APPLICATION OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN SHRINKING REGIONS

Shrinking of rural regions is going on in Eastern and Western European countries. Shrinking phenomena includes Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and other countries and regions. The shrinking region is considered as untoward and gone territory for economic growth particularly from the perspective of policy makers. Shrinking region requires specific tools for development. The aim of this study is to analyse theoretical options for circular economy development in shrinking regions. The growth economy which requires planning more and more profit, units of goods, jobs etc. is not an adequate strategy for shrinking regions. The desktop approach is applied by analysing research articles on shrinking phenomena and circular economy with aim to explore the potential benefits provided by application of principles of circular economy in shrinking regions. The study also reviews policy planning documents on circular economy and regional development at the European Union level and specifically in Latvia which has lost dramatic proportion of inhabitants in last few decades. The findings of the study show that at first, national policy and EU policy does not accept the phenomena of shrinking regions; second, principles of circular economy are applicable to shrinking regions. There are such challenges as cooperation, philosophy of consumption and values, willingness and availability to pay for services. The study will open a discussion about shrinking rural regions and circular economy from another perspective because until now circular economy is mostly related with the zero waste concept

Circular economy in construction: current awareness, challenges and enablers

The application of circular economy thinking in construction, which is in its infancy, has been largely limited to construction waste minimisation and recycling. Little research on circular economy from a systems perspective including how new business models might enable materials to retain high residual values has been undertaken. Utilising the results from a survey and a follow up workshop, this paper provides an analysis of an industry-wide perspective of circular economy awareness, challenges and enablers. The survey results indicate that whilst there is industry-wide awareness of the concept, clients, designers and subcontractors are the least informed and this is a key challenge for greater adoption. The absence of incentives to design products and buildings for disassembly and reuse at end of life is a significant challenge. To encourage greater implementation of circular economy principles throughout the supply chain, a clear economic case is paramount, supported by metrics, tools and guidance

WHAT IS THE PROGRESS OF EU CIRCULAR ECONOMIES?

Circular economy is becoming an increasing concern for specialists due to the benefits it can have upon the environment and people. Although there are no well-defined indicators according to which the progress of a circular economy can be quantified, there is more and more concern in the specialised literature. This paper attempts to measure such progress within the EU member states via an aggregate indicator based on the indicators ones issued by the Eurostat in the EC monitoring framework. The indicator has been determined in two variants: one where the states missing some statistical data have been removed and another where the zero value has been attributed to all circumstances of unavailable data. The different determination methods have revealed different values of the circular economy aggregate indicator as well as different approaches of the states

The conditions for implementing a circular economy in the Czech Republic

In July 2018, measures of the European Commission regarding the Circular Economy Package (CEP) came into force. All EU Member States have two years since to implement these measures into their national legislations. The aim of the authors is, using available resources, to evaluate current conditions in the Czech Republic in the areas affected by this legislation. It is primarily the area of waste management, which has set values within the CEP that must be achieved within those two years. The article offers an analysis of the circular economy penetration into the Czech legislation. The procedure for introducing changes in legislation is presented through the Waste Management Plan (WMP) for the period 2015-2024. The aim of the article is to verify whether whether the Czech Republic is able to meet the EU and WMP's requirements in the current development of waste management. The authors are first to use the analysis of secondary data from national and transnational sources, from which they created unique and original outcomes for the given issue. After the analysis, they introduced the measures that could be used for the greater motivation of the target groups in order to meet the goals of the Czech Republic. The authors address the concrete impacts of CEP implementation within the Czech Republic and also present Czech examples of good practice.Web of Science24437536

The Effect of Environmental Degradation, Climate Change, and the European Green Deal Tools on Life Satisfaction

Environmental issues, sustainability, and climate change have become the targets of many policies from international and governmental organizations including the EU's European Green Deal action plan. This plan provides tools to address them-which include support for the circular economy, implementation of energy and environmental taxes, and investment in environmental protection-with the aim of favoring the well-being of EU citizens. In this context, this study analyses the impact of several parameters (environmental matters, global warming, circular economy, energy and environmental taxes, and expenditure and investment on the environment) on life satisfaction, or subjective well-being, and their effects on 33 European countries. For this purpose, four econometric models were carried out using data collected from the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Study (EVS), and the World Bank and Eurostat, reflecting subjective citizen satisfaction data. The findings present a highly significant inverse relationship between life satisfaction variables and both environmental problems and energy taxes. Additionally, there is a highly significant positive relationship between circular economy, environmental tax, and environmental protection expenditure parameters and life satisfaction variables, as well as, to a lesser degree of significance, with noise pollution from neighbours

