Eco-innovative Solutions Research Articles

Looking for the ecological transition of Mediterranean small ruminant sector. Characterization and main drivers of environmental performance of the Sardinian sheep farming systems

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study was carried out to assess the environmental profile of the main Sardinian dairy sheep farming systems, with the scope to provide a detailed and robust baseline for the identification of effective mitigation solutions at farm level and to develop environmental strategies at regional scale. Both product- and area-based functional units (FUs) were adopted, considering sixteen impact categories and soil carbon sequestration estimates as well. Water Use, Climate Change, Land Use, Ecotoxicity Freshwater, Marine Eutrophication and Fossils Resource Use resulted the main impact categories, cumulatively contributing over 80% of the total environmental impact (single score). Environmental performances significantly varied according to the geo-pedological traits of the different sheep milk production areas and were driven by the farming systems’ structure and production level. The group of farms located in less fertile areas showed significantly worse environmental performance per kg of normalized milk for the impact categories Climate Change and Land Use, whereas no significant differences were observed for the remaining main impact categories. Considering the area-based FU, this farm group resulted less impacting for all main categories compared to the group of farms located in more plain and productive soils, with a significantly lower impact observed for Marine Eutrophication and Fossils Resource Use. Regardless of the FU used, feed supply management represented a key area of improvement, and soil carbon sequestration impact compensated the high GHG emission intensity of grassland-based farms despite the limited nutritional value of natural pasture. Regional strategies should be based on ecosystem services optimization and eco-innovative solutions tailored according to both the specific geo-pedological conditions and the production level of each farming system.

ЕКОІННОВАЦІЙНІ ПРОЄКТИ ДЛЯ РОЗВИТКУ ТЕРИТОРІЙ: ДОСВІД ТА ПРАКТИКА ЄС

The article examines strategies and approaches employed within the European Union to promote sustainable development of territories. It analyzes eco-innovative projects aimed at conserving natural resources and reducing environmental impact, drawing from the experience of leading countries in implementing ecological innovations. The necessity of adopting the experience of European countries in implementing eco-innovative solutions and integrating them into the development system of regions in Ukraine is justified. Given the increasing attention to environmental issues, particularly in light of climate change and other global challenges, this article is more relevant than ever. Today, environmental problems are becoming increasingly urgent and are a priority for many countries and regions worldwide. Development of territories considering environmental aspects is crucial for sustainable development and preservation of vital resources. The strategies employed in the EU can provide valuable experience and practical examples for other countries facing similar environmental challenges. The article analyzes the Global Innovation Index used to assess the "green" direction of economic development in countries worldwide. The focus is on the innovative policies of the European Union, particularly in the development of green technologies and innovations. An analysis of the driving forces and barriers to the development and implementation of eco-innovative solutions in European countries, including Poland, is conducted. The feasibility of borrowing the experience of the European Union in the implementation of "green" technologies for sustainable development of territories in Ukraine is demonstrated. The relevance of this topic is significant as environmental problems become increasingly pressing, requiring joint efforts from individuals, governments, and international communities. The experience and practices of the EU can serve as an important source of information and improvement of strategies for the development of territories in Ukraine considering environmental aspects.

Knowledge Management in the Ecolabnet Project: Practical and Theoretical Utilisation of Eco-innovations

The underlying objective of the paper is to analyse the process of managing theoretical and practical knowledge about eco-innovations, utilising it in ECOLABNET project. A network of project partners consisting of RDI institutions, Intermediary Organisations, and universities was established to promote exchange and dissemination of knowledge on eco-innovative solutions and services among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the countries of the Baltic Sea Region. The paper presented the principles applied in the knowledge management (KM) process within the project with a particular stress on the research conducted on the group of European SMEs form the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), first stage of ECOLABNET project implementation. The research provided much needed knowledge on the project’s beneficiaries – SMEs form the BSR region and facilitated the adjustment of the offer of the project consortium. Expert knowledge, eco-innovative products and services that have been provided by the network of partners assist SMEs in implementing and commercialising eco-innovative solutions. In this way they significantly contribute to practical application of sustainability principles by expanding the offer of project beneficiaries (SMEs) with environmentally-friendly products and services. In addition, the author also, highlights the advantages of a combined approach including expertise in the form of theoretical knowledge being supported by prototypes of eco-innovations. Their particular role in strengthening the eco-innovative capabilities of the entire network and the overall success of the project have been detailed as well.

