Circular Economy Indicators Research Articles

Система показників оцінки ефективності стратегій циркулярної економіки в аграрному секторі

The increased interest in the conception of circular economy is caused by predictable advantages in the context of sustainable development. However, the generally accepted monitoring system does not exist, and the scientific world relies on a significant number of approaches to measuring the efficiency of circular economy strategies. This is caused by the introduction of circular economy principles at the level of current regulations in the policy of China, Africa, the European Union and the United States. Accordingly, the studied list of indicators that allow to evaluate its efficiency is quite wide and takes into account the development peculiarities of both economy and its sectors. Of particular interest to this study is the agrarian sector. The analysis of scientific papers allowed to distinguish in the agricultural sector strategies for narrowing, closure and recovery of resource cycles, the evaluation of which requires appropriate indicator systems in the context of various dimensions of sustainable development. Efficient strategies of circular economy in agriculture can potentially include a set of indicators that are able to assess the level of impact of production on the environment, take into account social aspects, determine the level of informatization, material capacity and energy capacity of products. As a result of the research, an overview of the existing systems of indicators of circular economy in the agrarian sector was carried out, which were divided according to strategies for narrowing, closure and recovery of resource cycles in the context of technical, ecological, economic and social dimensions of sustainability. Further researches are related to the review of existing business models of agricultural enterprises, referred to the indicators based on circular economy strategies and measurements of sustainable development.

Nano and micro level circular economy indicators: Assisting decision-makers in circularity assessments

The growing interest for Circular Economy (CE) urged experts to develop assessment metrics regarding the shift from a linear to a circular rationale. As a response, the recent literature has been populated with a plethora of circularity indicators addressing different CE scales: nano (products), micro (companies), meso (industrial symbiosis), and macro (governments). However, simply shifting to circular systems does not necessarily result in favorable alternatives, as trade-offs may occur concerning environmental, economic, or social impacts. In order to assist decision-makers in the processes of choosing the best-suiting indicator for circularity assessments, this study presents a systematic literature review aiming at nano- and micro-level indicators, which were evaluated according to their relation to the sustainability pillars and life cycle stages (take, make, use, recover). Sixty-one publications were analyzed (44 peer-reviewed, 16 from gray literature, 1 dissertation). Fifty-eight indicators were explored (38 nano, 14 micro, 6 directed to both levels). Findings show that the majority of metrics are nano-level environmentally-driven indicators that focus on material and resource recovery strategies. A second expressive group is simultaneously focused on the environmental and economic pillars. Social repercussions are rarely addressed. We argue that the analyzed indicators mainly focus on material and resource recirculation and lack robustness to assess the sustainability performance of circular systems. Future research could analyze the integration of the investigated indicators with consolidated methodologies to overcome the barrier of combining circularity and sustainability performance.

Social circular economy indicators: Selection through fuzzy delphi method

• The FDM reduces uncertainty associated with data collection and judgement elicitation. • The formulation of social circular indicators is relevant to increase sustainability. • Eradicating poverty and hungry are now priority for circular economy experts. • Social indicators proposed can help monitor progress of sustainable development goals. • This work could be integrated in the SLCA method for the selection of the indicators. Circular economy (CE) promotes better resource use by reducing waste and keeping products and materials in use and supports natural system regeneration. However, the social dimension of CE is virtually non-existent. Moreover, there is no holistic framework to select the social indicators to be used to assess the positive or negative impacts of CE strategies. Thus, this paper proposes an approach to identify key social indicators of CE through qualitative (Delphi) and quantitative (fuzzy logic) tools that objectively account for the uncertainty associated with data collection and judgement elicitation and number of attributes (indicators) by considering the vagueness of the data. The research includes a hybrid approach to explore multiple social indicators, a survey of social indicators for CE experts to arrive at a consensus regarding the social measures that are required and an analysis of the resulting survey data to converge on the key social indicators relevant to CE.. The results show that the most relevant social indicators for CE experts are consumer health and safety, followed by poverty, food security and governance. These findings suggest that indicators such as the eradication of poverty and hunger are priorities for CE experts. This could be attributed to the power of CE practices to help achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, particularly those that are most directly related to CE strategies.

