Regional Circular Economy Research Articles

Editorial on special issues: “regional nutrient management in the circular economy” & “nitrogen and carbon recycling: benefits from the stakeholders’ perspective”

AbstractThe intensification and specialization of global agriculture has led to a nutrient surplus resulting in regional environmental issues such as eutrophication and loss of biodiversity due to nutrient accumulation. Addressing these challenges requires a shift towards regional nutrient circularity, inspired by the principles of a circular economy, to create a more resource-efficient agricultural system. Circular agriculture, particularly in Europe, provides a model for sustainable nutrient management at various scales—local, regional, national and international. Existing technologies enable the production of fertilizers from secondary or waste streams and can improve nutrient use efficiency. The development of a market with transparency of supply and demand dynamics, standardized products, and reliable traceability is essential for the effective implementation of nutrient circularity. However, practical nutrient management takes place on a local level, with significant variability in environmental, economic, and social conditions at the farm and field levels due to differences in nutrient demand by crops or farm management, e.g. organic farming with often lower total nutrient intensity. Therefore, the successful development of a regional circular nutrient economy necessitates a stronger stakeholder perspective, emphasizing the importance of participatory research approaches. In addition to circularity, the efficiency of nutrient use from secondary fertilizers must be enhanced, and the broader food system must evolve towards more nutrient-efficient practices. This transformation will likely require adopting a planetary health diet that promotes both sufficiency and sustainability in nutrient use. Therefore, policy measures need to provide a clear regulatory framework at supranational (e.g. European Union) or national level, targeting environmental and societal goals, while at the same time supporting locally adaptable interventions through economic incentives and innovation support.

Untangling Circularity: Transitioning to a Regional Circular Economy in the Clothing and Textile Sector in England

The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) presents a paradigm shift, emphasizing sustainability, resource efficiency, and waste reduction. The existing literature extensively covers the principles and benefits of CE, but there is a notable gap in understanding how these practices are implemented at a local level. Specifically, there is a lack of detailed insights into the localized challenges, adaptation processes, and contextual factors influencing the adoption of circular practices. Additionally, the implications for different types of stakeholders and the effectiveness of localized strategies remain underexplored. By employing causal loop diagrams to depict system dynamics, interactions, and connections inherent in the transition to a CE, this research delves into the significance of understanding the complexities of circularity within a specific localized context. We draw qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and workshops with participants from key stakeholders within the textile and clothing sector in the Southwest of England. We find that legislation has a different impact on multinational corporations (MNCs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their CE engagement. We also find that, while the flow of materials from MNCs to SMEs fosters regional innovation and knowledge-sharing, it does not always facilitate inter-organizational learning. Finally, both MNCs and SMEs recognize the CE’s potential for job creation, which highlights the need for more effective knowledge exchange strategies between businesses of different sizes. The study concludes that balancing CE principles with profit-driven pressures remains a significant challenge for both those founded on circular principles and those who are gradually incorporating CE principles into their organisation.

The Role of Eco-industrial Parks in Promoting Regional Circular Economy: A Stakeholder Perspective

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss an eco-industrial park (EIP) formation process and its role in promoting regional circular economy (CE) policy from a stakeholder perspective. This case study adds to the knowledge of stakeholder engagement and the role of intermediation in EIP formation and related urban–regional CE policies. By reviewing the case of the ECO3 bioeconomy and CE industrial park in Tampere Region, Finland, we analyze the role of a city-owned development company in the EIP development as an intermediary between public and private stakeholder interests. Intermediation proved to be fruitful in the EIP formation process, as the intermediator sufficiently catalyzed the alignment of stakeholder interests, and various stakeholders thus contributed resources (stakes) to the development process, which furthered the growth of the EIP. The case illustrates how a hybrid actor, such as a city-owned development company, may serve as an important catalyst in regional CE promotion.