Reduction of CO2 emission as a result of the use of 48-volt electrical installations in passenger cars

The introduction of a new standard of 48-volt electrical systems in cars comes at an additional cost to the vehicle. Acceptance of these costs is justified because it becomes a way to achieve lower CO2 emissions and lower fuel consumption. An important factor in favor of adopting 48-volt systems is the reduction in CO2 due to the use of a highly efficient 48-volt motor-generator unit coupled to a DC/DC converter. A methodology for testing new solu-tions to quantify CO2 savings and reductions therefore becomes crucial. This methodology must be capable of demonstrating the CO2 benefits primarily of the innovative technology proven in real-world driving conditions and with a large amount of realistic statistical data. The introduction of new eco-innovations must take into ac-count the linkage and impact on other environmentally oriented eco-innovative solutions. When implementing new technical solutions, a necessary aspect is the interaction with other innovations installed in vehicles with new electrical installation standards. Therefore, for the expected synergy of solutions to occur, two or more innovative technologies must be installed. Then the combined savings from one of them will affect the performance of the other technologies, and vice versa. The new technology of a high-efficiency 48-volt motor-generator unit cooperat-ing with a 48V/12V DC/DC converter fits very well in creating interactions with other implemented solutions aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. The article discusses the problems of the introduced new technology of a high-efficiency 48-volt motor-generator unit cooperating with a 48V/12V DC/DC converter. The publication analyzes the impact of increasing the voltage rating of current passenger car installations to 48V. Based on the methodolo-gy for determining the reduction of CO2 emissions of a vehicle with a 48V/12V DC/DC voltage converter installed, the mass of fuel per unit of engine operation time was determined. The amount of fuel saved was determined, and CO2 emission reductions were calculated for the three adopted passenger vehicles tested.

Eco-innovative solutions in the operation of Municipal Transport Company Sp. z o.o. in Zielona Góra

Eco-innovative solutions in the operation of Municipal Transport Company Sp. z o.o. in Zielona Góra

Efforts and Barriers Shifting a City Region Towards Circular Transition – Lessons from a Living Lab from Pécs, Hungary

A Circular Economy is usually seen as achieving ‘zero waste’ and closing the material flow loops. However, multiple governance, economic, legal, socio-spatial, cultural, and behavioural barriers may easily hamper the transition. This study summarises the lessons learned from the waste flow analysis and living lab (LL) of a case study from the H2020 REPAiR project. It shows how the results of a waste flow analysis created for an urban area can help decision-makers to co-create new place-based eco-innovative solutions and hence shift the city towards circularity. At the same time, during the living lab process, it became clear that the decision support method alone is not enough to co-create or co-design new innovations, in addition the regulatory environment and the peculiarities of governance may also present multiple obstacles. The centralised governance in Hungary and the centralisation tendency in waste management and secondary resource use hamper efficient local resource management. The work in the LL showed that a centralised governance structure hinders not only the co-creation of new solutions but also the transfer of good practices from other peri-urban areas. This is important because a society that is generally less innovative and less developed at the beginning of sustainability transition is innovating for the first time via the transfer of eco-innovative solutions. Our paper shows that the governance structure of a given spatial unit (i.e. a city region) may be a significant factor in the successful or unsuccessful adoption of good practices and for the circular transition, as may system adaptability, the level of local technological development, the level of integration of actors, strategies, interests, and policy interventions.

Stimulating Eco-innovation Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Ecolabnet Eco-innovation Network

