EU Circular Economy Research Articles

Circular economy: Extending end-of-life strategies

The transition from linear economy to circular economy (CE) has gained mainstream status in recent times, not only at product and process levels, but also at component level. In order to adopt the CE as common practice, there is a need to reimagine the product end-of-life (EoL) phase to include assessment of individual component health status. Implementation of EoL strategies on products designed based on wear and tear, robustness, and safety concerns is, however, complex. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of designing for CE by applying a visual health-based analysis (VHA) at the component level at the EoL stage. The application of this diagnostic tool is exemplified in a case at a large Swedish outdoor power product manufacturer by analyzing components for reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment, recycling, and recovery strategies. The VHA results in the calculation of a CE potential at the component-product level based on individual component's cost, complexity, health, and diagnostic approach. This study presents a diagnostic tool for practitioners to understand circularity at the component-level in the effort to identify EoL strategies. Furthermore, in supporting the CE principle of maximizing resource recovery, the study potentially contributes to the EU's CE action plan and the UN-SDGs 8, 9, 12, and 13.

Fundamental drying and agglomeration experiments with bio-fraction and refuse derived fuel for the development of pyrolysis reactor feed.

The EU's circular economy concept necessitates increasing the recycling ratio of municipal solid wastes. There are many existing mechanical-biological processing plants in Hungary for the preparation of residual municipal solid wastes (RMSWs). The two most important products of these plants are the bio-fraction and the refuse derived fuel (RDF). Currently, there are problems with both of these material streams in Hungary, since most of the bio-fraction is still landfilled, and the local thermal utilisation of the RDF has not been implemented yet. The high moisture content of the produced bio-fraction and RDF causes difficulties for the downstream operations; therefore, there is recent engineering interest in drying and agglomeration of these materials. The authors have carried out systematic and parallel drying and briquetting experimental series to study the effect of the material, material composition, mass (volume or surface) of the material, particle size distribution and pre-treatment with a cutting mill on drying intensity in a 1 m3 oven and their effect on briquettability by a laboratory briquette press. The initial slope of the relative moisture loss as function of time was determined. Process engineering design methods of convective hot air-drying can be further developed taking into account the research results. Results can be used for the design of the feed of a pyrolysis reactor once reactor experiments have provided the optimal feed requirements.

Assessing Circular Economy Maturity and Circularity in Austria's Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering Sectors

The necessity of a sustainable economy has propelled the introduction and promotion of the concept of the circular economy worldwide. At both international and national levels, circular economy strategies, such as the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the Austrian Circular Economy Strategy, have established ambitious objectives aimed at increasing circularity to reduce resource consumption. In this context, the transformation of industries into circular economy models is gaining increasing significance. Given the limited understanding of the current state within the manufacturing industry concerning the circular economy, this study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the maturity and circularity levels within the Austrian mechanical and vehicle engineering sectors. The primary objective is to establish a foundational platform for a targeted transformation of this industry towards an economically successful circular economy. This study employs a specifically designed model for capturing maturity and circularity levels, which comprehensively assesses 10 different business domains using 66 distinct questions. 216 out of a total of 1854 companies within the industry actively participated in this survey. The findings offer profound insights into knowledge regarding the circular economy, its integration into corporate strategy, the adoption of circular business models and R-strategies, as well as environmental management practices.

Capabilities for circular economy innovation: Factors leading to product/service innovations in the construction and manufacturing industries

As companies in the manufacturing and construction industries strive to meet the EU circular economy (CE) targets, they need to develop new capabilities to implement CE activities that can positively influence their product/service innovations. However, companies in both industries, and beyond, still struggle to develop internal capabilities to innovate products and services that would help them in implementing CE principles and move towards the CE. The objective of this research is to analyze the types of innovation capabilities that are needed to enable CE implementation and achieve product/service innovations in two different industrial sectors. Prior research has focused on innovating and implementing circular business models and elaborated less on the innovation capability types. We collected survey data in December 2021–January 2022 that consists of responses from companies operating in Germany (n = 177), including employees in manufacturing (n = 87) and construction companies (n = 90). The results from the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) based on measurement models from the literature indicate that employees in both sectors overall perceive higher levels of CE implementation capability as important for the company's product/service innovations. Furthermore, the results reveal differences in the way CE innovation capability and IT resource orchestration capability influence CE implementation and product/service innovations in the two sectors. Our study offers theoretical implications on how dynamic capabilities are associated with CE innovations and how they influence companies' product/service innovations based on empirical evidence from two industrial sectors. Those capabilities that are crucial for circular product/service innovations need to be associated with CE implementation capabilities. The results further advise practitioners in the development of CE innovation and CE implementation capabilities and how they are linked to IT resource orchestration capability and provide evidence on their relevance to creating product/service innovations.

