень сформированности этих условий в туристском секторе экономики РФ. Цель исследования - определить, в какой степени в официальных документах стратегического планирования различных уровней управления отражены цели и задачи экологически ориентированной модернизации инфраструктуры и формирования инфраструктуры ЭЗЦ в туризме. Полученные результаты позволяют сделать вывод, что на федеральном уровне ставятся цели и задачи по формированию ЭЗЦ и отдельных компонентов инфраструктуры ЭЗЦ, предпринимаются меры по обеспечению необходимых институциональных и организационных условий, хотя глубокое понимание концепции ЭЗЦ и осознание необходимости системного подхода к созданию инфраструктуры ЭЗЦ отсутствуют. На региональном и муниципальном уровнях такие цели не ставятся даже на долгосрочную перспективу, что является серьезным барьером для реализации федеральных инициатив, требует содержательного согласования целей и стратегий, обеспечивающих их достижение. Awareness of the need to shift the development paradigm has led to the formation of the circular economy (CE) concept and the search for practical ways to transition industries and business sectors to this new model. Despite the limited research on the applicability of the CE concept in tourism, as noted by many authors, there is growing recognition that the circular transition and the application of CE principles by participants in the tourism sector are inevitable. However, there are several significant organizational, economic, and institutional barriers - both general and specific to the tourism sector - that hinder CE formation and development. Studies on triggers and barriers identify underdeveloped institutional conditions as the primary obstacles to the circular transformation of tourism. These include the failure to incorporate transition goals into strategies and plans for the development of tourism and tourist destinations, as well as the insufficient infrastructure needed to support CE functioning. The current research seeks to assess the maturity level of these conditions in the Russian economy’s tourism sector. It aims to determine the extent to which the goals and objectives for environmentally oriented infrastructure modernization and the creation of tourism CE infrastructure are reflected in official strategic planning documents at various levels of governance. The research findings indicate that, at the federal level, goals and objectives are being set for CE formation and certain components of CE infrastructure. Measures are being taken to establish the necessary institutional and organizational conditions, although there remains a lack of deep understanding of the CE concept and awareness of the need for a systematic approach to building CE infrastructure. At the regional and municipal levels, such goals are not set, even in the long term. This represents a significant barrier to the implementation of federal initiatives and highlights the need for meaningful coordination of goals and strategies to ensure their achievement.

The concept of the Circular Economy has generated significant impact as a sustainable alternative to the traditional linear economic model, emphasizing resource efficiency, waste reduction, and environmental sustainability. This study aims to explore the integration of circular economy practices within the field of property management through a comprehensive literature review conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. This systematic review analysing the existing literature on the circular economy and property management, identifying key themes and practices associated with the application of Circular Economy principles in property management. The review encompasses peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and article journals published over the last decade. The findings reveal a growing interest in adopting of circular economy practices within property management, driven by the need for more sustainable building practices, improved resource efficiency, and enhanced asset value. Key themes identified include the implementation of closed-loop systems, sustainable building materials, waste minimization strategies, and the role of technology in facilitating Circular Economy practices. Trends of circular economy studies are evolving all around the world addressing significant issues such as waste reduction, resource efficiency, and long-term value creation within the property management sector. The increasing keywords related to Circular Economy identified are “Sustainability”, “Sustainable development”, “Facility management”, “Facilities management”, and “Property management”. The study concludes by outlining the potential benefits of integrating circular economy practices in property management, including reduced environmental impact, cost savings, and increased property value. Additionally, it identifies gaps in the existing literature and suggests areas for future research.

The concept of circular economy is gaining prominence as a sustainable approach to resource management and environmental protection. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, circular economy is "an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times". The circular economy model emphasizes the efficient use of resources, reduction of waste, and promotion of closed-loop systems to create a sustainable and resilient economy. This research paper tries to understand the application of circular economy principles in the building design and construction methods in India. The study will analyse the existing manufacturing methods for brick, cement, and steel bars in India, identify market trends and innovative policy and regulatory practices related to circular economy principles. The paper argues the need for service level innovations and market transformation in the building material production process, Eco-labelling policy and whole building Embodied Carbon indicator and informed consumer behaviour as well as environmental product declaration recommendations as the long-term strategies for the circular economy in the building design and construction industry.