Aligning Retail Reverse Logistics Practice with Circular Economy Values: An Exploratory Framework

Although there is a growing body of literature concerning Circular Economy (CE), there is little, in terms of frameworks in the literature, which focuses on embedding CE values in consumer Retail Reverse Logistics (RRL) operations. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that supports the adoption of CE values within RRL operations. The framework is designed to assist both practitioners and academics in better understanding the key management aspects involved. The methodology adopts a mixed methods approach combining a desk-based research with rich empirical data from interviews with senior management practitioners and academics in the fields of CE and RRL. From this research, it was found that embedding CE values within RRL necessitates the adoption of a multi-faceted approach. The adoption of the framework will have an impact on practitioners by assisting them in moving towards a more restorative and less impactful approach to their RRL practices. The work is considered innovative and novel as this is the first time the empirical results that suggest a multi-dimensional approach embedding CE values in RRL operations are presented

Accelerative Capacity of Keyresources Industry 4.0 in Metropolitan Culinary Micro-Small Sector and Green Business Sustainability Impact

Indonesia’s MSME sector is torn between economic growth and environmental damage. Industrial Revolution 4.0 encourages MSMEs, including in the culinary sector, to integrate business and social values with the principle of circularity. This study analyzes the influence of Industry 4.0 key resources on Culinary MSMEs in Jakarta on the circular economy and sustainable business. A quantitative approach was used by surveying Culinary MSME owners in Jakarta, taking 82 samples by random sampling. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The analysis results show that the key resources of Industry 4.0, such as production system management, HR leadership, environmentally friendly business operations, and information technology, significantly affect the adoption of Industry 4.0 and the establishment of Sustainable Culinary Production Systems. The adoption of Industry 4.0 also impacts circular economy capabilities and sustainable business. Similarly, Sustainable Culinary Production Systems contribute to circular economy capabilities and sustainable business

A framework to design reverse logistics operations based on circular economy values

Reverse Logistics (RL) is complex to be managed due to the uncertainty involved e.g. the quality range of products, timing of product returns, and volume of returns. A robust RL design can contribute to increase the effectiveness of RL operations. Therefore, an RL design framework needs to be formalised. Circular economy (CE) focuses on supporting the separation of treatments between technical and biological materials in maximising the design for reuse to return to the biosphere and retain value through innovations across fields. The aim of the research is to develop a new framework to design RL operations based on CE values that can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of RL operations. This research has been conducted through the qualitative research involving cases in product recovery (PR) options that are analysed in-depth. Literature review and interview are the main methods of this research. A test was conducted by interviewing expert and respondents to obtain the expert view and test the research result which is a developed framework to design RL based on CE values. The testing engaged five criteria (usability, feasibility, consistency, effectiveness, and utility). The formal RL design framework, 15 CE values, framework to design RL based on CE values specifically PR options (repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and cannibalisation) are main research findings. The research contributes academically to the development of a formal RL design framework and to the identification, reformulation, redefinition, and implementation of CE values. The research can be used as a basis for an effective design of RL that takes into account the economic, environmental, and social impacts. The research can be used as a guideline or an appraisal tool in designing/modifying RL based on CE values that can support the implementation of a single RL operation and also RL based on CE

Principles for a Sustainable Circular Economy

The pressure that the human species exerts on the natural environment through the extraction of materials and generation of wastes is widely recognised. Circular economy has emerged as a potential solution to make better use of resources. Positioned as a technology-focused concept that can generate economic gains while alleviating pressure on the environment, circular economy enjoys a positive reception by organisations in public, private and civic sectors and, increasingly, academia alike. However, concerns have been raised regarding some purported circular economy practices being promoted as ‘sustainable’ yet resulting in detrimental impacts on environment and society. We briefly revisit the systems ecology literature that construed the context for both circular economy and sustainable development. Values and principles in core sustainable development literature are analysed to offer a foundation against which circular economy can be discussed. We then analyse and critically reflect upon the strengths, shortcomings and theoretical flaws within the values and principles that emerged from the evolving circular economy literature. We propose a value framework and set of ten principles for the design, implementation and evaluation of a sustainable circular economy. We finish with a call for action for both practitioners and a research agenda for academia