The Social Impacts of Circular Strategies in the Apparel Value Chain; a Comparative Study Between Three Countries

The apparel value chain is essential for the livelihood of millions of workers around the globe. However, human rights violations and the lack of a sustained income by apparel workers demonstrate the poor working conditions present in this sector. Circular economy (CE) has been used by incumbent businesses and startups as a framework to achieve sustainability, thus contributing to its economic, environmental and social dimensions. However, there is a lack of knowledge on its social impact. Most of the literature assesses CE’s social impacts by focusing only on the number of jobs created. However, the majority of studies agree on the need to analyse further the quality and inclusivity aspects. This paper explores the social impact of the different circular strategies implemented in three countries. It assesses social impacts related to the quality of jobs, workers’ sustainable livelihood and gender equality and inclusion. Results corroborate that CE social ambition is low, and that current circular strategies follow the same feminisation and precariousness of working conditions found in the linear apparel value chain. Thus, policymakers and businesses alike need to strengthen their CE social ambition; coordinate policy and strategies with different countries stakeholders of the apparel value chain to minimise trade-offs; and safeguard a just circular transition. This research contributes to the body of literature on CE by introducing a social impact assessment framework for circularity called SIAF-CE⚥. Additionally, it provides evidence on the current CE social impact implemented by startups and incumbents in regional and global contexts

Confiabilidade e validade de um instrumento que mede sete dimensões de percepção de segurança em estudantes de uma universidade pública

Introduction: Public security management involves the implementation of public policies that justify the guidance of the State in the prevention of crime and the administration of justice. However, citizen distrust of government action is evidenced by a growing insecurity perception reported by the literature in seven dimensions: territorial, national, public, human, citizen, private and Internet user. Objective: To establish reliability and validity of an instrument that measures the perception of territorial, national, public, human, citizen, private, and Internet user security. Method: Non-experimental, cross-sectional, exploratory study with a non-probabilistic selection of 320 students from a public university. Results: Reliability of the overall scale (alpha = 0.793), and territorial (alpha = 0.792), national (alpha = 0.709), public (alpha = 0.785), human (alpha = 0.782), citizen (alpha = 0.792), private (alpha = 0.794), and Internet user (alpha = 0.731) subscales, show sufficient internal consistency. The territorial security factor accounted for 22% of total variance. Based on adjustment and residual parameters ⌠χ2 = 135.34 (32 gl) p = 0.054; GFI = 0.995; CFI = 0.990; RMSEA = 0.003⌡, the null hypothesis of significant relationship among theoretical dimensions of security with respect to factors weighted was accepted. Conclusions: Inclusion and measurement of a dimension of self-control perception that would negatively and significantly correlate with the perception of territorial security would explain the factorial structure of the scale. Such model would be estimated by a confirmatory factorial analysis with unweighted least squares.Introducción: la administración de seguridad pública supone la instrumentación de políticas públicas que justifican la rectoría del Estado en la prevención del delito y la impartición de justicia. Sin embargo, la desconfianza ciudadana hacia la acción gubernamental se evidencia por una creciente percepción de inseguridad reportada por la literatura en siete dimensiones: territorial, nacional, pública, humana, ciudadana, privada e internauta. Objetivo: establecer la confiabilidad y la validez de un instrumento que mide la percepción de seguridad territorial, nacional, pública, humana, ciudadana, privada e internauta. Método: estudio no experimental, transversal y exploratorio con una selección no probabilística de 320 estudiantes de una universidad pública. Resultados: la confiabilidad de la escala general (alfa = 0,793) y de las subescalas territorial (alfa = 0,792), nacional (alfa = 0,709), pública (alfa = 0,785), humana (alfa = 0,782), ciudadana (alfa = 0,792), privada (alfa = 0,794) e internauta (alfa = 0,731) evidencian una consistencia interna suficiente. El factor de seguridad territorial explicó el 22% de la varianza total. A partir de parámetros de ajuste y residual ⌠χ2 = 135,34 (32gl) p = 0,054; GFI = 0,995; CFI = 0,990; RMSEA = 0,003⌡, se aceptó la hipótesis nula de relación significativa entre las dimensiones de seguridad teóricas con respecto a los factores ponderados. Conclusiones: la inclusión y medición de una dimensión de percepción de autocontrol que correlacionaría negativa y significativamente con la percepción de seguridad territorial explicaría la estructura factorial de la escala. Tal modelo se estimaría con un análisis factorial confirmatorio con mínimos cuadrados no ponderados.Introdução: a administração de segurança pública supõe a instrumentação de políticas públicas que justificam a direção do Estado na prevenção das atividades criminosas e a aplicação de justiça. No entanto, a desconfiança cidadã em relação à ação é observada em uma crescente percepção de insegurança reportada na literatura em sete dimensões: territorial, nacional, pública, humana, cidadã, privada e internauta. Objetivo: estabelecer a confiabilidade e a validade de um instrumento que mede a percepção de segurança territorial, nacional, pública, humana, cidadã, privada e internauta. Método: estudo não experimental, transversal e exploratório com uma seleção não probabilística de 320 estudantes de uma universidade pública. Resultados: a confiabilidade da escala geral (alfa = 0,793), e das sub-escalas territorial (alfa = 0,792), nacional (alfa = 0,709), pública (alfa = 0,785), humana (alfa = 0,782), cidadã (alfa = 0,792), privada (alfa = 0,794), e internauta (alfa = 0,731), demostram uma consistência interna suficiente. O fator de segurança territorial explicou 22% da variância total. A partir de parâmetros de ajuste e residual ⌠χ2 = 135,34 (32gl) p = 0,054; GFI = 0,995; CFI = 0,990; RMSEA = 0,003⌡, foi aceita a hipótese nula de relação significativa entre as dimensões de segurança teóricas em relação aos fatores ponderados. Conclusões: a inclusão e medição de uma dimensão de percepção de autocontrole que correlacionaria negativa e significativamente com a percepção de segurança territorial explicaria a estrutura fatorial da escala. Esse modelo seria calculado com uma análise fatorial confirmatória com mínimos quadrados não ponderados