The issues of the article concern the development of eco-innovations, which determine the level of eco-innovativeness not only of individual enterprises but also of regions and countries. Given the low level of eco-innovativeness in many economies of the world, it is necessary to take action targeted at increasing the objective level. Such a result can be obtained by saturating all business processes with eco-innovative solutions. An example of an initiative aimed at stimulating eco-innovative behavior is the Ecolabnet project, implemented by an international network of partners (Network of Service Providers for Eco-innovations in Manufacturing SMEs - Ecolabnet) representing research and development units from six Baltic Sea countries. The network has been established as a part of the ongoing Baltic Sea Region Interreg Programme 2014-2020. In order to support enterprises—SMEs in particular—in the development of eco-innovation, it is first necessary to diagnose their needs and expectations in this respect. These needs have been identified using surveys carried out among SMEs based in the Baltic Sea countries. In response to the identified needs, eight packages of eco-innovation services dedicated to SMEs have been developed: Business strategy, Eco-innovation management, Bio-based materials, Product design and development, 3D printing, Environmental assessment, Marketing, and Other eco-innovation expertise. For targeting the offered services more precisely, companies were categorized in terms of their eco-innovative attitudes. Six types of eco-identity were distinguished: Eco-Opportunist, Eco-Booster, Eco-Developer, Eco-Optimizer, Eco-Cautious, and Eco-Laggard. A digital collaboration tool (DCT) has been developed to enable unrestricted access to network resources, such as services and products. DCT stimulates the creation of a service providers network to support eco-innovative activities in small and medium-sized enterprises. The main objective of the article is to present the potential of the international network of Ecolabnet partners to stimulate the development of eco-innovation in enterprises.

Eco-innovations and sustainability in solid waste management: An indian upfront in technological, organizational, start-ups and financial framework

Technological interventions and eco-innovative solutions are necessary to cope with the adverse environmental impacts of waste accumulation. The notion to consider “waste as a resource and recycling of the same for getting the value of the waste” has truly transformed the approach towards solid waste management (SWM). Technological eco-innovations rely on the automation of waste segregation, collection, route optimization, digital apps for creating communication (enhanced efficiency by 40–85%) and treatment technologies. The regulatory framework with amendments in rules, new policies, schemes, smart city missions are responsible for the implementation of “Tech-innovations” at the ground level and has shown societal benefits. India has significantly shown progress in sustainable development goals (SDGs) score from 50.93 to 60.23 (year 2000–2019). The innovative and sustainable waste management practices in India have increased contribution to renewable energy (approx. 2554 MW/annum), 15-billion-USD business opportunity by the circular economy, 25–30% resale profit from processed E-waste, increased co-operative collaborations, trailblazing start-ups, improved SDG 3,7,8,9,11,12,13, improved market for green products and services, brilliant institutional and regional innovations addressing the issue of climate change. The present article critically reviews the exemplary eco-innovations (technological and non-technological) including resource recovery and viable technologies for SWM in India. The review also illustrates the lacunae (in awareness, bioproducts adoption and advanced technologies), recommendations based on findings and future research areas. The paper can also assist researchers, entrepreneurs and the policy makers for improving the status of SWM in India as well as other developing countries with the same societal and economic status.

What Solutions for Waste Management? Issues of Flows and Governance Exemplified by the Łódź Agglomeration (Poland)

This article seeks to propose a waste-management model based on qualitative and quantitative research. Specifically, an analysis of the flow of municipal waste was carried out, with the case involved being that of the biodegradable waste generated in households of Poland’s Łódź Metropolitan Area, which is heterogeneous from the points of view of both settlement structure and land use. The analysis of flows of waste then served an evaluation of the system of waste management in the study area, while also representing an important input into a process of identification of problems and possible solutions via so-called PULL (“Peri-Urban Living Lab”) workshop methodology. Indeed, the research detailed here was participatory throughout (from the stages of problem identification through to conclusion-drawing). All of these stages to the work were kept cohesive through the use of an advanced tool allowing for both analysis of the given area and the devising of strategies by which circular economy could be developed. Specifically, GDSE (GeoDesign Decision Support Environment) programming—devised within the framework of the REPAiR Project—offered opportunities for flows of different kinds of materials and raw materials across space to be identified. It also served in the implementation of Eco-innovative solutions (EIS), as were developed jointly in cooperation with participants of the PULL workshops. The article offers a synthetic presentation of the results of different stages to the research, along with a synthesis relating to the waste-management context, with particular account taken of the development of the circular economy.