Activating Distributed Energy in the Regional Circular Economy in South Korea: The Case of Local New Power Projects in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Activating Distributed Energy in the Regional Circular Economy in South Korea: The Case of Local New Power Projects in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Exploring opportunities for public sector organisations to connect wellbeing to resource loops in a regional circular economy

ABSTRACT This paper contributes towards our understanding of the role of public sector organisations in delivering circular economy (CE) goals, suggesting that such organisations seek to deliver social value when implementing CE activities. Through empirical evidence from Wales, and a programme designed to deliver circular outcomes via increased collaborative working in public sector organisations, the paper shows that public sector actors interpret the CE as a means to deliver well-being outcomes. The paper shows that public sector organisations, in Wales, are seeking to exploit the maximum social value from CE activities. This, the paper argues, requires a nuanced attention to the context and circumstances in which public service delivery is implemented. A legislative framework, the Wellbeing Future Generations Act (2015), that promotes collaborative working with people and communities to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change, is supporting the creation of a definition of a CE that connects people and wellbeing to resource loops. The key contribution of the paper is to provide an empirical model demonstrating how public sector organisations in Wales are enacting CE in Wales, mediating between and integrating the social, material and spatial elements of a CE.

Characterizing spatiotemporal dynamics of carbon emissions in peri-urban residential communities: A life cycle perspective

Building stock provides favorable material and welfare support to the urbanization process, but also triggers significant resource extraction and carbon emissions. Spatial explicit stock studies have focused mainly on developed areas and mature cities, with less attention paid to peri-urban areas. In terms of carbon emission, inconsistent system boundary selection and lack of building life cycle analysis limit the accuracy and comparability of results. Moreover, the absence of spatial distribution of emissions undermines support to regional carbon reduction initiatives. In this study, the Yangtze River Delta Integration Demonstration Area (YRDA), which is considered as a typical peri-urban area in China, was selected to study the spatiotemporal pattern of material flows and stocks at the residential community scale since the reform of the housing system in 1998, and to analyze spatiotemporal dynamics of carbon emissions over the life cycle of buildings. The results show that material inputs in peri-urban areas have experienced a fluctuating increase, with a gradual decline after 2016 as housing policies were tightened, and have a lower residential stock intensity than city centers. Residential carbon emissions also fluctuate while trending upwards, with operation accounting for the highest share of emissions, followed by building material production, with demolition now causing a rapid growth in emissions. Material stocks and residential carbon emissions display significant spatial heterogeneity, and a new concentration area has formed at the intersection of the three administrative districts that of YRDA. The study underscores the influence of economic growth and housing policy on the spatiotemporal pattern of building stocks, flows and carbon emissions, offering insights for cross-boundary ecosystem governance and regional circular economy development.

The pseudo-information entropy of Z-number and its applications in multi-attribute decision-making

In order to find a reasonable and effective approach to describe the information contained in a specific Z-number, we introduce information entropy into Z-number environment in this paper, and investigate its applications in multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) issues. Moreover, aiming at the problem with the weighting indicated by Z-number values, we propose two novel weighting methodologies based on conditional entropy and sigmoid function, respectively. Firstly, on the basis of the maximum entropy principle, the optimization model to calculate the underlying probability distribution of Z-number is introduced. And then, we define Z-number pseudo-information entropy, and a novel Z-VIKOR method is proposed to solve a selecting regional circular economy development plan issue from the perspective of information entropy. Furthermore, we propose Z-number pseudo-conditional entropy, and the relationship between Z-number pseudo-information entropy and Z-number pseudo-conditional entropy is investigated. Subsequently, a weighting method based on information entropy of Z-number is proposed. In addition, we also introduce the weighting approach based on the sigmoid function decision-making method. Finally, we introduce a government new energy investment problem to verify and compare the effectiveness of the new weighting approaches. The new method gives a solution to the problem related to Z-number from the perspective of information entropy.

