A STUDY ON REGIONAL CIRCULAR ECONOMY SYSTEM AND ITS CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND SUGGESTION FOR SHANGHAI

The characteristics of the traditional linear economic model are high consumption, high emission and low efficiency. Economic development is still largely at the expense of the environment and requires a natural resource investment. This can realize rapid economic development but resource depletion and environmental pollution become increasingly serious. In the 1990\u27s a new economic model, circular economics, began to enter our vision. The circular economy maximizes production and minimizes the impact of economic activities on the ecological environment through organizing the activities through the closed-loop feedback cycle of resources - production - renewable resource . Circular economy is a better way to solve the contradictions between the economic development and resource shortages. Developing circular economy has become the major strategic initiatives to achieving sustainable development in countries all over the world. The evaluation of the development of circular economics is a necessary step for regional circular economy development. Having a quantitative evaluation of circular economy can better monitor and reveal the contradictions and problems in the process of the development of recycling economy. This thesis will: 1) Create an evaluation model framework and new types of industries and 2) Make an evaluation of the Shanghai circular economy currently to analyze the situation of Shanghai in the development of circular economy. I will then propose suggestions about the structure and development of Shanghai circular economy

Exploring the direction on the environmental and business performance relationship at the firm level. Lessons from a literature review

The interest of scientists and companies in understanding the business implications of environmental investment is timely; however, a dilemma remains at the firm level: is the environment a “strategic competitive factor”, as in the “Porter point of view”, or is it a “luxury good”, as in the “Wagner point of view”? Our research contributes to this debate through a review of the papers published in scientific journals between 2000 and 2015 that discussed the direction of the relationship between the environmental and business performances of enterprises. The objectives of the research are: (a) to verify if there is an agreement in the scientific literature of the last 15 years about the “Porter–Wagner dilemma” when focusing at the firm level; (b) to underline the prevalent cause and effect directions of the relationship between environmental and business performance; and (c) to investigate the reasons for any disagreements in this topic among the scientists. The results show that the main agreement regards the positive bi-directional relationship, as a virtuous cyclic approach with mutual effects between business and environmental performance; nevertheless, more complex hypotheses emerge, such as nonlinear and/or conditional relationship, that need to be further explored. On the other hand, the Porter–Wagner dilemma remains, and the main reason for the non-agreement among scientists can be due to the several non-homogeneous variables considered in the analyses. Thereafter, as lesson for scientists, the priority is to share univocal methods to measure firms’ environmental and business performances

Optimizing Urban Distribution Routes for Perishable Foods Considering Carbon Emission Reduction

The increasing demand for urban distribution increases the number of transportation vehicles which intensifies the congestion of urban traffic and leads to a lot of carbon emissions. This paper focuses on carbon emission reduction in urban distribution, taking perishable foods as the object. It carries out optimization analysis of urban distribution routes to explore the impact of low carbon policy on urban distribution routes planning. On the base of analysis of the cost components and corresponding constraints of urban distribution, two optimization models of urban distribution route with and without carbon emissions cost are constructed, and fuel quantity related to cost and carbon emissions in the model is calculated based on traffic speed, vehicle fuel quantity and passable time period of distribution. Then an improved algorithm which combines genetic algorithm and tabu search algorithm is designed to solve models. Moreover, an analysis of the influence of carbon tax price is also carried out. It is concluded that in the process of urban distribution based on the actual network information, the path optimization considering the low carbon factor can effectively reduce the distribution process of CO2, and reduce the total cost of the enterprise and society, thus achieving greater social benefits at a lower cost. In addition, the government can encourage low-carbon distribution by rationally adjusting the price of carbon tax to achieve a higher social benefit

Eco‐Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain Towards Digital Transition

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects

Lean and green – a systematic review of the state of the art literature

The move towards greener operations and products has forced companies to seek alternatives to balance efficiency gains and environmental friendliness in their operations and products. The exploration of the sequential or simultaneous deployment of lean and green initiatives is the results of this balancing action. However, the lean-green topic is relatively new, and it lacks of a clear and structured research definition. Thus, this paper’s main contribution is the offering of a systematic review of the existing literature on lean and green, aimed at providing guidance on the topic, uncovering gaps and inconsistencies in the literature, and finding new paths for research. The paper identifies and structures, through a concept map, six main research streams that comprise both conceptual and empirical research conducted within the context of various organisational functions and industrial sectors. Important issues for future research are then suggested in the form of research questions. The paper’s aim is to also contribute by stimulating scholars to further study this area in depth, which will lead to a better understanding of the compatibility and impact on organisational performance of lean and green initiatives. It also holds important implications for industrialists, who can develop a deeper and richer knowledge on lean and green to help them formulate more effective strategies for their deployment

Industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis and supply chain environmental sustainability: a case study of a large UK distributor

The supply chain management literature indicates that limited research has explored the roles of Industrial Ecology and Industrial Symbiosis in relation to supply chain environmental sustainability development. Studies have explored supply chain environmental sustainability development and provided different approaches for developing environmentally sustainable supply chains. These include environmental management, design for environment, product stewardship, green purchasing, reverse logistics, recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing. These approaches have often been considered independently. Industrial Ecology and Industrial Symbiosis offer systematic thinking for companies to integrate key elements of these approaches into their supply chain environmental sustainability development. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework to embrace the integration and identify opportunities for companies to work collaboratively. The initial framework was proposed based on the review of the literature associated with environmentally sustainability supply chain management, Industrial Ecology, and Industrial Symbiosis. The initial framework is improved by corroborating the case study company's experience, a large UK distributor. Different hierarchies in waste management have also been considered when developing the framework. The paper emphasises the importance of prevention and reduction methods. The developed framework illustrates the areas and opportunities for supply chain parties to work collaboratively towards environmentally friendly activities. The developed framework contributes to the environmentally sustainable supply chain management literature and encourages companies to apply Industrial Ecology and Industrial Symbiosis to develop their environmentally sustainable supply chains

The smart supply chain: a conceptual cyclic framework

Purpose: The objective of this work is to analyze the characteristics of the smart supply chain (SSC) and to propose a conceptual framework research. Given the pace of current technological change, there is a need to analyze the new features of the SSC, related to digital technologies and the incorporation of services. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of the literature is addressed, analyzing the latest studies on the subject. This methodology allows to propose a conceptualization of the SSC and incorporate new elements of analysis. Findings: The results show that much of the innovation and instrumentalization of supply chains involves incorporating digital services to expand their functionalities, especially in terms of agility and connectivity. The servitization of supply chains is therefore a key new feature. Put in relation to other characteristics identified in the literature, a conceptual cyclic framework is proposed for the SSC. Originality/value: This study contributes to strengthening the theoretical foundations of SSCs and serves as a guide for researchers and practitionersPeer Reviewe

Master plan : Greenport Shanghai Agropark

Greenport Shanghai is the innovative and ambitious exploration of how Chinese metropolitan agriculture will jump into the 21st century: circular, sustainable and profitable