Implementing the Circular Economy for Sustainable Development

Implementing the Circular Economy for Sustainable Development presents the concept of the circular economy with the goal of understanding its present status and how to better implement it, particularly through environmental policies. It first tackles the definition of a circular economy in the context of sustainability and the differences in defining the concept across disciplines, including its fallibilities and practical examples. It then goes on to discuss the implementation of a circular economy, including the increasing variety of technological, mechanical, and chemical procedures to contend with and the need for stakeholder support in addition to improved business models. The second half of the book, therefore, presents tools, approaches, and practical examples of how to shape environmental policy to successfully implement a circular economy. It analyzes deficiencies of current regulations and lays the groundwork for the design of integrated environmental policies for a circular economy. Authored by an expert in environmental economics with decades of experience, Implementing the Circular Economy for Sustainable Development is a timely, practical guide for sustainability researchers and policymakers alike to move more efficiently toward a circular economy and sustainable development. Presents a clear view of the critical components, features, and issues of a circular economy Discusses a variety of practical examples from current policies in the context of a circular economy to better understand the challenges associated with its implementation Analyzes strengths and weaknesses of current environmental policies and their interactions with innovations in engineering and science

Although green innovation and technology is not new, so far very limited information is available regarding the diversified approaches for green technologies and engineering. This book highlights the challenges and opportunities, offering a roadmap for using various approaches in the most cost effective way. The book discusses the interrelationship between a circular economy and green technologies. It presents the dimensions of green innovations and illustrates the challenges of industrialization, especially in terms of material synthesis and utilized processes. It covers the current environmental and health challenges of societies and describes the role of stakeholders in developing sustainable societies and industries. This book provides a line of approach to core and interdisciplinary students, academicians, research scientists, and various industry personnel to present their ideas of green innovations with a common vision of sustainable development of community and industries in mind. Features Discusses the interrelationship between a circular economy and green technologies Presents the dimensions of green innovations Illustrates the challenges of industrialization, especially in terms of material synthesis and utilized processes Covers the current environmental and health challenges of societies Offers the identification and role of stakeholders in the sustainable development of societies and industries

This textbook systematically addresses why and how Circular Economy should be developed and practiced by employing a Discussion and Research (D&R) teaching method. This method allows us to show the whole process of academic research, from formulating the key questions, to methodology design, and ultimately to conclusions and applications. In addition, the suggested class discussions and group homework provide good opportunities for participant cooperation and exchange. In this textbook, all chapters and sections are intended to answer specific scientific key or sub-key questions, while all chapters are also internally structured logically and systematically, from question to final conclusion. This textbook may help to boost student performance in science and research and was selected for inclusion in the 13th Five-Year planning teaching materials for regular higher education in China.

The circular economy is a policy approach and business strategy that aims to improve resource productivity, promote sustainable consumption and production and reduce environmental impacts. This book examines the relevance of the circular economy in the context of developing countries, something which to date is little understood. This volume highlights examples of circular economy practices in developing country contexts in relation to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), informal sector recycling and national policy approaches. It examines a broad range of case studies, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, and Thailand, and illustrates how the circular economy can be used as a new lens and possible solution to cross-cutting development issues of pollution and waste, employment, health, urbanisation and green industrialisation. In addition to more technical and policy oriented contributions, the book also critically discusses existing narratives and pathways of the circular economy in the global North and South, and how these differ or possibly even conflict with each other. Finally, the book critically examines under what conditions the circular economy will be able to reduce global inequalities and promote human development in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Presenting a unique social sciences perspective on the circular economy discourse, this book is relevant to students and scholars studying sustainability in economics, business studies, environmental politics and development studies.