Scientific and Business Networks as a Stimulator of Eco-Innovations Diffusion in Small and Micro-Enterprises

Purpose: The underlying objective of the paper is to indicate the nature of multi-actorial scientific and business networks, which support knowledge transfer, designing and implementing eco-innovations: product and process ones. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on the case-study of an international network of eco-innovative services, the authors attempt to justify the selection of three groups of partners that create the value of eco-innovations for the sector of micro- and small enterprises: scientific and research units with facilities, intermediary organisations between research entities and business, as well as the distinguished economic entities. Findings: Eco-innovations reflect the “green activity” of micro and small enterprises and simultaneously are a tool of entrepreneurship, which provides resources with a possibility of creating sustainable value. Practical Implications: An attempt has been made to justify the „existence” of scientific and business networks – organisational networks of eco-innovations value for micro and small enterprises. These enterprises within the scientific and business networks are not only beneficiaries of commercialised in their operations eco-innovations, but also a legitimate group that cocreates these networks. Scientific and business network stimulate active involvement of these enterprises through developing their abilities and competencies in the scope of recognising, evaluating, implementing and commercialising eco-innovative solutions Originality/value: The scope of eco-innovations may go beyond the boundaries of innovations organisation and may comprise broader social structures, resulting in changes of the existing social and cultural standards and institutional structures. In the present paper its authors have focused on the organisational form of eco-innovations development support and at the same time dissemination in this sector.

Experimental and feasibility study of spent coffee grounds upscaling via pyrolysis towards proposing an eco-social innovation circular economy solution

There is a need for eco-social business models in the food waste sector that are more cascading and circular-based, while having economic, environmental and social benefits. The aim of this study is to bring insights and data of spent coffee grounds large-scale slow pyrolysis, to seize new opportunities for eco-innovative solutions in the circular economy, by identifying upcycling opportunities for resource recovery of this waste. First, an experimental study was conducted, and a set of pyrolysis experiments were carried out at a temperature range from 450 to 750 °C, with a heating rate of 50°/s, under helium atmosphere, to explore the products' yields and the best process' conditions. Second, an economic study was conducted for a standalone pyrolysis plant fueled with the spent coffee grounds streams from coffee shops of a city with 150,000 inhabitants, in central Greece, aiming at the cost and the profitability of the endeavor estimation. The calculations were based on the features of a slow pyrolysis rotary kiln technology designed at Aristotle University, and co-developed with an Irish company, under the funding of an EU LIFE+ project. For an estimated capacity of 2566 t/yr of SCG, the revenue of the endeavor was calculated at 47€/t of SCG. The economic indicators ROI and POT (ROI = 0.24, POT = 2.6), are very positive, suggesting pyrolysis of SCG as an efficient circular economy management solution, providing an eco-social innovation business in the coffee shop industry, engaging also consumers in the circular economy.

The role of eco-innovation drivers in promoting additive manufacturing in supply chains

Eco-innovation strategies are effective mechanisms for improving the sustainability of products, processes, and systems. Managers, however, often lack a full understanding of what drives and facilitates eco-innovations and, to some extent, underappreciate their benefits. This study discusses the importance of eco-innovation drivers in adopting new methods and technologies in a supply chain. It explores additive manufacturing (AM) as a best practice of eco-innovation through the development of an original mathematical model and provides recommendations to put AM into operation at minimal costs. The results provide recommendations to managers on how to best operate eco-innovative solutions in supply chains. Besides the study of eco-innovation drivers using AM, the contribution of this paper is in providing the infrastructure to investigate how eco-innovation drivers would influence green practices in supply chains.

Managing the Transition towards Circular Metabolism: Living Labs as a Co-Creation Approach

Resource consumption and related waste production are still rapidly increasing all over the world, leading to social and environmental challenges and to the production of the so-called ‘wastescapes’. Peri-urban areas—in-between urban and rural territories—are particularly vulnerable and prone to develop into wastescapes because they are generally characterised by mixed functions and/or monofunctional settlements, as well as by fragmentation in a low-density territory that is often crossed by large infrastructure networks. Moreover, peri-urban areas are generally the selected locations for the development of plants for waste management. In this way, they are crossed by waste flows of a different nature, in a landscape of operational infrastructures and wasted landscapes. Implementing Circular Economy (CE) principles, interpreting waste and wastescapes as resources, is a way to significantly reduce raw material and (soil) resource consumption, improving cities’ metabolism. A circular approach can positively affect the spatial, social and environmental performances of peri-urban areas. However, the transition towards a CE presents many challenges. This article outlines an approach to address these challenges, presenting a co-creation process among researchers, experts and stakeholders within Living Labs (LLs) processes. LLs are physical and virtual spaces, aiming at the co-creation of site-specific eco-innovative solutions (EIS) and strategies. In the LLs, public–private–people partnerships are developed by applying an iterative methodology consisting of five phases: Co-Exploring, Co-Design, Co-Production, Co-Decision, and Co-Governance. This article presents a case study approach, analysing the co-creation methodology applied in two peri-urban living labs, located in the Metropolitan Areas of Naples (Italy) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands), within REPAiR Horizon2020 research project.

