Circular Economy Research Research Articles

Infrastructuring the Circular Economy

The circular economy (CE), and its focus on the cycling and regeneration of resources, necessitates both a reconfiguration of existing infrastructures and the creation of new infrastructures to facilitate these flows. In urban settings, CE is being realized at multiple levels, from within individual organizations to across peri-urban landscapes. While most attention in CE research and practice focuses on organizations, the scale and impact of many such efforts are limited because they fail to account for the diversity of resources, needs, and power structures across cities, consequently missing opportunities for adopting a more effective and inclusive CE. Reconfiguring hard infrastructures is necessary for material resource cycling, but intervening in soft infrastructures is also needed to enable more inclusive decision-making processes to activate these flows. Utilizing participatory action research methods at the intersection of industrial ecology and design, we developed a new framework and a model for considering and allocating the variety of resources that organizations utilize when creating value for themselves, society, and the planet. We use design prototyping methods to synthesize distributed knowledge and co-create hard and soft infrastructures in a multi-level case study focused on urban food producers and farmers markets from the City of Chicago. We discuss generalized lessons for “infrastructuring” the circular economy to bridge niche-level successes with larger system-level changes in cities.

Making the circular economy work for human development

This paper aims to re-conceptualise and advance the existing frameworks and practical applications of the circular economy (CE) towards a broader approach to development in general and, more particularly, to combine it with the approach for Human Development (HD). The CE is an alternative to the current "take, make, waste” extractive industrial model and offers a practical solution to address global and local environmental challenges, such as resource depletion, marine plastic pollution, and for staying within planetary system boundaries. Although the CE and related concepts such as cradle to cradle provide a most promising alternative to the traditional linear economy model and its impacts on the planets eco-systems, some of the CE key elements have raised debate both in the academic community and among policy makers. One of the debates concerns the missing social or human dimensions of the CE. Likewise, the HD approach lacks considerations of environmental sustainability. Drawing on both academic and grey literature and the authorsö research observations and professional experiences in the fields of promoting the CE and international development cooperation for HD, we attempt to develop an integrative conceptual framework of the CE and HD. This framework includes social-economic elements of the transformation from linear to circular economic models, combined with HD from the social sciences and development studies. We thereby complement the technological-material focused CE model that is primarily based on principles of industrial ecology and engineering. We utilize the existing ‘circular humansphereö concept to articulate the incorporation of HD into the discussion of CE. By bringing in explicit links with HD, we pursue a double aim: First, to raise awareness and understanding among the CE research community of the missing human dimension in current CE discourse, and second, to familiarise the international development community with the approaches of CE. This will advance the options for adopting CE practices in international development programmes and for the process of implementing the social SDGs concerning HD such as SDG 1, 3, 4, 5, and 10. Finally, we hope that this CE and HD framework can contribute to the resolution of environmental and developmental issues.

Modelling reverse supply chain through system dynamics for realizing the transition towards the circular economy: A case study on electric vehicle batteries

Circular economy (CE) is increasingly recognized as an issue of critical importance for companies, academics, practitioners, policymakers, and society as a whole. A successful transition from the current, linear economic model towards a resource-efficient circular economy model requires a shared understanding of the interplay among the building blocks of circular economy and the interaction among various decision factors. This research aims to explore these dynamics using environmental, societal, and economic aspects from a reverse supply chain perspective.This paper presents a model to represent the complex system of reverse logistics to recover post-used products at their end-of-life (EoL) stage. A system dynamics (SD) approach is used to model the dynamics of cost, revenue, and strategic and regulatory decisions. In addition, the interplay among the main pillars of circular economy research is explored through a case study of electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). Moreover, the main enablers and challenges for recovery of end-of-life batteries are presented. The findings show the importance of a shared understanding to achieve a successful transition towards a resource-efficient and circular economy model. Furthermore, reuse strategies such as remanufacturing and repurposing present a huge market potential for the recovery of electric vehicle batteries in the near future.

