Circular Context Research Articles

Circular economy, economic growth, and e-waste generation in EU27 countries: Further evidence from the novel circular economy index and threshold effect.

The circular economy has been identified as a critical keyword for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, there is a lack of in-depth empirical literature on the impact mechanisms of the circular economy (CE) and economic growth (GDP) in mitigating e-waste generation (waste electrical and electronic equipment -WEEE). Given Europe's leading position in e-waste generation per capita, the study aims to scrutinize the interplay between CE, GDP, and WEEE for 2010-2020. The research applies advanced econometric methods, primarily centered around the system generalized method of moment and dynamic panel threshold. It was noteworthy that different CE indicators exhibited varying effects on WEEE through the econometric analysis. Therefore, the research uniquely utilized the entropy weight method to compute a holistic composite index for the circular economy (CEI) and gained some interesting findings. Firstly, CEI significantly reduced WEEE, while GDP drove its increase. However, an overly developed CEI of 0.7616 counteracted its beneficial effect. Secondly, the synergy of CEI*GDP engendered the circular economy rebound effect, diminishing environmental benefits. Thirdly, in the circular context, the environmental Kuznets curve was validated, showcasing an inverted U-shaped pattern. Finally, the study found CEI to have different threshold effects, with thresholds of 0.2161 to inhibit WEEE, 0.2114 to avert the circular economy rebound effect, and 0.2360 to leverage GDP in reducing WEEE. These outcomes give insights to policymakers in designing sound policies targeting circular economy development and decoupling e-waste generation from economic growth towards the United Nations' SDGs.

Social dimension of the circular economy: Impact categories through fuzzy Delphi method

AbstractThe scholarly literature highlights the relevance of the social dimension of the circular economy (CE); yet the empirical analysis of this issue has been overlooked. This work sheds light empirically on this gap with a fuzzy Delphi study carried out in a region with strong institutional support for this paradigm. Through the consensus of 25 experts, a set of social impact categories of the CE was scrutinized. The results contribute to widening the current quantitative vision on the employment generated by CE, through the exploration of its qualitative aspects. According to our findings, technological innovation in high‐skilled employment appears to be crucial. Likewise, the results anticipate impacts derived from collaboration among stakeholders in a circular context still at an incipient stage. The expert panel also highlights the relevance of socio‐cultural and behavioral changes. Implications for public policy makers and other stakeholders are also analyzed, namely the development of a monitoring framework of the social dimension of the CE.

Enhancing circular economy practices through the adoption of digital technologies

AbstractIn transitioning from a linear economy model to a circular business, digital technologies can help manage the flow of restorative and regenerative resources. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the contribution of digital technologies, such as the internet of things (IoT), Big Data and Blockchain in the execution of circular economy (CE) practices and what mechanisms companies are adopting to integrate digital technologies into the circular context. The research method consists of an exploratory case study with a qualitative approach. Two prominent companies took part in the study. The results indicate benefits highlighted by companies, contemplate that Big Data analysis has improved performance in data processing and management, IoT has added monitoring and traceability to companies' packaging, thus bringing efficiency to recycling, recovery, reuse and disposal, and the Blockchain provides traceability, security and reliability for the implemented practice. This study contributes by exploring the factors that will help explain the mechanism for implementing CE practices. The present study integrates two dimensions (i.e., CE and digital technology). In doing so, it expands previous studies on CE practices by adopting digital technologies. As a practical contribution, the companies in the study understood that integration with startups benefits the development of projects. In addition to innovative proposals, they present digital technologies as management solutions for implementing CE practices.