How eco-champions solve the triple-bottom-line challenge

Eco-champions in eco-communities offer valuable lessons for mainstream societies to solve the triple-bottom-line (TBL) challenge for a sustainable ecosystem, society and economy. Eco-communities are self-sufficient on most TBL-processes, which makes them a microcosm to study eco-champions in. Eco-champions were studied as key informants and lead-users for their eco-innovative TBL-solutions. This study collected data through ethnographies, interviews, surveys, and secondary data from 28 eco-communities as a multiple case study. The eco-communities are assessed on the regional circular economy RCE framework to find if and how all TBL-processes operate within regional and planetary boundaries. Findings are that some eco-communities solved the TBL-challenge, and that this pivots around the lifestyle of eco-champions. Thirteen TBL-solutions were identified that relate to lifestyle aspects of living space, food, leisure and work. These solutions are common in eco-communities, but are largely absent in mainstream-society. This is arguably because sustainable transitions require an eco-innovation network. The network is understood as a helix-model, specifically the eco-quintuple helix model eco-5HM, which describes the collaboration between the natural ecosystem, civil society, economy, education and governance. Initiating such networks in mainstream societies could set a sustainable transition towards TBL-solutions. This study therefore recommends five propositions that may initiate eco-innovation networks in mainstream societies. The propositions are about (1) understanding, awareness and care; (2) greenwashing issues; (3) trust and sharing; (4) nature-based solutions, and; (5) reduced transport needs. The TBL-solutions and propositions are radically different from current initiatives and policymaking that target sustainability, and deserve more consideration as a viable solution to the TBL-challenge.

Valorization of purple non-sulfur bacteria biomass from anaerobic treatment of fuel synthesis process wastewater to microbial protein: a means of enhancing food security in arid climates

The global shift from traditional fish farming to aquaculture has created an aquafeed production gap. Hence, the recovery of microbial protein from organic and nutrient-rich agro-industrial wastewaters has been identified as a suitable substitute. However, such waste streams are sparse in arid climes like the Middle East. Thus, this study explores the potential of single-cell protein recovery from a novel waste stream abundant in the region–fuel synthesis process water (FSPW), via anaerobic treatment with purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB). The feedstock (COD = 10.3 g/L) amended with essential nutrients was inoculated with a PNSB-dominated mixed culture in replicate 1-L batch fermenters. The wastewater characteristics and microbial biomass assays were performed using standard methods. Around two-thirds of the COD was degraded within 72 h at a rate of 2100 mg L−1d−1, which reduced to about 710 mg L−1d−1 by trial end. Also, total nitrogen levels (90 mg/L) were depleted within 72 h, indicating that nitrogen was a limiting nutrient. In addition, a peak biomass concentration of 1.11±0.037 gvss/L was obtained. Proximate analysis revealed that the biomass consisted of 35% protein, 32% lipid, 16% carbohydrate, 7% ash, 0.5% carotenoids, 0.6% bacteriochlorophylls, and 0.004% coenzyme Q10. Biomass protein’s amino acid profile was comparable to soybean grain and meets dietary requirements for several aquatic livestock. Metal analysis of the biomass and wastewater indicated that nutritionally undesirable metals were undetected. Results show that PNSB not only efficiently degrade FSPW’s organic load but also upcycles the waste to valuable feed constituents, potentially creating a regional circular economy.

The impact of regional material flows on circular economy: A case study of southwest China

AbstractCircular economy is beneficial to solve the conflict between the environment and development. The study combines the material flow in human society with the evaluation of the regional circular economy. Through the evaluation method combining DEA and rank‐sum ratio, the development level of circular economy in this area is evaluated from both vertical and horizontal perspectives (time level and space level). The result shows: (1) from the point of view of material input, direct material input, total material demand and total material consumption all show an upward trend. The overall resource input is relatively large. (2) In terms of material output, the emission is increasing. But the growth rate is relatively slow. The emission reduction effect is outstanding. The resource output rate showed a continuous growth trend. Economic development is less dependent on the massive consumption of natural resources. (3) In terms of material circulation, the import volume of natural resources outside the province in the southwest region increased. Solid waste recycling is not high. (4) Judging from the evaluation results, the development level of Sichuan's circular economy is relatively stable. Followed by Chongqing and Guizhou. However, the level of development in Yunnan fluctuates greatly. The material consumption rate in Southwest China is higher than the economic growth rate. Resource input and resource consumption are still relatively large. Although some environmental indicators have improved, there are still serious resource and environmental problems in the future economic development of the western region that need to be paid attention. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spatial effect of transportation infrastructure on regional circular economy: evidence from Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Compared with the linear economy, the circular economy can solve the contradiction between social development and resource utilization, which has attracted wide attention. Although the relationship between transportation infrastructure and economic development has changed from traditional mode to spatial mode, the spatial effect of transportation infrastructure on regional circular economy is still unclear. By combining the policy changes for developing the circular economy in China, this study constructs a comprehensive index of circular economy development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Based on the time and space development of the circular economy in GBA, we analyze the spatial effect of transportation infrastructure on it. The results show that the regional circular economy in GBA has developed, but has not been decoupled from economic development. The development of the regional circular economy presents a positive spatial spillover effect, which is beneficial to the building of the regional recycling market. The improvement of transportation infrastructure has a positive impact on the circular economy of neighboring cities, but it may have the risk of inhibiting the development of the local circular economy. These findings provide policy recommendations for urban planners to coordinate the development of transportation infrastructure and circular economy.