How Circular Are the European Economies? A Taxonomic Analysis Based on the INEC (Index of National Economies’ Circularity)

In this paper, the aggregate index of national economies’ circularity (INEC) was proposed and empirically verified. For this purpose, the taxonomic linear ordering method was used, which is a multi-criteria decision-making procedure. This method replaces the analysis of the phenomenon described by a set of indicators with an analysis using one aggregate indicator: the so-called ‘synthetic metric’. Based on 14 circular economy indicators that are available in the Eurostat database, the circularity indexes were constructed for 24 EU countries (including the United Kingdom). This allowed the author, on the one hand, to create a ranking of the countries, and on the other, to assign them to four groups, which were characterized by a similar level of circularity. This paper attempts to answer the following questions: how circular are the European economies? What are the main challenges in achieving circularity in Europe? Taking into account the INEC range [0,1], it should be noted that the level of circularity in the analysed European countries is low (an average of 0.3021). Therefore, the paper indicates the areas requiring improvement in this respect.

Circular Economy Innovation and Environmental Sustainability Impact on Economic Growth: An Integrated Model for Sustainable Development

This study examines the link between selected indicators of a circular economy, including essential components of environmental and economic growth. Developed economies are continuously innovating to promote growth and giving governmental support to the producers to move from linear economies to circular ones. Hence, waste materials in industrial systems are recycled or re-used, improving the efficiency of using finite resources with the no-waste approach. The aim of this paper is the following: (1) to identify the main components of a circular economy, which are also supportive of sustainability and development; (2) to check the impact of these variables in the economic growth of European Union countries; (3) to find out if the three components of sustainable development adopted to circular economy (CE) indicators (environmental–social–economic) are significant to economic growth. We used a fixed effect panel data analysis to identify the circular economy’s impact on the economic growth of European countries. Additionally, to support the results of the regression analysis, we employed a second method—generalized methods of moments—computing the Arellano–Bond dynamic panel data estimation method. The model included five independent variables, such as environmental tax rate, a recycling rate of waste, private investment and jobs in a circular economy, patents related to recycling, and trade of recyclable raw materials. The identification of each variable was made based on a deep search through literature. The results of both econometric models showed a strong and positive correlation between a circular economy to economic growth, highlighting the crucial role of sustainability, innovation, and investment in no-waste initiatives to promote wealth.

To what extent do circular economy indicators capture sustainability?

Abstract The transition to circular economy (CE) implies an innovative approach to production and consumption systems, often requiring radical transformation of business models, corresponding products and services, and supply and value chains to achieve decoupling of resource consumption from value creation. There are dichotomous approaches to CE, the ones focusing on methods and tools to support industrial practitioners to plan, design and develop CE solutions, and the others, focusing on methods and tools to predict, monitor and evaluate CE by measuring its performance and impacts. Existing literature widely discusses the approaches to measuring CE performance by employing specific indicators, indices, calculators or assessment toolboxes. Despite the abundancy of approaches, it is rather unclear what CE performance is and what dimensions of it have to be evaluated. Furthermore, if CE is to bring positive results towards sustainability, the sustainability metrics need as much attention in the approaches to measuring CE performance. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion on the performance dimensions of CE in manufacturing context, where we highlight the discrepancy between what is suggested to be measured in the context of CE and the need for sustainability considerations. Moreover, we discuss the importance of complementing circularity metrics by leading sustainability indicators to ensure early sustainability consideration in CE transition process.