Recovery and reuse of structural products from end-of-life buildings

Buildings and construction have been identified as having the greatest potential for circular economy value creation. One source of value creation is to recover and reuse building products from end-of-service-life buildings, rather than destructive demolition and downcycling. While there is a trade in non-structural and heritage product recovery and reuse, the largest volume, mass and value of most buildings comprise structural elements – concrete, brick and masonry, and steel – which present many challenges. A comprehensive literature review confirms limited attention to innovation and advanced techniques to address these challenges and therefore the potential reuse of the stocks of accumulated building products globally and associated environmental benefits. Potential techniques being tested in an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council circular economy research programme are referenced as a key building block towards circular economy building system redesign.

At the Nexus of Blockchain Technology, the Circular Economy, and Product Deletion

The circular economy (CE) is an emergent concept to rethink and redesign how our economy works. The concept recognizes effective and efficient economic functioning at multiple scales—governments and individuals, globally and locally; for businesses, large and small. CE represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience at multiple levels (macro, meso and micro); generating new business and economic opportunities while providing environmental and societal benefits. Blockchain, an emergent and critical technology, is introduced to the circular economy environment as a potential enabler for many circular economic principles. Blockchain technology supported information systems can improve circular economy performance at multiple levels. Product deletion, a neglected but critical effort in product management and product portfolio management, is utilized as an illustrative business scenario as to blockchain’s application in a circular economy research context. Product deletion, unlike product proliferation, has received minimal attention from both academics and practitioners. Product deletion decisions need to be evaluated and analyzed in the circular economy context. CE helps address risk aversion issues in product deletions such as inventory, waste and information management. This paper is the first to conceptualize the relationships amongst blockchain technology, product deletion and the circular economy. Many nuances of relationships are introduced in this study. Future evaluation and critical reflections are also presented with a need for a rigorous and robust research agenda to evaluate the multiple and complex relationships and interplay amongst technology, policy, commerce and the natural environment.

Alternative carbon feedstock for the chemical industry? - Assessing the challenges posed by the human dimension in the carbon transition

Our society faces a carbon dilemma whereby there is an imbalance between our need for carbon and the dark side of its utilization. Unlike electricity, heat and mobility sectors where a transition towards renewable energy sources is possible, the chemical industry has no alternative to carbon sources for its production. This paper carried out a case analysis of the German chemical industry. The objective is to identify challenges posed by the human dimension for its carbon transition from a dependence on imported carbon resources towards cleaner and sustainable production using domestic primary and secondary carbon feedstock alternatives. Findings from a representative survey study carried out in Germany in October 2017 showed widespread public misconceptions regarding what are carbon sources and a lack of mental associations regarding the use of domestic biomass, coal, waste and CO2 as feedstock alternatives for chemical production. Furthermore, significant regional difference in support/resistance for coal-to-chemicals as a carbon transition route is also observed. This paper represents a first effort to bridge the gap between transition and circular economy research to facilitate the early identification of human-related barriers to a carbon transition for the chemical industry.

Worldwide Research on Circular Economy and Environment: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The relevance of circular economy to environmental science has led to a notable increase of research works during the last few years. It is very important to know the evolution of the publications that relate these two concepts, as well as the main areas of knowledge in which these investigations are framed. The purpose is to understand and highlight the state of art of circular economy and the role and relationship of the environment. Bibliometric analysis allows to evaluate developments in knowledge on a specific subject and assesses the scientific influence of researches and sources. This paper analyses the worldwide research dynamics on circular economy in the period from 2006 to 2017. A bibliometric analysis of 743 articles was completed. The most productive journals in this field were Journal of Cleaner Production. The five most productive countries were China, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. Works on the circular economy and environment has considerable potential and it is open to research fields as sustainability or industrial production. The findings of this study could prove useful for studies into environmental circular economy, as they show a global sight of this line of study. Thus, the article represents a contribution to identify the main trends in circular economy research and environment and, from there, propose future research initiatives.