Future Of Bio-Waste Management in the Context of Developed Countries Legislation

In The next ten years, financing and public interest will be expected to turn to Bio-waste management. Municipalities are frequently the "owners" of the fodder because they are the owners of the garbage produced on their property and are responsible for managing it. A stricter set of guidelines were added to the Waste Framework Directive in 2018 to ensure that waste streams, particularly Bio-waste, be collected separately (from December 31, 2023). In addition, it demanded raising overall recycling goals to 65 percentage points by 2035 and diverting biodegradable trash from landfills and incinerators. In order to increase their Bio-waste collection, avoidance, and recycling rates in line with EU regulations, local and regional governments should refer to the overview provided in the current policy brief on EU efforts. Policies that support a regional circular economy. Additionally, it includes several noteworthy Europe excellent practices and EU-funded projects with a high degree of dependability and adaptation to various municipal contexts. The main article focuses on the future of Bio-waste management and its legislation in developed countries. The qualitative research methodology has been applied in this article.

Модель циркулярной экономики сельского хозяйства в контексте устойчивого развития

The targets set in the field of efficient use of available resources have become prerequisites for the development of a circular economy. Because of the efficient use of resources, it became necessary to set international targets in order to ensure the sustainable development of the global consumption of world resources. The article provides a comparative analysis of linear and circular models of economies. An assessment is made of the formation and disposal of production and consumption waste both in general and by types of economic activity in Russia for 2005–2021. Challenges of transition to a new resource-efficient agricultural model are considered. The proposed approach assumes that the goods produced today can become resources of tomorrow, while saving resources, reducing waste, creating new jobs and providing new economic opportunities. The article emphasizes the importance of transforming traditional farming in the real economic system. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the Komi Republic, a circular economy model of agriculture and agro-food system was for the first time proposed, taking into account the peculiarities of its functioning. The study revealed weak points in the circulation of the food and food chain in the region. To develop a viable model, a series of expert interviews was conducted with experts and representatives of the Republic of Komi executive authorities as well as a series of interviews with peasant farm owners and directors of preschool and educational organizations and hospitals of the republic municipalities. The practical significance of the model introduction in the regional circular economy of the republic as follows: food losses reduction, food waste generation decrease, as well as food security level and agricultural sector resources rational use rising. It was determined that a coordinated and holistic interdepartmental approach in the development of appropriate policies and concepts for the transition to a closed production cycle in the northern region, is essential in agricultural circular economy advancement. The further research will deal with development of circular economy specific model applied to a leading farm of the republic.

A communities of practice approach to promoting regional circular economy innovation: evidence from East Wales

ABSTRACT With sustainability orientation and opportunities provided for economic growth, the circular economy is much promoted by the Welsh government in recent years. In this region, Communities of practice (CoP) are cultivated to link various industry sectors together, sharing knowledge and creating a practical solution to circular economy related challenges. While current literature provides the framework of a regional innovation ecosystem in the form of Triple Helix, the role of CoP is underexplored. The key research question of this paper is ‘how can the CoP approach cultivate regional circular economy innovation?’ Through an in-depth case study of the Communities of Circular Economy Innovation (CEIC) project in East Wales, the paper identifies the construct of CoP, its dynamic lifecycle, and the interaction between CoP and Triple Helix. Findings reveal that whilst universities and government play a leading role in innovation at early stages by deliberately establishing the CoP, the self-governance of CoP at later stages results in active influence on industry changes and policy designs. The paper contributes to the literature on micro-relations among regional innovation actors by highlighting the role of CoP in creating emerging new knowledge and tools. It also provides practical implications to industry and policy makers to promote a regional circular economy.

