The collaborative and contested interplay between business and civil society in circular economy transitions

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. We know from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature that civil society organizations (CSOs) play a crucial role in helping businesses transition towards more responsible and sustainable business models. Yet, in the circular economy (CE) field, such understanding is still scarce. This article develops a theoretical framework for understanding the dynamic interplay between business and civil society in CE transitions, understanding their mechanisms and strategies for cooperation and contestation. We develop the concept of ‘CE boundary work’ to understand how CSOs interact with firms to bring about CE innovation, outlining three ideal types: campaign based, resource efficiency based and circular design based. This contributes to our understanding of how CE transitions can be brought about effectively through cross-sectoral interplays between civil society and business

Biodegradation of herbicide diuron by streptomycetes isolated from soil

The diuron degrading activity of 17 streptomycete strains, obtained from agricultural and non-agricultural soils, was determined in the laboratory. All strains were identified as Streptomyces sp. by phenotypic characteristics and PCR-based assays. The strains were cultivated in liquid medium with diuron (4mgL(-1)) at 25 degrees C for 15 days. Biodegradation activity was deter-mined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that all strains were able to degrade diuron, but to different amounts. Twelve strains degraded the herbicide by up to 50% and four of them by up to 70%. Strain A7-9, belonging to S. albidoflavus cluster, was the most efficient organism in the degradation of diuron, achieving 95% degradation after five days of incubation and no herbicide remained after 10 days. Overall, the strains isolated from agricultural soils exhibited higher degradation percentages and rates than those isolated from non-agricultural soils. Given the high degradation activity observed here, the streptomycete strains show a good potential for bioremediation of soils contaminated with diuron. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Castillo López, MÁ.; Felis Reig, N.; Aragón Revuelta, P.; Cuesta Amat, G.; Sabater Marco, C. (2006). Biodegradation of herbicide diuron by streptomycetes isolated from soil. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation. 58(3-4):196-202. doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2006.06.020S196202583-

The use of an electronic portal imaging device for exit dosimetry

Gardone Rivier