Towards the Aim of the EU Circular Economy in a Multi-Stakeholder Process: From Policy to Industry and Back

Towards the Aim of the EU Circular Economy in a Multi-Stakeholder Process: From Policy to Industry and Back

Biochar production from the pyrolysis of food waste: Characterization and implications for its use

Food waste (FW) represents a large group of wastes that impose several issues on their management, especially in terms of microbiological and leaching pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the EU circular economy vision, finding a new way for FW valorisation to obtain reusable materials or compounds represents a priority. Thermal treatment represents one of the suitable ways for FW processing, and pyrolysis in particular presents many advantages in producing solid carbonaceous biochar, reusable oil and gas. This paper analyses biochar that was produced via thermal pyrolysis of FW. The influence of an organic additive (wooden sawdust) and a catalyst (zeolite) on the pyrolytic process at 600 °C was investigated. The results highlight how the initial composition of the feedstock (FS) influenced the characteristics of the obtained biochar. The addition of organic additives and catalyst did not change significantly the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and the calorific value. For all the analysed parameters, all tested FS respected the guidelines proposed by International Biochar Initiative (IBI) and the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) for possible reuse in agriculture and urban areas. The results suggest that biochar from FW could be potentially used in agriculture and urban green infrastructure, but the authors suggest further studies, especially on the effect of high electrical conductivity due to the typical high concentration of salts in FW.

Recycling rate performance and socioeconomic determinants: Evidence from aggregate and regional data across European Union countries

The recycling rates for the EU Member States deviate significantly from the targets set by Directive (2018)/851 for attaining the target of 55% by 2025 (European union, 2018). The aim of the study is to investigate the short- and long-term relationship between macroeconomic variables and the recycling rates performance at both national and regional level. Within this context, four sets of variables are examined, namely sociodemographic, economic and institutional factors. For the purpose of the analysis, the available data acquired from 28 EU countries during the period between 2000 and 2020, as well as from 38 EU regions during 2000–2018 and a panel data approach using OLS, Fixed Effects, Random Effects, FMOLS, and ECM techniques is implemented. Findings robustly indicate that factors such as economic performance, institutional quality, and higher educational attainment significantly contribute to the EU circular economy. Results imply that changes in agricultural intensification and population density significantly affect recycling levels. A particularly significant finding that contributes to the existing literature is the higher speed of adjustment, as indicated by the lagged ECT, at the NUTS-1 level compared to the NUTS-2 level. Thus, recycling policy outcomes, implemented policies, and interventions adjust more rapidly towards their equilibrium state, resulting in immediate impacts and faster changes at NUTS-1 level. On the contrary, it takes more time for these policy outcomes to materialize at the regional scale. Policymakers should prioritize reducing income disparities, improving transparency, investing in education, and promoting sustainable agriculture and waste management infrastructure to support the circular economy.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Development of Irish Compost and Digestate Standards for Heavy Metals, Stability and Phytotoxicity

Recent EU circular economy, bioeconomy policies and the New Green Deal promote the recycling of organic wastes into soil improvers and fertilisers, thereby reducing the use of mineral fertilisers. This has renewed interest in the use of compost and digestate as fertilisers. At the same time, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has strengthened the demand for sustainable domestic fertilisers to guarantee the security of supply. It is now more important than ever that quality standards in Ireland are fit for the purpose of aiding the sustainable local production of fertilisers. Quality standards for compost and digestate ensure and protect the environment. This study collated the results of the analysis of Irish compost and digestate samples and made comparisons of the Irish data to databases, reports and standards from other countries, including the EU Fertiliser Products Regulation 2019/1009. This paper, therefore, provides comprehensive information on heavy metal, stability and phytotoxicity standards from a number of European and other countries. In addition, it includes actual data on these parameters from Ireland and a few European countries. From this collation and comparison process, we propose to update the heavy metals and stability limits in the Irish compost standard (IS 441) and heavy metals and stability limits in a new digestate standard (whole, liquid and fibre). Our methodology and collated data can be used as templates for countries, especially in Europe, which have not developed their own standards. Having an updated compost quality standard supports the development of a circular economy while still respecting the precautionary principle of avoiding pollution when compost and digestate are used on the soil.