Implementing circular economy in a regional context: A systematic literature review and a research agenda

Regions are the most important administrative units of the EU's development policies and so far, have been extensively used for framing and implementing strategic priorities. However, when it comes to regional implementation of the circular economy (CE), there is lack of systematicity both in academic literature and policy documents. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of the regional adoption of CE, by systematically reviewing and synthesises the current academic literature in this emerging field, unveiling research gaps and discussing a future research agenda. The review was conducted by identifying relevant academic papers from leading journals using the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Overall, 82 relevant papers were identified through the review, which proceeded to descriptive, bibliometric and content analysis. This study has found that generally, the adoption of the circular economy on the regional level is underexplored, which was supported by the dearth of relevant academic contributions detected at the beginning of the process. To the best of the researchers' knowledge, this is the first attempt to provide a holistic systematic literature review in the regional circular economy domain. Hence, the present study is considered as a crucial initial contribution in the direction of establishing robust conceptual frameworks which involve the constructs of regional circular economy and laying the groundwork for future studies in this field.

Negotiating Stakeholder Relationships in a Regional Circular Economy: Discourse Analysis of Multi-scalar Policies and Company Statements from the North of England

Circular economy (CE) literature discusses the need for cooperation between different stakeholders to promote a CE; there is also an assumption regarding the benefits of loop closing on a local or regional scale. However, the potentially conflicting priorities, understandings, and expectations of the stakeholders involved have not been sufficiently addressed. Regional (or local) authorities have a responsibility to promote prosperity for stakeholders in their administrative region, within the constraints of national policy; conversely companies can have financial imperatives associated with stakeholders who may be globally distributed. Evidence of these conflicting priorities, the various positions stakeholder take, and their expectations of each other can be seen in the language choices regional actors make in their public-facing policy and report documents. The aim of the paper is to consider the challenges for creating a regional-scale CE that might arise from the differing priorities and values of companies and public agencies relating to specific places. It uses discourse analysis (including critical approaches) to examine how policy and business documents represent the stakeholders of the CE, their place in it, their priorities, and, importantly, the relationship between CE actors, focusing on the case of North Humberside on the North East coast of England. The plans set out in these reports are designed for external stakeholders and allow us to gain an insight into company and policy thinking in relation to CE developments in the coming years, including how they view each other’s roles. Findings indicate a shared motivation across scales and sectors for the CE as a means towards sustainable growth within which business plays a central role. However, there is a critical double disjuncture between different visions for implementation. First, between policy scales, a regional-scale CE is prioritised by regional policymakers, who have an interest in economic advantage being tied to a specific place and call for national scale support for their actions. Second, between regional policymakers and business, companies focus on their own internal operations and potential supply chain collaborations, with little attention given to the regional scale. This can be seen in the way organisations represent the actors of a nascent CE differently. In addition, a hegemonic business-focused growth discourse excludes other visions of the CE; the public are relegated to a passive role primarily as consumers and recipients of under-specified “opportunities” of wealth creation. CE theorisations need to incorporate and address these critical perspectives in order to support the development of strategies to overcome them.