The achievement of sustainable development and business success through rational management decision-making in a circular economy

PurposeThis study aims to explore sustainable development and business success (BS) through decision-making (DM) in Pakistan’s circular economy.Design/methodology/approachThis is a co-relational study in which the researchers used cross-sectional data collected from the managers of Pakistan’s manufacturing industries. Accordingly, the authors based this study’s findings on 373 valid samples.FindingsThis study’s structural equation modeling results reveal that DM has a positive and significant effect on sustainable development, which comprises competitiveness, business performance enhancement, flexibility, customer satisfaction and technology development. Moreover, DM positively and significantly affects BS.Practical implicationsThis study’s findings support sustainable development, strengthen the socioeconomic conditions and bring about the industries’ well-being through DM. In addition, these findings demonstrate the need for the circular economy to tackle industrial challenges and simultaneously open up economic and environmental growth opportunities for society.Originality/valueThis study offers the original contribution from a circular economy perspective; there needs to be more empirical evidence among managers of manufacturing industries. Besides, this study provides DM’s role in achieving sustainable development in the presence of BS, which has disappeared in an integrated way, particularly in a circular context.

Swine manure treatment technologies as drivers for circular economy in agribusiness: A techno-economic and life cycle assessment approach

Anaerobic digestion has been employed as a technology capable of adding value to waste coupled with environmental impact mitigation. However, many issues need to be elucidated to ensure the systems viability based on this technology. In this sense, the present study evaluated technically, environmentally, and economically, four configurations of swine waste treatment systems focused on the promotion of decarbonization and circularity of the swine chain. For this, a reference plant, based on a compact treatment process named SISTRATES® (Portuguese acronym for swine effluent treatment system) was adopted to serve as a model for comparison and validation. The results showed the importance of prioritization of the energy recuperation routes through anaerobic digestion, providing increased economic benefits and minimizing environmental damage. Thus, the SISTRATES® configuration was the one that presented the best designs in a circular context, maximizing the recovery of energy and nutrients, along with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring the sustainability of the pig production chain.

Porous, colorful and gas-adsorption powder from wool waste for textile functionalization

Textile waste is a fast-growing challenge and a large quantity of used textile ends up in landfills and incineration plants, which can pollute the environment through the production of toxic substances and greenhouse gases. This work explores the utilization of waste wool in a circular context by mechanically transforming it into wool powder for reusing as sustainable additives for textile functionalization. A comprehensive investigation was conducted to understand the performance of fabrics coated with wool powder in adsorbing ammonia and formaldehyde based on monitoring their dynamic adsorption behavior using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the application of dyed wool powders as eco-friendly colorants for surface modification of textiles was explored and the performance of the colored powders in gas adsorption was investigated. Compared with ordinary wool fibers, the prepared powders possessed increased surface area, higher surface energy and a more heterogeneous surface. These properties made wool powder an ideal candidate for gas adsorption applications. The adsorption efficiencies of 66% and 62% were achieved in removing ammonia and formaldehyde by coated fabrics, respectively, which are significantly higher than the performance of ordinary wool fibers. Furthermore, the coated polyester fabrics showed an excellent cycling performance for both ammonia and formaldehyde (recovery yield up to 68.1%). The reuse of waste wool for functional modification of fabrics not only extends the practical applications of waste resources, but also alleviates the negative effect of textile disposal on the environment.

Application of Value Stream Mapping tool to improve circular systems

Circular Economy is a model that proposes the closure of loops in the production of goods and services to reduce the depletion of natural resources, pollution, and high levels of production. On the other hand, Lean Manufacturing, is a philosophy that focuses on the development of productivity through the elimination of waste and the increase of value. This article explores the integration of lean manufacturing concepts and tools in a circular context. First, a literature review is presented on the common concepts of waste and value, the circular economy model and the indicators developed previously in the literature. Subsequently, the adaptation of the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is presented, with the integration of a set of indicators proposed related to the concepts of circularity and longevity. Finally, the application of this tool is presented through a case study, which proves that circular systems can be represented and evaluated with the adaptation of Lean tools.