Special Packaging Materials from Recycled PET and Metallic Nano-Powders.

The European methodology for plastics, as a feature of the EU's circular economy activity plan, ought to support the decrease in plastic waste. The improvement of recycled plastics' economics and quality is one important part of this action plan. Additionally, achieving the requirement that all plastic packaging sold in the EU by 2030 be recyclable or reusable is an important objective. This means that food packaging materials should be recycled in a closed loop at the end. One of the most significant engineering polymers is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used. Due to its numerous crucial qualities, it has a wide variety of applications, from packaging to fibers. The thermoplastic polyolefin, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene (PP), is a popular choice utilized globally in a wide range of applications. In the first phase of the current experiment, the materials were obtained by hot pressing with the press machine. The reinforcer is made of Al nanopowder 800 nm and Fe nanopowder 790 nm and the quality of the recycled polymer was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From DSC variation curves as a function of temperature, the values from the transformation processes (glass transition, crystallization, and melting) are obtained. SEM measurements revealed that the polymer composites with Al have smooth spherical particles while the ones with Fe have bigger rough spherical particles.

Circular economy in the policies of the European Union in terms of the Republican concept

The purpose of the article is to analyze the EU law on the circular economy (CE) in the context of the key principles of republicanism, related to civic engagement. The text presents the principles of CE in EU regulations and the conditions for the primacy of EU law over national law. An analysis of the impact of pro-environmental directives in the EU on national law was also carried out, particularly in the context of the core principles of republicanism. By relating the main assumptions of republicanism to this process, three main problems accompanying the community's pro-environmental policy were identified: the expansion of EU law - citizens' concern for the environment - the republican concept of freedom. Taking these elements into account can have a key impact on the success of the EU's CE policy. The article also benefited from an analysis of the foundational data, especially primary (treaties) and secondary (directives and regulations) EU sources. In addition, pilot quantitative surveys conducted by the author were used.

Effects of Circularity Interventions in the European Plastic Packaging Sector.

Low levels of plastics circularity today reflect major challenges for the sector to reduce environmental impacts and a need for wider systemic change. In this work, we investigated the potential for climate and socioeconomic benefits of circular economy (CE) interventions in the plastic packaging system. By means of a mixed-unit input-output (IO) model, we performed a comparative scenario analysis for the development of demand and waste management up to 2030 within the EU-28 (EU27 + United Kingdom). We modeled the development of material flows and assessed the effects of both demand-side and end-of-life interventions. Different levels of ambition toward 2030 based on EU circular economy strategies were tested. Results showed that on reaching high levels of circularity, between 14 and 22 Mt CO2-eq/year could be reduced by 2030 (20-30% of the total sector impact in 2018) compared to business-as-usual. Demand change (e.g., by decreasing product packaging intensities) showed similar emission-saving potential as achieving the current recycling target of 55%, which emphasizes the role of demand-side actions. Most scenarios displayed moderate employment gains and potential economic losses, pertaining to both direct and indirect activity shifts in the economy. While considering model limitations, the approach is useful in indicating potential first-order effects of system changes.

The rate of use of the Circular Economy in individual sectors

Although the concept of the circular economy as a term was first mentioned in 2015, when the "Action Plan for the circular economy" was adopted at the European level, it is still not possible to speak of a sufficient knowledge base in this area. The Action Plan (COM (2015) 614) can be seen as an initial strategic document that sets out a concrete and ambitious roadmap for implementing the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. However, the European Green Agreement cannot be left out in this context either (COM(2019) 640). It is seen as a new growth strategy to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society with a modern, competitive, resource-efficient economy, with net greenhouse gas emissions expected to be zero by 2050 and economic growth independent of resource use. A new EU circular economy action plan - Towards a cleaner and more competitive Europe was also adopted in 2020 (COM(2020) 98). The main priority areas are measures focusing on the value chains of key products electronics and ICT (information and communication technologies), batteries and vehicles, plastics, textiles, packaging, construction and buildings, food, water and nutrients measures covering all links in the value chain from production to consumption, repair and refurbishment, waste management up to the return of raw materials back to the economy and their use in the production cycle in the form of secondary raw materials. The transition to a circular economy also includes a revision of the European waste directives: on waste, on packaging and packaging waste, on landfills, on batteries and accumulators and used batteries and accumulators, and on waste electrical and electronic equipment. In order for all of this to be possible, it is necessary to know the amount of waste produced by individual sectors, which is also dealt with in our article.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS FOR EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY AS A PROPOSAL TO STREAMLINE POST-CONSUMER PACKAGING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN POLAND