Water and the Circular Economy: Learning from Nature

This paper examines the hydrological cycle and its implications for the production capacity of two countries, China and the United States. While it takes a macro-level view, it illustrates the relevance of understanding the circularity of nature as exemplified by the hydrological cycle, for urban and regional circular economy considerations. Taking the circularity of nature as a starting point is a departure from common circular economy conceptions, which take an anthropocentric perspective rather than a nature based one. We calculate the amount of solar energy available for freshwater evaporation and the allocation of freshwater to its key uses in the domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors. Our calculations indicate that the capacity to generate economic output can be accurately described by the embodied solar energy distribution that determines the availability of freshwater for allocation to different uses. This illustrates the need to take environmental/physical conditions more fully into account in economic development decisions at every level, from local to regional, national, and global. We begin our analysis with a review of circular economy concepts and argue that they reveal a limited understanding of the circularity of nature evident in energy and material cycles and their economic capacity implications. Achieving further expansions of economic capacity may increasingly depend on an improved understanding of nature’s circularity, especially when competing resource pressures and land-use constraint exacerbate economic capacity limits. Our findings suggest three particularly important lessons for decision makers: first, the efficiency increases needed to realize growing economic output will require circular economy models that consider the efficient processing capacity of nature rather than relying solely on technological solutions; second, the non-use of resources may be as valuable or more than their use; and third, price policies can be effective in steering resource use and non-use in the right direction.

Regional circular economy of building materials: Environmental and economic assessment combining Material Flow Analysis, Input‐Output Analyses, and Life Cycle Assessment

AbstractThe construction industry is responsible for large quantities of construction and demolition waste and almost 50% of the worldwide annual resource consumption, putting the environment, its natural resources, and ecosystems under high pressure. Therefore, governments are implementing regional policies that support a circular economy (CE). But how do we know whether these developments will lead to a shift toward a CE on a regional scale? How can we identify hotspots in a value chain and regional economy to support decision‐makers and to develop regional policies? We propose an integrated assessment method that considers indicators for environmental impacts and economic benefits by combining Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Input‐Output Analysis (IOA) as the connecting element. It provides the necessary data and indicators for a holistic and comprehensive evaluation of a region or industry. We demonstrate its benefits and limitations taking the Swiss canton of Aargovia as an example. We analyze which processes in the material flow system of construction minerals are decisive for formulating mass‐related or financial policies encouraging a CE. We show that a shift toward a CE can only be captured by combining material and money flows in a joined model, because a significant increase of services—mainly waste management—is a core element in this development. It can only be covered sufficiently by combining environmental and economic assessment. Our model captures the degree to which a regional economy is advanced in the transition toward a CE to compare different regions or analyze scenarios of future developments.

Evaluation of ecological economic development efficiency based on intelligent DEA model

In order to better promote the development of circular economy, this paper introduces the current international eco-efficiency indicator system used to measure the development of circular economy, and points out that the eco-efficiency indicator system will be an important method for analyzing environmental efficiency in social economic activities. Moreover, this paper combines the actual needs to construct an ecological economy development efficiency evaluation system based on the intelligent DAE model. In addition, this paper combines the specific situation of regional circular economy development, further points out the main indicators that the eco-efficiency indicator system should include, and introduces the experience of establishing circular economy indicators in developed countries. Finally, this paper uses the eco-efficiency index system to evaluate the development of Qingdao’s circular economy, and design experiments to evaluate the efficiency of the system constructed in this paper. The research results show that the evaluation system of the intelligent ecological economy development efficiency constructed in this paper has a certain effect and has certain significance for the development of ecological economy.

Implementing Regional Circular Economy Policies: A Proposed Living Constellation of Stakeholders

The transition towards the circular economy (CE) entails transformative and system-wide changes, implying involvement, alignment, and cooperation between all stakeholders at all levels. However, debate continues around how best to achieve this. Additionally, little attention has been paid to developing models for identifying and mobilising all relevant stakeholders to implement CE policies at the regional level. This study sought to remedy these issues by analysing the relevant academic literature and policy documents and making the first attempt to adjust existing models—not only for the purpose of stakeholder mapping, but also for the proposition of a living constellation of stakeholders who should be considered when designing the transition towards a CE in a regional scenario. The CE-centric quintuple-helix model developed and proposed here promotes the emergence and deployment of trilateral networks, hybrid organisations, and development/co-operation platforms. This model adopts a balanced, participatory approach that requires a new constellation of stakeholders. Its foundations are built on the traditional industry–government–academia nexus and enlarged by the inclusion of the civil society sphere and the environmental subsystem. The environment is represented as the nucleus of the model, inspiring and triggering actions by the remaining four subsystems. The model is then implemented into two European regions with CE initiatives (Spain and Greece) to demonstrate its practical application.