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. Circular economy (CE) is important towards sustainable development, resources circulation and conservation, involving closing of material loops and cascading used resources, to prevent waste occurrence, and transforming the resulting residual streams into new (secondary) resources. Strategies and legislative framework for waste management are important steps for development of a more CE where resource efficiency becomes the key driver for both economic growth and environmental protections. A few countries achieved good results implementing CE as a replacement of the linear economy. Resource managers and planners should thoroughly identify factors to implement CE for societal benefits. This book presents how resource consumption is minimized with rational use based on 3Rs, legislative framework and government supports towards implementing CE initiatives, example of best practices, future plans and targets in different countries those are helpful for researchers, planners and implementers.

The Circular Economy: Case Studies about the Transition from the Linear Economy explores examples of the circular economy in action. Unlike other books that provide narrow perceptions of wide-ranging and highly interconnected paradigms, such as supply chains, recycling, businesses models and waste management, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the circular economy from various perspectives. Its unique insights into the approaches, methods and tools that enable people to make the transformation to a circular economy show how recent research, trends and attitudes have moved beyond the "call to arms" approach to a level of maturity that requires sound scientific thinking. Compiles evidence through case studies that illustrate how individuals, organizations, communities and countries are transitioning to a circular economy Provides a theoretical and empirical summary of the circular economy that emphasizes what others are actually doing and planning Highlights achievements from industry, agriculture, forestry, energy, water and other sectors that show how circular principles are applicable, eco-friendly, profitable, and thus sustainable

Can we align global production and consumption systems with sustainability? Can business growth actually lead to a healthier planet? Can companies innovate through the circular economy to create competitive advantage and genuine impact? Waste to Wealth proved that the emerging circular economy advantage exists - now Lacy, Long and Spindler show you how to realize it at speed and scale in The Circular Economy Handbook. We stand at a crossroads, with rising geopolitical and geo-economic tensions, massive technological change and a host of social and environmental challenges. We are pushing planetary boundaries to their limits, with climate change and threats to biodiversity and oceans as just a few examples. Significant impacts are already being felt, and both people and planet face potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences if we dont urgently change our global model and systems. Our current linear "take, make, waste" models of production and consumption will not be sustainable in a world of some 9 billion people by 2050, especially with ever-expanding rates of consumption. Thriving within these dynamics demands more than incremental adjustments to business-as-usual. The circular economy offers a powerful means to decouple growth from use of scarce and harmful resources, enabling greater production and consumption with fewer negative environmental impacts--at the same time, making companies more innovative and competitive. In fact, this book shows that $4.5 trillion in economic value is at stake. Delivering on the promise of a circular economy demands impact and scale, extending through value chains and, ultimately, disrupting the entire economic system. In The Circular Economy Handbook, the authors illuminate the path from insight to action, from linear to circular. With case studies, advice and practical guidance, they show leaders how to pivot towards a holistic circular organization, embedding circularity internally and delivering broad-base d system change. With unique insights across business models, technologies, and industries - featuring stories and real-world examples from circular pioneers - this book is the essential guide to help companies become leaders in the movement to secure the circular economy advantage.

Bringing together a broad range of topics on resource recovery this book provides a valuable resource for those working in green chemistry and waste management.

The book is designed to help public and private decision-makers and academics deepen their knowledge and understanding of the contexts, obstacles and challenges of a variety of business types involved in Industrial Symbiosis and Circular Economy practices. Industrial Symbiosis is reported in the Action Plan on the Circular Economy developed by the European Commission in 2015 (COM / 2015/0614 final) and in its revision of 14 March 2017, but relatively little is known of how these practices start, develop or fail, and mutate in a rapidly changing context. Including selected contributions presented at the 24th ISDRS 2018 Conference, “Actions for a Sustainable World: from theory to practice” in the two theme tracks “5c. Circular economy, zero waste & innovation” and “5g. Industrial symbiosis, networking and cooperation as part of industrial ecology”, this book offers a transdisciplinary perspective on real experiences of industrial symbiosis, performed both by industries and the scientific community, best practices, success and unsuccessful cases (implemented or under implementation), with the final aim to promote the adoption of Industrial Symbiosis as an operational and systematic tool for the Circular Economy. In particular, a focus on the environmental, social, and economic impact of Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis practices, and how those impacts may be context and/or scale dependent is given.