The transposition of new regulations into national legal systems, including updated goals and requirements for the management of packaging placed on the market and packaging waste, provides a number of opportunities for the operation of post-consumer waste management systems. This publication focuses on the essence and characteristics of the system of extended producer responsibility in selected European countries. This paper identifies, on the basis of an analysis taking into account the scopes of legal, economic, physical, and informational liability, key areas of the extended producer responsibility system requiring improvements. It develops recommendations regarding the possibility of introducing changes to the functioning of the EPR system in Poland. The implementation of the improvement proposals for the EPR can significantly contribute to achieving the existing EU waste targets, as well as the ambitious new targets included in the EU Circular Economy.

Understanding the EU's circular economy policies through futures of circularity

In April 2022, the European Commission (EC) published a set of policy proposals to foster the European Union's (EU) transition to the circular economy (CE). Despite significant academic debate on the implications of transitioning to the CE, there remains little empirical and theoretical knowledge about what kind of circular future the EC policy proposals prescribe. In this paper, we explore the circular futures underpinning the EC policies and strategies on the CE by conducting a content analysis of the EC's CE policies between 2011 and 2022 using Bauwens et al.’s (2020) theoretical approach of circular futures as an analytical framework. We find that the EC's CE policies result from hybrid combinations of often competing, different circular futures. Despite this hybridity, circular modernism imaginaries that rely on techno-optimism and centralised governance tend to dominate, leading to a weak version of the CE that may be unable to meet the EU's environmental ambitions.

Sustainable Management and Valorization of Agri-Food Industrial Wastes and By-Products as Animal Feed: For Ruminants, Non-Ruminants and as Poultry Feed

Substantial increase in the production of agri-food commodities over the past years has resulted in the generation of enormous volumes of wastes and by-products, thus contributing to increased environmental pollution. Being an under-exploited raw material which are rich in bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, dietary fibre, oils, essential vitamins, minerals, etc), novel strategies and initiatives have been proposed and implemented for the effective management and valorization of these wastes and by-products. The proposed initiatives and strategies support the concepts of EU circular economy and green biorefinery, thus promoting sustainability. One of the strategies of management of waste and by-products includes the effectual development of nutritious low-cost sustainable animal feed. Currently, in the world market, there are a range of fruit and vegetable wastes and by-products that have been effectively introduced in animal diets. Within this context, this systematic review focuses on a diversified group of agri-food wastes (and the industrial by-products), their bioactive components, the opportunities for the development of animal feed or feed supplements (for Ruminants, Non-Ruminants and as Poultry feed) and conclusively the health benefits imparted. In addition, the safety issues and regulations aspects are also covered.

Are Soft Legal Measures in Circular Economy Action Plans Enough to Permeate EU Strong Economic Core Regulations Bringing Systemic Sustainable Change?

This paper provides a legal assessment of the EU circular economy action plans [2015, 2020] to determine whether their implementation aims at transformative change or is embedded in the prevailing neoliberal ideology. Measures intended to promote the circular economy (CE) are classified according to their public or private nature, the degree of public or private intervention (command and control, economic instruments, information, self-control). It also analyzes how core EU economic policies shield a narrow, technocratic conception of the CE.

Separate collection rates for plastic packaging in Austria – A regional analysis taking collection systems and urbanization into account

According to the EU Circular Economy Package, recycling of plastic packaging waste (PPW) has to be enhanced significantly by 2025 and 2030. Although a set of measures will be required along the whole value chain of plastic packaging, the process of separate collection remains the backbone. Hence, a detailed understanding of the performance of current separate collection systems is crucial. As a case study, the separate collection of PPW was analyzed within a single country, Austria, where a variety of collection procedures are implemented. By using the method of material flow analysis, separate collection rates in terms of quantities and qualities were analyzed for separate collection systems of different settlement patterns, target fractions, and service levels provided. Results show that the highest performance was achieved in systems that cover mainly rural areas and where all plastic packaging wastes are collected through curbside collection, with separate collection rates of 74–77%. With additional collection via collection centers, these values increased to 78%-83%. In comparison, the results for urban areas showed the lowest separate collection rate of 56%. In the case that separate collection targeted plastic bottles only, maximum collection rates of around 50 % were observed, with the tendency towards higher collection rates if co-mingled with metals. To enhance separate collection, a general shift to the target fraction “all plastic packaging” instead of “plastic bottles only” is crucial. Modelling of optimized collection systems in all Austrian regions would lead to a theoretical total separation collection rate of 74%.