PurposeThis paper aims to provide insights into the environment needed for advancing a digitally enabled circular plastic economy in Africa. It explores important technical and social paradigms for the transition.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted an interpretivist paradigm, drawing on thematic analysis on qualitative data from an inter-sectoral engagement with 69 circular economy stakeholders across the continent.FindingsThe results shows that, while substantial progress has been made with regard to the development and deployment of niche innovations in Africa, the overall progress of circular plastic economy is slowed due to relatively minimal changes at the regime levels as well as pressures from the exogenous landscape. The study highlights that regime changes are crucial for disrupting the entrenched linear plastic economy in developing countries, which is supported by significant sunk investment and corporate state capture.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is with the sample as it uses data collected from five countries. Therefore, while it offers a panoramic view of multi-level synergy of actors and sectors across African countries, it is limited in its scope and ability to illuminate country-specific nuances and peculiarities.Practical implicationsThe study underlines the importance of policy innovations and regulatory changes in order for technologies to have a meaningful contribution to the transition to a circular plastic economy.Originality/valueThe study makes an important theoretical contribution by using empirical evidence from various African regions to articulate the critical importance of the regime dimension in accelerating the circular economy transition in general, and the circular plastic economy in particular, in Africa.

This paper explores the role of Circular Economy (CE) in the hospitality industry, namely in hotels and restaurants. Today’s hospitality consumers have become more ecologically conscious than ever before, and the demand for eco-friendly products and services has grown. This has imposed many hospitality companies into the adoption of Green Practices (GP) and Circular Economy (CE) principles. In particular, CE has been gaining popularity among governments and academia. However, current research shows that CE principles are being mainly discussed and applied in production and manufacturing. The application of CE principles into services, particularly in the hospitality industry, seem to receive little attention. The paper presents the CE concept and discusses it from the perspectives of both companies and consumers and debates the adoption of green practices by the hospitality industry. Our findings indicated that the consumer awareness of sustainable issues has a direct impact on companies’ adoption of CE and GP practices. The paper also identifies that green practices are gaining increased attention in the hospitality industry, and that a wide variety of green practices are already being adopted. However, the role of CE in hospitality industry appears to be uncovered by current research and obscured in green practices. The paper, therefore, identifies a research gap and calls for further investigation in the application of CE in the hospitality industry.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered an essential enabler of a circular economy (CE) in the construction industry. AI can significantly enhance the efficiency of applying innovative CE practices in other construction projects. However, it has not yet been fully integrated into the application of CE principles and has explicitly been overlooked in the context of timber construction. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the potential contributions of AI applications to achieving CE in timber construction, as well as identifying the associated benefits and challenges. Through a mixed-methods approach, the research utilizes both qualitative data, collected through timber construction industry interviews, and quantitative analysis to explore professional construction perspectives and uncover actionable insights. The findings highlight the transformative potential of AI to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency in timber construction. Moreover, six potential benefits and 11 challenges for integrating AI and a CE in timber construction are identified that can act as an accelerator for advancing circularity in timber construction. Based on the results, the reduction in construction waste and facilitating the deconstruction and reuse process emerge as the most important benefits. Data obstacles, technological integration, finance and resources, and organizational and industry are determined as the main challenges. This study makes novel contributions to the field by providing empirical evidence in the form of qualitative and quantitative data, in addition to practical recommendations for advancing the integration of AI to promote CE goals and improve sustainability in the timber construction sector.