Corrigendum to “Assessing the sustainability of urban eco-systems through Emergy-based circular economy indicators” [Ecol. Indic. (2020) 105859

Corrigendum to “Assessing the sustainability of urban eco-systems through Emergy-based circular economy indicators” [Ecol. Indic. (2020) 105859

Circular economy indicators for organizations considering sustainability and business models: Plastic, textile and electro-electronic cases

Abstract Circular Economy is the optimal point of sustainability, given that it offers a set of practices capable of generating more sustainable operations, making sustainability feasible in organizations. To measure the innovations brought by Circular Economy, there is a recent need to develop circularity indicators, mainly for micro level (companies and products). Furthermore, the complexity of Circular Economy implies in a set of multi-dimensional indicators instead of a single one. This paper aims to develop a set of indicators linking Circular Economy principles, Circular Business Model and the pillars of Sustainability. The set of indicators was developed based in the hypothetic-deductive approach, following a number of iterations (cycles) and testing the theory in the empirical world. A mix of research methods (e.g. expert consulting, user’s feedback, and case studies) was applied. The proposed indicators should be able to achieve the principles of the Circular Economy, and, at the same time, help to meet the specificities and needs of each circular business model. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a group of indicators, focused in the three dimensions of Sustainability (environmental (from material perspective), economic and social), applied in Circular Business Models to capture the innovations brought by Circular Economy that conventional indicators do not measure. Moreover, they will help any company to identify areas with high importance and potential for improvement, and thus increase Circular Economy performance in an efficient, clear and prompt manner. These indicators were applied in three Brazilian companies which have three different Circular Business Models. The results show that data from economic and social dimensions was not available or was diffused in the companies. It represents a barrier because most of the positive impacts gained with Circular Economy are presented in the social dimension, including job creation, mindset change, etc.

Circular Economy for Food Policy: The Case of the RePoPP Project in The City of Turin (Italy)

Circular economy for food (CE) and food policies (FP) are two emerging but already prominent research areas, particularly when talking about the cities of the future. This paper analyzes the dynamics between these two fields of research, starting from review articles and the analysis of a case study, underlying the fundaments that FP and CE share. In particular, this paper focuses on using circular economy (CE) indicators and strategies to shape urban food policies (FP) to create a new business and political model towards sustainability. It introduces four converging perspectives, emerging from the literature, and analyzes how they have been integrated in the case study RePoPP (Re-design Project of Organic waste in Porta Palazzo market), a circular project born from the FP of the City of Turin (Italy). RePoPP is indeed a multi-actor project of urban circular food policies against food waste, which demonstrates how a circular approach can be the turning point in the creation of new food policies. This article wants to define for the first time a new research framework called “circular economy for food policy”, along with its characteristics: the application of a systemic approach and CE to problems and solutions, the need for a transdisciplinary and integrated project design for the 9R (responsibility, react, reduce, reuse, re-design, repair, recover, recycle, and rot), the use of food as a pivot of cross-sectoral change, and a new form of collaborative and integrated governance.

Assessing the sustainability of urban eco-systems through Emergy-based circular economy indicators

Abstract Circular Economy (CE) concepts and tools are getting increasing attention with regard to their implementation in agricultural, urban and industrial sectors towards innovative business models to optimize resource use, process performances and development policies. However, conventional biophysical and economic indicators hardly fit CE characteristics. Life cycle assessment, footprint and economic cost-benefit indicators, do not fully capture the specificity of a closed loop CE framework, characterized by feedbacks and resource use minimization and quality assessment. Commonly used mono-dimensional indicators seem unable to successfully relate the process performance and the use of ecosystem services and natural capital, in that they do not assess the environmental quality and sustainability (renewability, fit to use, recycle potential) of resources and the complexity of interaction between agro/industrial/urban environments and socioeconomic systems, and translate into an incomplete and inadequate picture, far from an effective CE perspective. In this study, Emergy Accounting method (EMA) is used to design an improved approach to CE systemic aspects, focusing on the importance of new indicators capable of capturing both resource generation (upstream), product (downstream) and systems dimensions. This conceptual scheme is built around the case study of the City of Napoli’s economy (Campania region, Southern Italy) considering the surrounding agro-industrial area with its smaller urban settlements. In order to design a reasonable and reliable CE framework, a number of already existing and innovative processes is analyzed and discussed, through a bottom-up procedure capable to account for CE development options based on the recovery of locally available and still usable resources (i.e., conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel, conversion of slaughterhouse residues to power and chemicals, recovery and conversion of agro-waste residues, amongst others). The result highlighted that EMA was capable to keep track of the improvement generated by the implemented circularity patterns in terms of reduced total emergy of the system. Moreover, EMA indicators suggested that, in any case, the CE business framework should be intended as a transitional strategy towards more feasible paradigms.