Cognitive biases of consumers as barriers in transition towards circular economy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the cognitive biases of consumer and explain how they are creating barriers in transition towards circular economy (CE).Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper which adopts a consumer-centric conceptualization of CE by focussing on cognitive biases as an underlying and unifying mechanism which is creating barriers in the adoption of CE. This conceptualization explains consumers’ non-adoption of circular business model, highlight synergies across disconnected theories and streams of research originating in different disciplines and at the individual, societal and cultural levels of analysis.FindingsThe findings of this paper suggest that circular business models are not fulfilling the psychological, social and cultural needs of the consumers and that in turn lead to barriers in diffusion of the CE. Consumers have a negative connotation with the different circular business model due to their cognitive biases.Practical implicationsThe paper details about key implications to design effective interventions to modify consumer behaviour in the desired direction for hassle-free transition to CE from the linear economy.Originality/valueThis paper offers a shift in CE research from a deterministic approach to conceptualising consumers to a positivist approach to conceptualising consumers.

Digitisation and the Circular Economy: A Review of Current Research and Future Trends

Since it first appeared in literature in the early nineties, the Circular Economy (CE) has grown in significance amongst academic, policymaking, and industry groups. The latest developments in the CE field have included the interrogation of CE as a paradigm, and its relationship with sustainability and other concepts, including iterative definitions. Research has also identified a significant opportunity to apply circular approaches to our rapidly changing industrial system, including manufacturing processes and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) which, with data, is enabling the latest advances in digital technologies (DT). Research which fuses these two areas has not been extensively explored. This is the first paper to provide a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework which offers directions for policymakers and guidance for future research through a review of the integrated fields of CE and I4.0. To achieve this, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR; n = 174) of the empirical literature related to digital technologies, I4.0, and circular approaches is conducted. The SLR is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and early 2018. This paper also summarizes the current trends in CE research related to manufacturing. The findings confirm that while CE research has been on the increase, research on digital technologies to enable a CE is still relatively untouched. While the “interdisciplinarity” of CE research is well-known, the findings reveal that a substantial percentage is engineering-focused. The paper concludes by proposing a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework for future research developed from the gaps in the current research landscape.

Dimensions of Behaviour Change in the context of Designing for a Circular Economy

Circular economy research has seen increasing attention over the years, but with limited attention for how to design circular solutions that will actually change user behaviour. At the same time, Design for Sustainable Behaviour as a research field has so far not explicitly focused on behaviours that are particular for a circular economy. To address this gap, the paper presents product and service examples as a grid consisting of nine dimensions of behaviour change (control, obtrusiveness, timing, exposure, meaning, importance, direction, encouragement, and empathy) and four goals for circular economy (maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling). It is shown that examples for almost all combinations exist. Second, based on four case studies, the paper addresses in more detail how different dimensions of behaviour change are used and analyses their application in four case companies. Results suggest that all dimensions are relevant, but the variation in application differs greatly.

Bibliometric and review of the research on circular economy through the evolution of Chinese public policy

In over 10 years, China remarkably progressed in the research and practice of circular economy. This paper presents a comparative study of the development of circular economy driven by the China’s public policy and research. We conducted a bibliometric literature review based on the core journals listed in China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Scopus and Web of Science databases with the CiteSpace V over the period of 2000–2016 as the background. We selectively analyzed 248 articles to determine research trends and gaps in China and then combined them with the practices of circular economy in China’s three “Five-Year Plans”, namely, the 10th, 11th, and 12th, to summarize the development path of the research and practice of circular economy based on their interaction while exploring new potential directions of research. Results show evident interactive feedback between public policy and academic research. After 2010, the number of published Chinese domestic journals showed a decreasing trend and an upward trend in international journals and received increased international attention. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, circular economy research and practice significantly developed. When China entered the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016–2020), the development of circular economy played a much important role as it is promoted as an important part of the ecological civilization and comprehensive construction of well-off society (in 2020). The corresponding theoretical study and practice are expected to further make remarkable progress.

Perceptions of Circular Business Models in SMEs

Testing circular economy business models is crucial in understanding Circular Economy features across various industries. This paper analyses Circular Economy perceptions in Romanian SMEs by investigating entrepreneurs from PVC joinery industry. Using a multidimensional framework, ReSOLVE, as a conceptual model, and Lewandowski systematization, we measured 6 business actions and their relations with Value creation. The results of our survey can be described as mixed. Of the 6 business actions of ReSOLVE framework, for half of them (Regenerate, Optimize and Exchange) we can definitely conclude that these are correlated with Circular Economy in terms of Value Creation, while for a fourth there are variables significantly correlated without being able to conclude its overall contribution in terms of Value creation. Our empirical investigation contributes to literature development on Circular Economy research in SMEs and a step forward to shape future research initiatives.