Urban energy systems within the transition to sustainable development : A research agenda for urban metabolism

The way we make sense of urban areas stands at a critical point. To reduce energy use in cities, we need to manage the way energy flows into, through and out the city. This paper starts with an overview on energy use at different levels of aggregation which allows us to outline emerging issues on urban metabolism for further research regarding urban energy systems. The research agenda focuses on five aspects: energy services, drivers for energy services, waste, data and dynamic modelling and governance. We give indications regarding the direction we think we should aspire to follow. The variety of themes within urban energy systems demands a coordinated and multidisciplinary research effort to improve our understanding of how the research of urban metabolism can contribute to achieve sustainable development

Exploring transitions towards sustainable construction : The case of near-zero energy buildings in the Netherlands

This paper examines the use of qualitative information in the construction of an agent- based model in order to study the growth of near-Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB's) in the Netherlands through the innovation systems perspective. Drawing on desktop research and semi-structured interviews, this paper offers two major findings. First, we observed that the difficulties to the development of nZEB's have been shaped by interaction and institutional barriers: the inner complexity of the building sector has decisively impacted on the growth of nZEB's. Second, exploring interviewees' understanding of the system via an agentbased model has brought fresh insights about the problem. Overall, this is a call for an interdisciplinary approach to understand the changes required for nZEB's in their path for a successful adoption. Agent-based computational modelling, complemented with knowledge that was elicited from several stakeholders within the building sector, has helped to inspect the implication of common beliefs in the course of shaping possible futures toward a transition to nZEB's

Future indoor light and associated energy consumption based on professionals' visions: A practice- and network-oriented analysis