We believe the climate crisis will be resolved in cities. Today, while cities occupy only 2% of the Earth's surface, 57% of the world's population lives in cities, and by 2050, it will jump to 68% (UN, 2018). Currently, cities consume over 75% of natural resources, accumulate 50% of the global waste and emit up to 80% of greenhouse gases (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Cities generate 70% of the global gross domestic product and are significant drivers of economic growth (UN-Habitat III, 2016). At the same time, cities sit on the frontline of natural disasters such as floods, storms and droughts (De Sherbinin et al., 2007; Major et al., 2011; Rockström et al., 2021). One of the sustainability pathways to reduce the environmental consequences of the current extract-make-dispose model (or the "linear economy") is a circular economy (CE) model. A CE is defined as "an economic system that is based on business models which replace the 'end-of-life' concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes" (Kirchherr et al., 2017, p. 224). By redesigning production processes and thereby extending the lifespan of goods and materials, researchers suggest that CE approaches reduce waste and increase employment and resource security while sustaining business competitiveness (Korhonen et al., 2018; Niskanen et al., 2020; Stahel, 2012; Winans et al., 2017). Organizations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Circle Economy help steer businesses toward CE strategies. The CE is also a political priority in countries and municipalities globally. For instance, the CE Action Plan, launched by the European Commission in 2015 and reconfirmed in 2020, is a central pillar of the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2015, 2020). Additionally, more governments are implementing national CE strategies in China (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018), Colombia (Government of the Republic of Colombia, 2019), Finland (Sitra, 2016), Sweden (Government Offices of Sweden, 2020) and the US (Metabolic, 2018, 2019), to name a few. Meanwhile, more cities worldwide are adopting CE models to achieve more resource-efficient urban management systems, thereby advancing their environmental ambitions (Petit-Boix & Leipold, 2018; Turcu & Gillie, 2020; Vanhuyse, Haddaway, et al., 2021). Cities with CE ambitions include, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Toronto, Peterborough (England) and Umeå (Sweden) (OECD, 2020a). In Europe, over 60 cities signed the European Circular Cities Declaration (2020) to harmonize the transition towards a CE in the region. In this policy brief, we provide insights into common challenges local governments face in implementing their CE plans and suggest recommendations for overcoming these. It aims to answer the question: How can the CE agenda be governed in cities? It is based on the results of the Urban Circularity Assessment Framework (UCAF) project, building on findings from 25 interviews, focus group discussions and workshops held with different stakeholder groups in Umeå, as well as research on Stockholm's urban circularity potential, including findings from 11 expert interviews (Rezaie, 2021). Our findings were complemented by the Circular Economy Lab project (Rezaie et al., 2022) and experiences from working with municipal governments in Sweden, Belgium, France and the UK, on CE and environmental and social sustainability.

The textile industry has long been a cornerstone of the global economy, but its environmental impact has come under scrutiny, particularly with the rise of fast fashion driven by rapid population growth and short‐term trends. The industry's current linear economy model, which prioritizes constant production and disposal, exacerbates its environmental footprint. To address these issues, a circular economy (CE) model has emerged, emphasizing the principles of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” to extend product life cycles, transform waste into wealth such as recycled yarn, regenerated fibers, biofilms, biodegradable composites, biofuels and so on, and minimize environmental impact. Implementation of CE in the textile industry aligns with the UN's sustainable development goals, as CE aims to minimize water, resources, and energy consumption, accelerate economic growth, and promote responsible consumption and production. This article explores how transitioning to a CE model could mitigate the industry's environmental damage while influencing economic growth. Furthermore, how internet of things (IoT) (Internet of things) can be contributed to CE initiatives by providing a transparent traceability along the whole textile supply chain. The review begins by examining the drawbacks of the linear economy and then highlights the environmental and economic benefits of CE. The discussion includes waste management strategies, with a special focus on recycling techniques not only in the end products but also across various process sections of the textile industry, promoting a sustainable development and application of recycled fiber. Additionally, it explores approaches like resale, reuse, repurposing, and rental. Furthermore, the paper addresses the economic and environmental benefits from circular economy principles adaptation supported by industry‐specific data. This paper shows the connection of sustainable development goals (SDGs) with circular economy, effects of consumer behavior in CE and potential risks associated with adopting a circular economy model, which are crucial for its successful implementation.Highlights The linear textile economy worsens environmental impact through wasteful production. Circular economy extends product life, transforming waste into valuable resources. CE supports UN SDGs by reducing water, energy, and promoting responsible production. IoT aids circular economy by ensuring transparent supply chain traceability in textiles. The review focuses on CE's benefits, emphasizing recycling and sustainable waste management.