Monitoring progress towards a circular economy in urban areas: An application of the European Union circular economy monitoring framework in Umeå municipality

As cities worldwide implement strategies to accelerate the transition toward a circular economy (CE), there is an increasing need for tools to monitor progress. However, a standardised metric for CE monitoring in urban areas is lacking. This study examines the potential of the EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework (CEMF), an established indicator-based framework for measuring national- and EU-level circularity performance, as a monitoring tool for urban areas. For this purpose, available data sources that can support the framework's application at the urban level are mapped, and data quality is assessed following the pedigree matrix approach. Next, the CEMF indicators are computed for the urban area of Umeå, Sweden. The mapping showed limited availability of urban-level data, necessitating the downscaling of national-level data using proxy factors. Most available urban-level data are of high quality, while the quality of national-level data is reduced when used to compute indicators at the urban level. The application of the CEMF in Umeå indicates that there are areas where the municipality performs well, though further improvements are needed. We conclude that the CEMF has potential as a monitoring tool for urban areas. However, improvements in CEMF's scope and data availability are recommended.

European Waste Statistics data for a Circular Economy Monitor: Opportunities and limitations from the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region

As appointed in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, cities and regions in EU member countries start accompanying their circular economy strategies by monitoring frameworks, often called Circular Economy Monitors (CEM). Having the task to assess the performance towards the achievement of set targets and to steer decision-making, CEMs need to rely on a multitude of statistics and datasets. Waste statistics play an important role in circular economy monitoring as they provide insights into the remaining linear part of the economy. The collection of waste statistics is mandated by the European Commission which provides general guidelines on data collection and processing. The Netherlands has one of the most detailed waste registries among the EU countries. The country’s largest metropolitan region, Amsterdam, is currently building a CEM which tracks progress over time towards the set goals, highlights which areas need improvement and estimates target feasibility. This paper uses the Amsterdam CEM as a case-study to explore how the existing system of waste registration in the Netherlands is able to support decision-making. The data is explored with the help of four queries that relate to the CEM’s goals and require data mapping to be answered. The data mapping and analysis process has revealed several limitations present in the waste data collection and a number of gaps present in current circular economy research and data analysis. At the same time, the available data already supports significant insights into the status quo of the current waste system and provides opportunities for circular economy monitoring.

Integrated and comparative Structural-LCA analysis of unbound and cement-stabilized construction and demolition waste aggregate for subbase road pavement layers formation

A more extensive use of recycled aggregate in road construction is key to meeting the ambitious targets of the EU circular economy action plan. However, scepticism among designers, contractors and road agencies remains a bottleneck. This integrated structural-environmental study demonstrates the advantages of using recycled construction and demolition waste aggregate (CDW-RA) in substitution of primary natural aggregate (NA) for the formation of subbase layers in both flexible and semi-rigid road pavements. The structural responses of different pavements with a 0.30 m subbase layer made up of four materials, i.e., two unbound and two cement-stabilized obtained including NA and CDW-RA, were compared. The environmental-related impacts were also assessed by means of a life cycle assessment (LCA).Laboratory tests and structural design led to pavement structures with the same thickness for the upper hot-mix asphalt layers, i.e., 0.26 and 0.28 m for the two unbound and the two cement-stabilized subbase materials respectively. The pavement with unbound CDW-RA subbase showed the best LCA outcomes because of the more favourable environmental performance of CDW-RA compared to NA. Although the stabilization of NA and CDW-RA reduces the thickness of the top hot-mix asphalt layers by 0.02 m, the environmental benefits are outweighed by the impact associated with the usage of cement. This study encourages the use of CDW-RA in road subbase layers with similar characteristics to those investigated here. The LCA results also support the use of alternative and more environmentally friendly binders that can enhance the environmental sustainability of stabilized materials in road construction.