Sustainability of Circular Economy Indicators and Their Impact on Economic Growth of the European Union

In this paper, we develop a methodology for studying the sustainability of the circular economy model, based on environmental indicators, and its impact on European Union (EU) economic growth. In open-end systems, waste is converted back to materials and objects through recycling; hence, a linear economy is transformed into a circular economy (CE). Environmental factors support the argument for the sustainable implementation of a circular economy. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the sustainability of the CE indicators and to elaborate a multilinear regression model with panel data for determining the dependency of the main CE factors on EU economic growth. Starting with the model of economic growth based on circular material use rate, recycling rate of municipal waste (RRMW), trade in recycling materials, labor productivity, environmental taxes, and resource productivity as independent variables, six statistical hypotheses were validated through a multiple regression model with the use of the statistical software EViews 11. The research study was conducted for 27 EU countries, and the data was collected from the European Union Statistical Office (EUROSTAT), during the time frame 2010 to 2017. Based on econometric modeling, the paper highlights that circular economy generates sustainable economic growth across the EU.

Circular Economy Indicators as a Supporting Tool for European Regional Development Policies

The current research proposes a system of possible indicators for evaluating progress towards circular economy (CE) at the regional level in European Union countries. This was accomplished through desktop research examining potential CE indicators and approaches to monitoring, worldwide or at the country level, and possibilities for adapting such approaches to European regions. The study has shown that existing tools for monitoring are inadequate for tracking the progress of CE transition at the regional level. Based on those findings, it is possible to propose principles for designing CE indicators, types of indicators, their main characteristics and sources for data collection. The study also presents a case study for tracking CE progress, applying the proposed CE indicators to the Malopolska region in southern Poland. However, comparing CE progress between different European regions may not be feasible because of the limits of data availability. Additional indicators should be identified at the regional level to increase the quality of proposed areas of CE monitoring. Nevertheless, analysing CE indexes for various regions could offer a valuable method for distinguishing regional leaders in CE development to serve as useful examples, while determining which regions need to intensify their efforts toward such a transition.

Circular economy indicators: What do they measure?

Circular Economy (CE) is a growing topic, especially in the European Union, that promotes the responsible and cyclical use of resources possibly contributing to sustainable development. CE is an umbrella concept incorporating different meanings. Despite the unclear concept, CE is turned into defined action plans supported by specific indicators. To understand what indicators used in CE measure specifically, we propose a classification framework to categorise indicators according to reasoning on what (CE strategies) and how (measurement scope). Despite different types, CE strategies can be grouped according to their attempt to preserve functions, products, components, materials, or embodied energy; additionally, indicators can measure the linear economy as a reference scenario. The measurement scope shows how indicators account for technological cycles with or without a Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) approach; or their effects on environmental, social, or economic dimensions.To illustrate the classification framework, we selected quantitative micro scale indicators from literature and macro scale indicators from the European Union ‘CE monitoring framework’. The framework illustration shows that most of the indicators focus on the preservation of materials, with strategies such as recycling. However, micro scale indicators can also focus on other CE strategies considering LCT approach, while the European indicators mostly account for materials often without taking LCT into account. Furthermore, none of the available indicators can assess the preservation of functions instead of products, with strategies such as sharing platforms, schemes for product redundancy, or multifunctionality. Finally, the framework illustration suggests that a set of indicators should be used to assess CE instead of a single indicator.