Through the insight and visions of Danish lighting experts, this manuscript investigates relationships between future lighting technologies and practices and the expected impacts on energy and lighting consumption. The light-emitting diode (LED) will be the dominant technology of the future smart light systems. Though, energy efficiency is expected to improve, new market players will appear and new lighting opportunites will be exploited that, in turn, will increase the demand for light. A rebound effect is expected. The overall impact on the future consumption of energy is uncertain, so we conclude that political guidance is needed if society wants to assure the reduction of energy consumption through widespread diffusion of smart LED lights

Assessing through a gender-inclusion lens the social Impact of circular strategies in the Apparel Value Chain: The Dutch case

Following on various aspects of consumption such as food packaging (Chapter 7) and the legal grounding of CE (Chapter 8) this essay is focusing on the CE aspects of the apparel industry that is often stigmatised by the take-make-waste model, unfair working conditions and environmental degradation. At the same time, purchases of apparel consumers globally are essential for ensuring the livelihood of millions of workers in developed and developing countries. In this contradictory institutional environment a growing number of apparel businesses are adopting CE as their framework of operations to achieve sustainability. However, currently there is a lack of knowledge to assess the social impacts generated by the adoption of circular practices by apparel businesses. Therefore this chapter will investigate the current social impact of circularity in the apparel sector in terms workers and community wellbeing and inclusiveness. It also aim to propose a new social impact assessment framework in the apparel sectors where both companies as well as policy-makers can be guided by SSE and CE principles

Hoe meet je (het effect van) circulaire herontwikkeling?

Artikel over het bedrijventerrein Werkspoorkwartier in Utrecht dat ‘circulair herontwikkeld’ wordt. Wat is dat en welk effect dat op het gebied heeft, blijkt lastig in kaart te brengen, merken onderzoekers van de Universiteit Utrecht en Hogeschool Utrecht. (bron: https://www.gebiedsontwikkeling.nu/artikelen/hoe-meet-je-het-effect-van-een-circulaire-herontwikkeling

What influences consumption? Beyond consumers : Purposes, contexts, other agents, and history

Consumption of goods and services is a complex phenomenon at the root of environmental problems, but it is still often framed in terms of individual behaviour, which can be related to a lack of wide cross-disciplinary explanations for consumption. To contribute to filling this gap, we conducted a literature review across ten disciplines. We provide a cross-disciplinary overview of what influences consumption, juxtaposing dominant with less-heard explanations for consumption and adding cross-disciplinary evidence to counter the view of consumption as a chiefly individual phenomenon. The resulting conceptual framework depicts consumption as influenced by three levels that undergo historical transformations: the micro level of consumers, purposes and products; the meso level of the direct context in which consumption takes place; and the macro level of societal contexts and agents. Future research should investigate which kinds of interactions between levels, agents and contexts can lead to minimising social and environmental impacts of consumption

A multi-level framework for metabolism in urban energy systems from an ecological perspective

Abstract Cities have become the main centres of consumption and transformation of resources. As cities are still growing in terms of physical size, number of inhabitants and total energy consumption, unique challenges present themselves in order to safeguard a healthy urban living environment, while preventing resource shortages and pollution. The concept of urban metabolism may contribute to sustainable growth of cities as it can be used to understand emergent patterns in flows of energy and materials in the urban environment. The concept of urban metabolism draws upon an analogy with the biological meaning of metabolism, as it occurs in organisms and ecosystems. Here we present a review of the interpretation of urban metabolism in the context of urban energy dynamics and assess the validity of the proposed analogy with biology. Based on this analogy, we propose a conceptual framework for the role of urban metabolism in urban energy systems. Our review highlights that urban energy systems show a hierarchical organization comparable to ecological systems. However, the emergent patterns that result from the dynamics within urban systems differ from those occurring within ecological systems. We suggest that, in contrast to biological systems, urban energy systems lack energetic constraints at the lowest level of organisation that could enable the resource-efficient regulation of energy requirements at larger scales. The proposed framework highlights that low-level resource supply regulations may contribute to introduce scale-dependent relationships that increase energy use efficiency as cities grow