The Circular Economy Concept in Design Education: Enhancing Understanding and Innovation by Means of Situated Learning

The concept of circular economy (CE) is high on the agenda of many planning agencies in European countries. It has also become a prominent issue in European academic education institutions. It is expected that spatial planning and design can support and add the spatial quality dimension of such a transition towards CE. However, incorporating the concept of CE in an integrative manner in urban design and planning courses is challenging because of its metabolic and complex nature. This article presents the first results of integrating design-teaching activities at a faculty of architecture with an H2020-financed research project. The integration of research and design education provided the students with a situated and indeed transdisciplinary learning environment. Students understood that they needed to address challenges from a systemic perspective rather early in the design process, meaning to understand what the relations between different subsystems and their spatial structures are. Furthermore, the experiment provided evidence that the eco-innovative solutions developed by the students are seen as an effective option to achieve objectives for a transition towards CE by stakeholders.

Transferring Circular Economy Solutions across Differentiated Territories: Understanding and Overcoming the Barriers for Knowledge Transfer

“Learning from abroad” is a widely recognised and used means to innovate and improve strategies and policies implemented by regions and cities. However, literature on knowledge transfer and related concepts, such as policy transfer, policy mobility or lesson-drawing, highlights the limitations of this process, especially when it entails the simple transfer of (best) practices from “place A” to “place B”. Such a transfer may lead to suboptimal solutions particularly when the imported practices concern complex phenomena, involving networks of multiple actors and relying on place-specific dynamics. Departing from this critique, the article sheds light on the process of knowledge transfer in the field of circular economy, taking place between the two metropolitan regions of Amsterdam and Naples. This process is guided by an innovative methodology based on a network of (peri-urban) living labs generating eco-innovative solutions for using material waste and wastescapes as a resource in peri-urban areas. Using participant observation in knowledge transfer workshops, stakeholder interviews and surveys, it investigates how the process of co-creation of knowledge in the relational space of the networked living labs takes place thanks to the participation of stakeholders from both regions. This in turn allows for drawing conclusions on what barriers are encountered in such knowledge transfer, what makes solutions transferable across different contexts, and, finally, how the solutions are adapted as they travel from one place to another.

Eco-innovation and knowledge management: issues and organizational challenges to small and medium enterprises

AbstractThe proposed methodology is based on a (global and multi-criteria) simplified environmental but thorough assessment. In this stage we do not directly give the solution to designers. It will therefore translate the results of evaluation design axes, but in general, the lines proposed are inconsistent or contradictory. Therefore, what we find is a compromise given to the solution. The challenge we are facing in an industrial reality is that one should not go for a compromise solution. TRIZ (Teorija Reshenija Izobretateliskih Zadatch) or the theory of solving inventive problems, in the field, will be reformulated and go through the contradiction matrix and then intervene with the principles of interpretation resolutions to give possible solutions. To assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their product development, the objective of this paper is to propose a methodological approach named Ecatriz, that will allow us to achieve our eco-innovative goal. The applicability of this method is justified by the many contradictions in the choices in a study of the life cycle. As a starting point, a qualitative multi-criteria matrix will allow the prioritization of all impacts on the environment. A customized implementation of the inventive TRIZ (Teorija Reshenija Izobretateliskih Zadatch, Russian acronym for theory of solving inventive problems) principles will help us choose eco-innovative solutions. To that end, we have created a new approach named Ecatriz (ecological approach TRIZ), based on a new contradiction matrix. It was tested in various contexts, such as the “24 h of Innovation” competition and eco-innovative patents.

