Awareness Of Circular Economy Research Articles

Circular economy awareness, adoption, and its effects on business performance in Saudi Arabia

A circular economy has become an innovative business model, though contentious, to replace a linear economy in achieving sustainable and efficient production. This study aims to investigate the level of awareness, adoption, and effect of factors driving the circular economy adoption on the financial performance of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted among 301 MSMEs, and the method of logistic regression was utilized for its analysis. The results revealed that the level of awareness is averagely high, with an average of seven out of 10 enterprises. However, the outcome further showed that only an average of three out of 10 had implemented a circular economy during the period of the survey. In addition, logistic regression revealed the significant influence of drivers of circular economy adoption on the financial performance of MSMEs. The following drivers of circular economy adoption have a great likelihood and significant effect on the enterprise’s financial performance: training of employees, availability of financial resources, top management commitment, digital technology, product/service upgrade, material generated/buy back cheaper to use, and pressure from people. This is based on the outcome of logistic regression of the survey conducted on the factors driving circular economy adoption in the previous literature. However, the results revealed that regulatory incentives toward the environment and pressure from government and companies are not significant. Hence, this study provides policy implications for stakeholders in the circular economic system.

Perception and awareness of circular economy within water-intensive and bio-based sectors: Understanding, benefits and barriers

Perception and awareness can affect behaviour and decision-making, for example, how companies implement Circular Economy (CE) practices. However, there is limited empirical research about this topic. Thus, we investigated the perception and awareness of representatives from water-intensive and bio-based sectors regarding the CE concept based on interviews and a survey with 10 companies in Sweden. Our results indicate that CE is understood mainly as zero waste and its key principles are resource efficiency and ecodesign. Missing (or partially addressed) important elements of CE are consumption, social aspects, regenerative role of CE, collaboration, and Industrial Symbiosis. The main benefit from implementing circular strategies is economic, and the main barrier is the lack of financial resources. The bio-based companies have a broader understanding of CE and its benefits than the water-intensive companies. Overall, more clarification and standardisation of the CE concept is necessary to avoid misunderstanding with other concepts such as sustainability.

A behavioral perspective on circular economy awareness: The moderating role of social influence and psychological barriers

While prior research has primarily focused on corporate and governmental aspects of Circular Economy (CE) adoption, this study examines a less-explored area: people’s awareness of CE principles. We employ the theory of behavioral choice (TBC) as a theoretical framework, shedding light on the psychological causes of inaction that hinder CE awareness. Our survey gathered responses from 2070 participants using non-probability sampling and applied composite-based structural equation modeling (CSEM) to analyse the data collected. Our findings reveal that these psychological barriers, such as the perception of sunk costs and limited cognition, impede individuals from embracing CE principles. However, social influence, encompassing the persuasive influence of peers, family, and celebrities, emerges as a promising factor in overcoming these barriers and boosting CE awareness. This study breaks new ground by examining the connection between psychological barriers and CE awareness across five distinct CE strategies, offering fresh insights into how CE awareness influences decision-making for a more regenerative economy. The practical implications of our research underscore the importance of fostering societal engagement in CE and promoting strategies to mitigate psychological barriers through education, incentives, and communication programs.

Towards a regenerative economy: An innovative scale to measure people’s awareness of the circular economy

The concept of the circular economy (CE) has gained attention as a means of achieving environmental goals and economic sustainability. People’s awareness of CE is critical in achieving a more circular and regenerative economy, but there is a lack of consistent tools to measure this awareness. This research aims to develop a reliable and valid scale to measure people’s awareness of CE. A systematic literature review identifies the main constructs of this scale, and the validation process includes structured interviews with experts, use of the Q-Sort method, statistical methods, and a pre-test with 144 respondents using exploratory factor analysis and non-probability sampling. The final proposed scale is tested via a survey of 820 respondents, with confirmatory factor analysis used to ensure reliability and validity. The proposed scale can be used to assess people’s awareness of different CE strategies and, thus inform strategies, actions, and policies to achieve a more regenerative economy. The scale represents a theoretical contribution by providing uniformity and can be applied in different contexts. It also has practical applications for companies and governments to measure the level of awareness people have towards CE.