Exploring Circular Strategy Combinations - towards Understanding the Role of PSS

This paper explores the concept of circular strategy combinations - situations where two or more circular economy strategies (reduce, reuse, recycle, reconditioning, etc) are present in a product system. Specifically, we focus on the holistic analysis of such configurations and the role of product/service-systems (PSS) in enabling them. The case of Riversimple, a sustainable mobility-as-a-service company, is investigated by means of the Circularity Compass in order to explore 1) how combinations of circular strategies can be identified and analysed, and 2) the role of PSS as an enabler of such combinations. This paper strengthens the body of work that aims to clarify how the PSS concept can be used to further develop the growing field of circular economy research and illustrate how the PSS concept can support the development of circular economy into a coherent concept.

Circular economy as an essentially contested concept

The Circular Economy (CE) is currently a popular notion within the policy and business advocacy groups. Despite being visionary and provocative in its message, the research on the CE concept is emerging. The two intertwined objectives of the paper are; first to identify, discuss and develop the various definitions provided by the emerging literature. Secondly, to suggest an initial research approach with which research on CE can be conducted. Our analysis shows that the existing CE work is mainly done on the practical and technical levels of the actual physical flows of materials and energy in production-consumption systems. The focus of the extant literature is on concrete metrics, tools, instruments and computations. Therefore, the basic assumptions concerning the values, societal structures, cultures, underlying world-views and the paradigmatic potential of CE remain largely unexplored. We argue that CE has already become what Gallie (1955) more than six decades ago termed as an “essentially contested concept” (ECC). The paper further suggests a model for CE research that helps in the categorization, classification and organization of research and investigation on CE. The model can help in limiting the observed unbalance and enhance the contribution of the CE approach to a more sustainable global society.

Circular economy for the built environment: A research framework

The built environment puts major pressure on the natural environment; its role in transitioning to a circular economy (CE) is therefore fundamental. However, current CE research tends to focus either on the macro-scale, such as eco-parks, or the micro-scale, such as manufactured products, with the risk of ignoring the additional impacts and potentials at the meso-scale of individual buildings. This article sets out to unpack the fundamental defining dimensions of a CE and frame them for CE studies for the built environment. A critical literature review forms the basis for identifying and framing such fundamental dimensions. Our contribution highlights the key roles of interdisciplinary research and of both bottom-up and top-down initiatives in facilitating the transition to ‘circular buildings’. The frame for reference has been used to capture current discourse on the sustainability of the built environment and has proved to be a valuable tool to cluster existing initiatives and highlight missing links for interdisciplinary endeavours. The article represents a contribution to the theoretical foundations of CE research in the built environment and a stepping stone to shape future research initiatives.

Dynamic Assessment of the Development of Circular Economy of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province

Building an index system of circular economy evaluation scientifically, evaluating the state of development of circular economy correctly, is not only main contents of the circular economy research, but also an important way to achieve the sustainable development of circular economy. Based on promulgated by the government, combined with the actual development of Ningbos circular economy, a comprehensive evaluation index system of Ningbos circular economy development has been built. And therefore the state of circular economy development from 2001 to 2011 has been evaluated dynamically.

Breakthrough the Dilemma of Ecological Metaphor-Achieve an “Economic and Ecological” Circular Economy

The Circular Economy (CE) is described as changing the traditional Linear Economy to a circular one that is practiced as the “recycle use of wastes” in most developed countries. The “dilemma of ecological metaphor,” proposed both in the practices of and in academic research of CE, enlightens a strong sense for this paper to make some research about the original birth and concept of CE, the applications of CE in China and in developed countries. The paper summarizes the discussions about CE, and points out that the focal problems is how to achieve an “economic and ecological” CE, possible solutions are finally given: (1) enhance the economic foundation of theory and method in CE research (2) use market-based incentives widely on micro-behaviors in CE practices.