Towards a consensus on the circular economy

The growing importance of the concept of the circular economy as a way to attain sustainable development has encouraged scholars to propose different ways to understand it. Given the large number of studies done on the circular economy, their differing approaches and their multiple applications, this paper attempts to propose a consensus view of the basic notions of the circular economy framework and highlight its relationship with eco-innovation. To that end, this study carried out a systematic literature review that resulted in four main outputs: a knowledge map of the circular economy, an analysis of the main notions of the concept, principles, and determinants of a circular economy. Finally, this study brings to light some remarkable examples of eco-innovations developed for implementation in the circular econom

Evolución de la gestión ambiental a través de estados de madurez.

A primera vista, la gestión ambiental puede parecer diferente en cada empresa. Sin embargo, esta investigación ha demostrado que la evolución de la gestión ambiental es similar en todas las organizaciones; es decir, cada compañía pasa por análogos estados de madurez. A través de entrevistas y workshops con expertos en gestión ambiental, se ha definido esta evolución y se ha desarrollado una clasificación de estos estados de madurez: Cumplimiento de la Legislación, Formación, Sistematización, ECO2, Eco-Innovación y Empresa Líder en Gestión Ambiental. Esta clasificación ayuda a comprender con mayor precisión la evolución de la gestión del medio ambiente y la estructura que representa a esta evolución

Estudio de la evolución de la gestión ambiental en empresas industriales.

La gestión ambiental se ha convertido en un aspecto esencial en todas las empresas. Sin embargo, no todas han alcanzado el mismo nivel de madurez. A través de una serie de workshops con expertos en el campo ambiental, se ha recogido información referente a aquellos aspectos que afectan a la gestión ambiental de todas las empresas para lograr demostrar que la evolución de la gestión ambiental a lo largo del tiempo es similar en todas ellas. Se ha definido una serie de factores, políticas, indicadores y comportamientos que intervienen en la gestión ambiental a lo largo del tiempo. Este estudio permite a las empresas identificar en qué estado de madurez se encuentran y qué pasos tienen que ir dando hacia la excelencia ambiental

Definición, dinámica y alcance de la eco-innovación.

Actualmente la mayoría de las empresas cumplen los requisitos ambientales que exigen los clientes y la legislación vigente. Sin embargo, no es fácil ir más allá y alcanzar la excelencia ambiental. Es aquí donde entra el concepto de eco-innovación. Todavía no existe una definición clara de este concepto y es importante aclarar su significado para poder avanzar. Por lo tanto, a través de una investigación exploratoria, este artículo expone los diferentes enfoques de eco-innovación y aclara el concepto, dándole una perspectiva dinámica. Es importante destacar, que la ecoinnovación no tiene por qué tener como objetivo inicial la mejora ambiental; sino que puede partir de innovaciones que se realizan en los productos, procesos o servicios de la empresa. Esta definición se debe enmarcar en un campo de mejora continua, de tal forma que se busque de manera incremental, nuevos márgenes de mejora; ya sea en los productos, procesos y/o servicios y como consecuencia en el medio ambiente; o por el contrario, en aspectos ambientales y como consecuencia en los productos, procesos y/o servicios. Por otro lado, la eco-innovación está muy ligada al eco-diseño y a la eco-eficiencia. A través del eco-diseño se puede llegar a la eco-innovación, pero hay que tener en cuenta que para que el producto/servicio sea rentable hay que analizar la eco-eficiencia que se centra en el diseño de los procesos

Towards a consensus on the circular economy.

The growing importance of the concept of the circular economy as a way to attain sustainable devel- opment has encouraged scholars to propose different ways to understand it. Given the large number of studies done on the circular economy, their differing approaches and their multiple applications, this paper attempts to propose a consensus view of the basic notions of the circular economy framework and highlight its relationship with eco-innovation. To that end, this study carried out a systematic literature review that resulted in four main outputs: a knowledge map of the circular economy, an analysis of the main notions of the concept, principles, and determinants of a circular economy. Finally, this study brings to light some remarkable examples of eco-innovations developed for implementation in the circular economy

Beyond the Circular Economy Theory: Implementation Methodology for Industrial SMEs.