Implementation of Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP) in Public Schools: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Research Design

The concepts of Circular Economy (CE) and Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP) implementation are related to various qualities that may influence school stakeholders' participation in this program. This study investigated school stakeholders' awareness of Circular Economy (CE) concepts and the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP) in public schools. In order to uncover the relationship between these factors and relate stakeholders' experiences to their quantitative findings, convergent parallel mixed-methods research was used. The sample contained 370 respondents. The Awareness of Circular Economy Concepts Scaled Questionnaire (ACCESQ) and the Implementation of Solid Waste Management Program Scaled Questionnaire (ISWMPSQ) were modified for use as quantitative instruments, furthermore, for qualitative research, a validated interview guide was employed. For the quantitative analysis of the two factors, the weighted mean was utilized, and to identify the shape, direction, and strength of the relationship between the two variables, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, or Pearson “r” Coefficient was calculated. Moreover, the qualitative data was also analyzed using thematic analysis. Stakeholders' familiarity with Circular Economy (CE) ideas and the progress made on the Solid Waste Management Program were strongly correlated in every measure. Positive correlations were discovered between their encounters and the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) ideas and SWMPs. The results showed that climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution were all integral parts of sustainable waste management plans (SWMPs) for reusing, reducing, recycling, collecting, treating, and disposing of garbage. The more people understand CE principles, the more likely it is that the SWMP will be put into action, and the more closely the experiences of stakeholders will match the quantitative findings.

The Emerging Role and Trends of UAE Education Sector in Circular EconomyA Change Management Prospective

The Circular Economy is matter of recent discussions and quite popular, however the meaning has not been understood by most Business stakeholders. This Case study proposes to illustrate the Circular Economy importance and its status now. The contribution that UAE education sector can make to the Circular Economy is immense and is the focus of this study. Circular Economy awareness and its inner meaning can be only spread by the education sector and the author emphasizes the role of the education can play in implementing the Circular Economy. The study shows the way for the future Managers and Business stakeholders to participate in this crucial endeavor of Businesses to follow the Circular Economy. The ADKAR change management can be adopted to inspire the CE initiatives of the UAE Education sector.

Analyzing the enablers of circular supply chain using Neutrosophic-ISM method: lessons from the Indian apparel industry

PurposeThis research identifies the enablers for implementing circular supply chains (CSCEs) and analyzes interrelationships between them to quantify their driving and dependence power to understand the critical CSCEs.Design/methodology/approachInitially, 10 CSCEs are identified for the Indian apparel industries through an extant literature review and validated using the Delphi method by seeking experts' opinions. The identified CSCEs are subjected to a novel neutrosophic interpretive structural modeling (N-ISM) method to capture the interrelationships between CSCEs and compute the driving and dependence power of CSCEs.FindingsThe findings of the present research work revealed that “supportive legislative framework, awareness of circular economy's potential for revenue gain and availability of trained research and development (R&D) team” are the critical CSCEs that need to be considered while implementing a circular supply chain in apparel industries.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers insightful implications to guide practitioners in implementing the circular economy in apparel supply chains.Originality/valueThis research work is one of the earlier studies to analyze the enablers for implementing circular supply chains. This study has explored CSCEs in the context of apparel industries. From a methodological perspective, the novel N-ISM method is worth highlighting as the originality of the work.

The Emerging Role and Trends of UAE Education Sector in Circular EconomyA Change Management Prospective

The Circular Economy is matter of recent discussions and quite popular, however the meaning has not been understood by most Business stakeholders. This Case study proposes to illustrate the Circular Economy importance and its status now. The contribution that UAE education sector can make to the Circular Economy is immense and is the focus of this study. Circular Economy awareness and its inner meaning can be only spread by the education sector and the author emphasizes the role of the education can play in implementing the Circular Economy. The study shows the way for the future Managers and Business stakeholders to participate in this crucial endeavor of Businesses to follow the Circular Economy. The ADKAR change management can be adopted to inspire the CE initiatives of the UAE Education sector.

Circular economy in the Australian AEC industry: investigation of barriers and enablers

ABSTRACT The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry has a reputation for low resource efficiency worldwide. Policymakers are exploring various avenues to address the issue, with one option being a shift toward a circular economy (CE). However, first one must identify how the relevant stakeholders perceive the concept. Hence, this study aimed to elicit stakeholders’ perceptions about CE and identify the main barriers and enablers affecting its adoption in the Australian context. A total of 132 respondents representing various stakeholder groups were surveyed. The findings revealed that only participants’ awareness of CE has a meaningful link with adoption; and this has a statistically significant association with major CE adoption indicators (i.e. adoption, willingness to apply, level of agreement on considering CE as business ethics and that CE is beneficial). The top three barriers were a: ‘lack of incentives’; ‘lack of specific regulations’; and a ‘lack of knowledge’. The three top enablers were reported to be ‘R&D of enabling technologies’, ‘educate project stakeholders’ and ‘provide evidence for the CE added value’. This paper could inform policy development activities in the Australian context and provides the foundation for a roadmap to a CE within the national AEC industry.