The regenerative supply chain: a framework for developing circular economy indicators

There are widely differing experiences and practices in the development of indicators to monitor, report and communicate progress towards the implementation of the circular economy (CE). We present a framework for developing CE indicators which link to the core goals, principles and building blocks of a CE. To do this we utilise the Ellen MacArthur Foundation butterfly model as a coherent systems overview of key material stocks and flows, and representation of relationships between inputs, outputs, recovery processes, emissions, energy and value loops in physical and financial measures which constitute the CE supply chain. Based on nine multinational organisations and four cases of leading companies engaged with CE activity, we address the types of indicators being used and make recommendations for indicators to reflect key goals and principles of CE. Our research on the development and expansion of circular practices leads to the question of what new opportunities and challenges CE raises for such companies in terms of competitive business advantage and resultant requirements for supply chain redesign and indicator development, over and above pre-existing closed-loop production.

Proposal of Sustainability Indicators for the Waste Management from the Paper Industry within the Circular Economy Model

The optimization of water management in industrial processes is paramount in diminishing or mitigating, as far as possible, the negative externalities generated by its current use within the linear economy model. This research presents methods for the optimization of wastewater from paper mills which are associated with the new sustainability and circular economy model. In this way, the concept of circular economy was applied to the wastewater treatment from a paper mill, with the objective of recovering the resources contained in this type of effluent. The wastewater treatment plant is based on a biological reactor of activated sludge, and treats a flow of 4868 m3·day−1. This study proposes the development and evaluation of indicators of circular economy applied to wastewater from a paper mill, as well as the assessment of the removal performance of color, total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand on the fifth day (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), which are higher than 96% in all cases. Per 1 m3 of wastewater from a paper mill, a volume of 0.9 m3 of potentially reusable water and a recovered sludge mass of 0.7 kg are generated; the latter is reused as a mineral filler during the process itself. In light of this, a multivariable statistical analysis was applied to determine the relationship of the operation variables and indicators of circular economy. In this way, wastewater from the paper mill can be regarded as a technological nutrient, which is partially reintroduced into the production process, enabling the recovery of the water and mineral fillers that it contains.

Assessment of the Circular Economy’s Impact in the EU Economic Growth

Starting from the significant differences between the European Union’s member states regarding framing and implementing the sustainable development strategies and the transition from linear economy towards circular economy (European Commission, 2017a), the article analyses the impact that circular economy indicators, such as the recycling rate of municipal waste, packaging waste and bio-waste, the expenditure on research and development to find solutions to extend the life cycle of materials and reusing waste, as well as the environmental taxes have on the resource productivity and real economic growth. Using these correlations, we consider that the transition from the linear economic model to the circular economic model has positive effects, as proven by this study. The proposed model uses data for the 28 member states of the European Union, in the 2005-2016 time frame. The novelty of this study lies in using a data panel model for estimating the impact that the measures associated with the circular economy have on the resource productivity and economic growth. The obtained results show that the resource productivity improves by 0.01307 considering one percent increase in the recycling rate of the municipal waste, by 0.159988 if the research and innovation as percentage in the GDP increases by one percent and by 0.068711 when the number of patents in the EU (as for 1 million inhabitants) increases by one unit. All these values stress out the positive effects the circular economy model may have on the society’s sustainable development.