Practices for garment industry’s post-consumer textile waste management in the circular economy context: an analysis on literature

Goal: This study aimed to identify and describe garment’s post-consumer textile waste management practices and to analyse them according to environmental, economic and social criteria in the circular economy context.
 Design / Methodology / Approach: A literature review was conducted to identify, collect and organize practices from garment’s post-consumer textile waste management and the environmental, economic and social criteria taken into account for the analysis of such practices in a circular context.
 Results: There were eleven collection practices, three sorting practices, five reuse practices, and six recycling practices. Additionally, even circularity is presented as a new solution to environmental problems, those practices identified in literature are pulled mainly downstream, promoting short-term waste management approaches, while the initial production chain’s links continue to extract and use several non-renewable resources from the excessive way.
 Limitations of the investigation: The limitations of a literature review of this nature is the complete reliance on the defined strings to search the previously published research and the adopted procedures to select and evaluate these studies (data base, search period, exclusion criteria)
 Practical implications: For researchers and garment’s industry professionals, the identified practices should provide new solutions that could be tested in the current post-consumer textile waste management model. Moreover, this research allowed understanding the way those post-consumer textile waste management’s practices are interpreted under a circular context.
 Originality/Value: there is almost no detailed study of post-consumer textile waste management’s practices. Furthermore, it is very rare to find those textile waste management practices related in a circular context.

A process model for collaboration in circular oriented innovation

Circular oriented innovation commonly requires collaboration. Yet, to date, circular research lacks empirical investigation into collaborative processes. Collaborative processes are, however, highly researched within strategic management literature, thus offering valuable insights. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, identify and order the processes that companies undertake when designing and implementing collaborations for circular oriented innovation. Firstly, we integrate disparate strategic management literature to identify collaborative process ‘know-how’ and relevant ‘building blocks’. Secondly, we generate practice-based insights, via semi-structured interviews and desk-research, across three research cycles to understand how companies collaborate within circular oriented innovation. Theoretical contributions stem from the assessment and integration of strategic management collaborative process knowledge into the circular context. Managerial contributions derive from the process model that describes how to build collaborative circular oriented innovation. Furthermore, the principal result is the empirical investigation and identification of collaborative circular oriented innovation challenges. Challenges relate to how to; 1) formulate an initial ‘circular proposition’, 2) involve the ‘right’ people, 3) align upon a shared circular purpose, 4) develop circular oriented governance and decision-making, and 5) develop a circular oriented value capture model focused on collective outcomes. These form the basis for our proposed future research agenda. This research agenda aims to stimulate researchers and practitioners to further demystify collaborative processes to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.

Circular economy research: A bibliometric analysis (2000–2019) and future research insights

This study undertakes an empirical analysis of the circular economy (CE) literature published between 2000 and 2019 and articulates the key research themes on the basis of content analysis and citation mapping of the top-cited CE-related articles. HistCite software was used to perform bibliometric citation meta-analysis on a sample of 2279 articles, obtained from the ISI Web of Science database, having 89,995 global cited references. Influential journals, articles, yearly trends, institutions, and authors in CE research were identified and presented in this study. Content analysis and citation mapping of the top-cited 33 articles revealed the following key research themes: 1) CE assessment methods and frameworks, 2) CE concept and sustainability, 3) Inter-disciplinary research in circular context, 4) CE adoption – country, region or firm level, 5) CE recycling, recovery, and reuse, 6) CE and environmental economics, 7) CE and eco-industrial parks, 8) CE and resource life extension, 9) CE and design of circular products and 10) CE rebound. Subsequently, a knowledge synthesis approach was applied to develop an integrated, multi-dimensional conceptual framework depicting the linkage between CE drivers, stakeholders, CE practice indicators, and performance measures. Finally, future research directions from recent articles were analyzed, and suggestions are made for future CE research themes.

Enabling Factors and Strategies for the Transition Toward a Circular Economy (CE)

This study aims to identify and analyze the enabling factors and strategies for the structuring and diffusion of a circular business model. Circular model structuring involves several actors, challenges, and barriers. In this context, the present study allows discussion of the business structure in line with the principles of circularity and can contribute by mapping the factors and strategies to be worked for business development in the circular context, providing an overview and guidance for academics, businesspeople, and professionals. Through a case study method, the research allowed identification of the factors and an in-depth understanding of the strategies and drivers of circular business models; from the empirical research, it will be possible to identify opportunities that align with what is already known, but also what may be specific to the context of emerging countries to enable the circular model.