Circular Economy in Textiles and Apparel: Processing, Manufacturing, and Design is the first book to provide guidance on this subject, presenting the tools for implementing this paradigm and their impact on textile production methods. Sustainable business strategies are also covered, as are new design methods that can help in the reduction of waste. Drawing on contributions from leading experts in industry and academia, this book covers every aspect of this increasingly important subject and speculates on future developments. Provides case studies on the circular economy in operation in the textiles industry Identifies challenges to implementation and areas where more research is needed Draws on both industrial innovation and academic research to explain an emerging topic with the potential to entirely change the way we make and use clothing

The current logic of the market economy consists of extracting, producing, consuming and discarding. The efforts made to reduce the negative environmental impacts and promote recycling are not sufficient to offset the undesirable effects of this system described as "take, make and dispose. However, this linear approach to production and consumption, which prioritizes economic goals at the expense of environmental and social goals, has reached its physical limit. The negative effects caused by this model threaten not only the stability of economies, but also the integrity of ecosystems, which are essential for human survival. More than ever, companies are pressured to adopt more sustainable models derived from the intensification of certain trends, such as: the increasing dependence on fossil fuels; the poor management of natural resources; climate change, which is caused mainly by the increasing emissions of greenhouse gases; and the competitiveness featured by an ever expanding global market. These trends are in line with the European 2020 Strategy, which sets out a number of objectives designed to ensure within this time-frame a change in current models regarding the impact on natural capital. The circular economy defends the same principles of sustainability, and both share the same concerns. The circular economy aims to eradicate waste not just from manufacturing processes, but systematically throughout the life cycles and uses of products, and their components contributing to make organisations and the economy more sustainable. This book presents a scientific perspective about sustainability and the circular economy, describing different approaches, focusing on different sectors and exploring various methodologies. Welcome to the world of the circular economy and sustainability.

This book presents a collection of studies on current best practices for delivering sustainable development policies within supply chains. It critiques the limitations of existing business theory and practice on sustainable supply chain management, and discusses opportunities for new conceptual models for businesses to engage with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines how businesses can work towards implementing Sustainable Development Goals in the contexts of entrepreneurial initiative, industry collaboration and regional development. SDGs renew the sustainable development agenda for global communities and ask businesses and organisations to reset their sustainable development policies. A strategy to embed sustainable development principles into business operations along the supply chain operations, which has been a conceptual and, in many instances, practitioner, business and industry achievement of the past decades, is not enough to shift the economic and social conditions of poor populations around the world. How would the global supply chains of the future look like? What social relations does it envisage? How will businesses and organisations engage with societies, environments and complex institutional contexts in emerging markets and developing countries, which are faced with issues of population growth, needed leaps in infrastructure provision, educational and health improvements, cultural and institutional shifts? The books challenges current approaches to sustainable supply chain practices guided by discussion on SDGs. It reviews implementation issues of existing sustainable development approaches, assesses the advancement of sustainable development strategies and examines the opportunities for global value chains to increase their positive social and environmental inputs in regions, communities and organisations. The book collects both conceptual and empirical studies set in a variety of business and organisational contexts, such as manufacturing, retail, procurement, cities and industrial parks. It contests the accepted axioms of sustainable practices in the global supply chains and proposes new models for organisations and production networks to engage with societies and address market and production effects on communities and institutions.

Waste to Wealth proves that 'green' and 'growth' need not be binary alternatives. The book examines five new business models that provide circular growth from deploying sustainable resources to the sharing economy before setting out what business leaders need to do to implement the models successfully.