Pressures from the context and institutional capacity building to develop industrial symbiosis networks

Abstract This research analyzes the importance of the institutional and economic context and the institutional capacity building to develop an industrial symbiosis networks through the “Programa Mineiro de Simbiose Industrial” (PMSI). The research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, using content analysis techniques. Interviews were conducted with managers and government actors with active PMSI participation. The institutional and economic contexts and the current knowledge, mobilization and relational capacities were identified. The results indicate that the industrial symbiosis network is not dense and there are few waste exchanges among companies. There is an effort among actors who participate in the PMSI to build knowledge, mobilization and relationship capacities. However, the institutional context is unfavorable to the development of industrial symbiosis. This study article reinforces the need to invest in eco-innovative solutions and institutional environment improvements to develop efficient natural resources and waste management, and thus allow the development of eco-industrial parks.

Non-Public Bulk Consumers as Drivers of Eco-innovations

Environmental innovations are one path towards new “Green Economy” using natural resources only within the boundaries of the ecosystem’s ability to renew itself. The paper focuses on product related demand-side eco-innovations. It addresses commercial procurement. According to the hypothesis of our research, a properly displayed demand for eco-innovative solutions could attract vendors to market their respective products, enhance their further diffusion and thus make non-public bulk consumers acting as change agents for eco-innovations. The analysis shows that bulk consumers play a crucial role as lead buyers. Activating them to purchase eco-innovative solutions requires several pulling and pushing measures: regulatory, economic, informative/communicative, reflexive/discursive, co-operative, monitoring and the role of lead market initiatives. By implication, a demand-side related political promotion could complement the various ongoing efforts for activating public institutions and private end consumers to purchase eco-innovations systematically and more frequently. The strategy of focusing seems promising when it comes to bulk consumers as change agents for innovation. Therefore, the authors advocate further research and pilot actions in the field.

Beyond Wastescapes: Towards Circular Landscapes. Addressing the Spatial Dimension of Circularity through the Regeneration of Wastescapes

Wastescapes are the result of unsustainable linear growth processes and their spatial consequences within the context of urban metabolic flows and related infrastructure. They represent the operational infrastructure for waste management and include Drosscapes, generating complex relations with the servicing and surrounding territory. In particular, the peri-urban areas are spatially affected by these processes. This often leads to ineffective use and/or abandonment because they are currently impossible to use, demanding impactful (and often expensive) regeneration and revalorization to make them usable again. Being part of the urban metabolic process, wastescapes are in a continuous state of dynamic equilibrium. They can be considered crucial areas from a metropolitan perspective because they have the potential to become innovative spatial contexts or resources in a Circular Economy (CE), which aims to overcome the crises of both resource scarcity and spatial fragmentation. However, common and shared definitions of wastescapes are still missing at the European policy level, as only classical categories of material waste are generally mentioned. Wastescapes can be considered as ‘potentiality contexts’ where developing, testing, and implementing Eco-Innovative Solutions (EIS) can be done. By doing so, wastescapes can help start transitions towards a CE. This can be achieved by using Peri-urban Living Labs (PULL), which have the potential to be the virtual and physical environments in which experimenting the collaborative co-creation process for developing EIS can be done. Doing so will allow for the improvement of waste management and for the revalorization of wastescapes in collaboration with all potential stakeholders.

Coal-Mining Tailings as a Pozzolanic Material in Cements Industry

The generation of enormous volumes of mine-tailing waste is standard practice in the mining industry. Large quantities of these tailings are also sources of kaolinite-rich materials that accumulate in slag heaps, causing significant environmental degradation and visual impacts on the landscape. The consequences of coal refuse dumped in slagheaps calls for the study of eco-innovative solutions and the assessment of waste types. Moreover, the environmental benefits of reusing large amounts of contaminated waste are also evident. Hence, the objective of this investigation is to expand current knowledge of new siliceous-aluminium minerals and their pozzolanic activity. Four raw tailing samples are characterized to determine their chemical (by ICP/MS analysis), morphological (by SEM/EDX analysis), and mineralogical (by XRD analysis) compositions prior to their thermal activation that transforms the inert wastes at various temperatures into materials with cementitious properties. The results of XRD analysis following activation confirmed that the kaolinite content is fully transformed into metakaolinite. The coal refuse samples presented sufficiently reliable levels of pozzolanic activity for use as additives in industrial cements.