Enterprise-level analysis on awareness, practices and barriers of circular economy in the fruit processing sector: in Armenia

The current production model in the agri-food industry is not environmentally conscious and as a result, we face the challenges of extensive and inefficient resource use along with a massive amount of waste. The major objective of this study is to analyze the awareness, practices, and corresponding barriers among the selected enterprises on the circular economy. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods have been used in this study. A survey-based questionnaire has been designed by the author and 40 companies operating in the fruit processing sector (dry fruit and jams production) have been asked to fill in the survey. The results show that although 80% of the respondents are aware of the circular economy, the practices are not intensively implemented and the barriers associated are very diverse including financial burdens such as access to agricultural credits, lack of practical knowledge, and the necessary infrastructure as well as small production volumes, which doesn’t promote innovation and alternative production in the enterprises.

Examining Generation Z’s Attitudes, Behavior and Awareness Regarding Eco-Products: A Bayesian Approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The research examines Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) attitudes, behavior and awareness regarding sustainability-oriented products in two European countries, located in the region of Western Balkans, Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia. The research deploys generational cohort theory (GCT) and a quantitative analysis of primary data collected through an online questionnaire among 1338 primary, high school and university students, all belonging to Generation Z. It deploys a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) by running both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedures, the latter being suitable for binary variables, which have been deployed in the study. The results of MLCFA provide evidence that there is a statistically significant and relatively strong relation between sustainability and circular economy attitudes (SCEA) and sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB), while there is a statistically insignificant and relatively weak relation between sustainability and circular economy behavior (SCEB) and circular economy awareness (CEW). The results of the BCFA, which is based on MCMC procedure, are similar to the results based on a rather commonly used MLCFA procedure. The results also confirm that Gen Z knows more about the companies which recycle products than it does about the CE as a concept, while the vast majority is concerned about the future of the planet and is motivated to learn more about the CE through CE and various awareness-raising measures.

Current and Future Professional Insights on Cooperation towards Circular Economy Adoption

A circular economy aims to capture the remaining value in waste through several disruptive actions such as reuse, recycle, recover, and regenerate. However, stakeholders in this transition often find themselves in conflict due to their different objectives and priorities. Cooperation is regarded as a critical feature in the implementation of a circular economy; however, it is not easily achieved in practice. Additionally, there is limited research regarding stakeholder cooperation in circular economy development. This paper aims to address this gap by analysing the characteristics of stakeholder cooperation through questionnaire surveys of two stakeholder groups with an interest in the adoption of circular economy principles for municipal solid waste management in Birmingham, UK: 101 MSc students focussing on urban sustainability and 27 businesses engaged in alternative sustainable materials. The paper’s primary contribution, being the first to survey participants about perceptions of other stakeholders, has been to gain insights into how stakeholder cooperation is key to facilitating the transition to a circular economy approach. The analysis demonstrated that circular economy awareness, cooperation, and readiness from stakeholders were high, yet their practices do not sufficiently align with this necessary foundation. That said, the study also revealed several encouraging perspectives from stakeholders toward circular economy development, despite benefits and costs not always being evident to all participants.

Interdisciplinariedad entre diseño e ingeniería: Nuevas competencias en la docencia de proyectos para la innovación circular

Este artículo analiza la relación entre diseño e ingeniería a través de experiencias de enseñanza interdisciplinarias para crear conciencia sobre la economía circular. La educación es esencial para permitir este proceso de manera sistémica para futuros profesionales en ambas áreas, introduciendo metodologías integradas de proyectos en el diseño de productos y sus medios de producción. El objetivo es que, además de las áreas de especialización (arquitectura, diseño, gestión e ingeniería), se establezcan perspectivas futuras para repensar el camino actual del desarrollo económico. Esto creará una base de habilidades para promover la innovación circular, alineada con la necesidad de que las sociedades modernas avancen hacia un paradigma más sostenible.

A Survey on Understanding the Perception and Awareness Towards a Circular Economy: A Comparative Study Between Nepal and the USA

This article offers a comparative analysis of the perception and awareness people have concerning the circular economy (CE) in Nepal and the United States of America (USA). The survey in the form of online questionnaires were distributed through convenience sampling and data was collected from 29 respondents in Nepal and 25 in the USA. The results indicate that, across the sampled countries, though respondents were highly concerned about the environment and resources utilization, their perception and understanding of CE principals and its applicability were limited to the concept of reuse, recycle and remanufacture (3R). Similarly, organizational involvement in CE activities were found to be significantly low in both countries, indicating no structural or operational level support such as creating job positions for CE officers. Additionally, the practice of publishing sustainability and circularity reports to enable the CE were not found during the data analysis procedure. In comparison to Nepal, USA respondents picked inter and intra organizational collaboration and cooperation along with research and development (R&D) as an important enabler of CE. Finally, policy level interventions through mandatory and voluntary regulations, subsidization of CE activities and involvement of governmental and non-governmental agencies were recommended in creating a positive perception and awareness of CE. Keywords: Circular economy, comparative study, awareness, perception