Quantitative Approach to Circular Economy in the OECD Countries

The circular economy, an evolving concept, is considered a necessary and pragmatic solution for reconciling the link between the growth rate and the pressure on the resources of the environment. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is the quantitative assessment of the circular economy in the OECD countries based on the indicators assembled by the authors. The goal set was achieved through both a theoretical and empirical objective. The theoretical objective is to combine and group indicators referring to the circular economy, as they are present in the literature. The empirical objective is to develop a model of causal analysis with significance for circular economy practice, based on indicators that measure economic growth, research-development, education, recycling. To achieve the empirical objective, cluster analysis, correlation analysis and path analysis were applied. The authors’ contribution consists of adapting circular economy indicators to the 5 newly created classes and applying the statistical methods mentioned in the OECD circular economy analysis. The results of empirical research reflect, on the one hand, the classification of countries for a set of indicators of the circular economy and the significant links and dependencies between the indicators analysed on the other.

Can Legislation Promote a Circular Economy? A Material Flow-Based Evaluation of the Circular Degree of the Chinese Economy

The circular economy has been widely developed in China and other countries. However, China has been the most proactive country in upgrading its economic model by enacting a Circular Economy Promotion Law (CEPL). Nearly 10 years have passed since the adoption of the CEPL, and it is thus essential to evaluate the progress of circular economy development to see if the targets have been achieved. Although it is extremely difficult to evaluate the role of the CEPL in the development of a circular economy in China, we think that if we can estimate the circular degree of the Chinese economy and identify the changes of some key indicators before and after the adoption of the CEPL, it will be helpful in judging whether the CEPL has played a key role in promoting the transition of the economic development model. Since the existing circular economy indicators and evaluation systems have focused mainly on the recycling of resources, we designed a methodology based on the material flow that can be used to evaluate the circular degree of the whole national economy. Through a detailed observation of the circular economy indicators of China, we conclude that the CEPL has not yet played a significant role in promoting the circular economy as was previously believed.

Circular economy - foundament of challenges for business environment

Abstract Circular economy is one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development. The limited character of resources, the demographic explosion, the urban agglomerations and the high volume of waste have become extremely sensitive issues in the current period. As a result, the implementation of policies based on fundamental objectives such as material recycling, energy consumption from renewable sources and the design of products that meet the recycling and re-use requirements must be a priority for the worldwide. The paper aims to highlight the principles underpinning the circular economy and to identify the challenges faced by important areas in terms of the capacity to ensure their respecting, so as to achieve a real process of sustainable development Also, a descriptive analysis of the situation of the circular economy indicators for the period 2000 - 2015, at the level of the EU28 and of some member countries is carried out. The findings from the study demonstrate the need for a complex waste management process and the implementation of clear action lines to change the current economy model, based on consumption and elimination, with another, based on rational consumption and re-use, amid on improvements of the technologies of the industrial field and in the implementation of business stimulus strategies. As a result, it is necessary to change the mentality of the business environment in order to ensure a healthy socio-economic development, even if the short-term profits are lower.

Design of Indicators of Circular Economy as Instruments for the Evaluation of Sustainability and Efficiency in Wastewater from Pig Farming Industry

Circular economy intends to turn waste into resources that can be reintroduced into the production process, eliminating the negative externalities from it. The impact of pig manure on the environment is one of the main challenges in agriculture. The high amount of pig manure coming from the pig farming industry complicates the management of this type of effluents, leading to a serious impact on the environment, as it pollutes the soil, the water, and the air. The concept of the indicator of circular economy was introduced to evaluate the degree of approximation of the pig manure treatment process to the circular economy model. In light of this, these indicators showed the possibility of obtaining 0.97 m3 water h−1, 49.40 kg biofertilizer h−1, and 5.33 m3 biogas h−1 per 1 m3 pig manure h−1 treated, allowing us to assess the minimization of waste generation and the efficiency of the use of resources. By applying an anaerobic digestion process to treat pig manure, reductions of water and natural gas consumptions were 47.01% and 5.33%, respectively, which leads to a reduction in emissions of 171.98 kg CO2 h−1. Consequently, pig manure can be considered as a technological nutrient that is reintroduced into the productive system, enabling the recovery of energy, water, and biofertilizer contained therein.