This open access book provides insight into the implementation of Life Cycle approaches along the entire business value chain, supporting environmental, social and economic sustainability related to the development of industrial technologies, products, services and policies; and the development and management of smart agricultural systems, smart mobility systems, urban infrastructures and energy for the built environment. The book is based on papers presented at the 8th International Life Cycle Management Conference that took place from September 3-6, 2017 in Luxembourg, and which was organized by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the University of Luxembourg in the framework of the LCM Conference Series.

This updated and revised edition outlines strategies and models for how to use technology and knowledge to improve performance, create jobs and increase income. It shows what skills will be required to produce, sell and manage performance over time, and how manual jobs can contribute to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources.

This book focuses on the role of corporations in the transition towards an economy that works more in line with ecological limits. It is centred on business model innovation in the context of the circular economy, which is gaining consensus across business, policy and academic circles by proposing more resource efficient industrial processes. Interest in circular business models is growing within academic and practitioner literature yet the concept is not clearly understood, with potential negative consequences for theory building and practical implementation. Therefore, this book conceptualises circular business models and investigates their theoretical foundations in relation to the rationale for adopting them, drawing on circular economy, business model, strategic management and neo-institutional literature and secondary data.

This book offers a valuable tool for understanding current efforts to promote the reuse and enhancement of pre-consumer waste in the development of new products for the construction sector, as well as the financial and regulatory tools being used to support this trend. It explores the vast and complex topic of the circular economy from the perspective of strategies for the reuse/recycling of waste, and develops a number of key premises: waste reuse/recycling must be considered using a logic of cross-sectoriality, recognizing the need to enhance the “dialogue” between different sectors; pre-consumer waste is particularly interesting for the recycling market because the construction sector can reduce its environmental impacts by enhancing its capacity to use secondary raw materials and by-products from other sectors; and lastly, the manufacturing sector is currently experimenting with promising forms of reducing/recycling pre-consumer waste and is at the same time providing by-products that can be used in other production chains. As such, the book offers a valuable asset for professionals who are interested in sustainability in construction, and in the study of construction products; however, it will be equally useful for local decision-makers tasked with implementing development policies and innovations in the industrial sector.

The fourth Factor X publication from the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity: The Nexus Approaches explores the interdependencies of sustainable development paths and associated resource requirements, describing and analysing the necessities for a more resource efficient world. The use of and competition for increasingly scarce resources are growing worldwide with current production and consumption patterns of industrialised economies soon to reach the point where the ecosphere will be overtaxed far beyond its limits. Against this background, this volume examines the important initiatives to monitor resource use at the international, EU and national level. The current trends and challenges related to sustainable resource use are discussed, including international challenges for a resource efficient world, megatrends, justice and equitable access to resources. In the second part of the book, contributions examine implementation strategies. They assess the concept known as circular economy and discuss the theory of growth and the role of the financial and education systems. The final section places special emphasis on practical examples. Overall, the book presents concrete ways and examples of achieving more sustainability in practice. Discussing solutions for a more sustainable use of natural resources, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of natural resources and sustainable development and decision-makers and experts from the fields of policy development, industry and civil society.

The Circular Economy in Europe presents an overview and a critical discussion on how circularity is conceived, imagined, and enacted in current EU policy-making. In 2013, the idea of a circular economy entered the stage of European policy-making in the efforts to reconcile environmental and economic policy objectives. In 2019 the European Commission declared in a press release that the Circular Economy Action Plan has been delivered. The level of circularity in the European economy, however, has remained the same. Bringing together perspectives from social sciences, environmental economics and policy analysis, The Circular Economy in Europe provides a critical analysis of policies and promises of the next panacea for growth and sustainability. The authors provide a theoretical and empirical basis to discuss how contemporary societies conceive their need to re-organise production and consumption and explores the messy assemblage of institutions, actors, waste streams, biophysical flows, policy objectives, scientific disciplines, values, expectations, promises and aspirations involved. This book is essential reading for all those interested in understanding how ideas about the circular economy emerged historically, how they gained traction and are used in policy processes, and what the practical challenges in implementing this policy are.