Purpose: The circular economy has multiple benefits and opportunities to achieve sustainability and a better future for the next generations. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology that guides step-by-step any industrial SMEs in the transition from the linear to a circular model. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a crucial role in the sustainable development transition, considering that they represent most of the world's companies. Design/methodology/approach: To develop this methodology, two research techniques were used: a focus group and storyboarding. Findings: The resulting methodology, called Ecopyme, comprises five steps: 1) Firm identity, 2) Diagnosis, 3) Planning, 4) Get the ball rolling, and 5) Assessment and feedback. In addition, two key criteria that must be included in the whole process were identified: value creation in the firm through a circular economy and organization commitment from the top management to the staff. Research limitations/implications: The Ecopyme methodology has two limitations: It does not propose either implementation tools or involve consumers and actors at the meso (e.g., eco-industrial parks) and macro (e.g., cities, provinces, countries) levels. Practical implications: This study will help policymakers understand the SMEs' perspective and remove barriers that may hinder the paradigm shift. The methodology is also a useful tool for consultants and entrepreneurs to incorporate the circular economy (CE) principles into their business. Originality/value: In the CE literature, little attention has been paid to proposing a structured methodology to implement CE in SMEs. Thus, the study provides a step-by-step methodology that guides any industrial SMEs to transition from linear to circular. Also, it provides additional evidence concerning the importance of human commitment in changing firms' paradigm because people can encourage the adoption of responsible production practices if firms commit CEOs, sustainability managers, and staff

Advancing circular economy performance indicators and their application in Spanish companies.

Current research on the circular economy (CE) reveals that, while the concept and its application have been extensively explored as shown in several case studies, the definition of tools and criteria measuring "circularity" of products, companies or regions are not well-defined. Therefore, indicators for measuring the different levels of a CE (micro, meso, and macro) should be a high priority for stakeholders (governments, companies, NGOs, civil society, etc.) in order to track progress on CE initiatives. However, the increasing interest on CE has caused a still open debate on the conceptualization of CE which hampers the creation of indicators based on a common conceptual framework. As a result, the absence of standard indicators to track progress on circularity is leading to contradiction and misunderstanding, which represents a challenge to the implementation of CE strategies. Thus, this study tries to address this gap by advancing a set of indicators adapted from existing indicators that guarantees simplicity and effectiveness, closely based on indicators proposed by government bodies. This research carried out an exploratory study to formulate the indicators requirements based on literature, refined through experts' opinion and then they were tested in Spanish companies located in the Basque Country region through an empirical work to assess this theory. A mix of research methods (e.g. semi-structured interviews and surveys) were used to seek applicability of CE indicators for organisations. The study showed that the proposed indicators currently used for assessing the CE at the macro level were applicable at the micro level based on companies' responses. This fact demonstrated that the indicators serve the purpose of being applicable to companies regardless of the type of economic activity they were in. Also, it shows that indicators used to monitor progress on CE at the macro level can be translated to the micro level. Consequently, it is recommended that the set of CE indicators focused on the methodology proposed in this study should be used across different industrial sectors in order to observe performance in companies to facilitate the transition to a CE model. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Environmental Management Evolution Framework: Maturity Stages and Causal Loops.

Environmental management has become a fundamental concern for organizations, customers, and citizens, yet there are few environmental management metrics that guide toward environmental excellence. This research presents a detailed qualitative model of the evolution of environmental management of a firm through the definition of maturity stages and causal influences. The model provides a technique for assessing maturity stages as well as steps that can assist or negate their ecological advancement. The causal-based classification helps companies to understand the need for nontechnical elements in the process, such as top management commitment. This article also contributes to the literature on integrative multimethod research, as it brings together several approaches to environmental management

Challenges for ecolabeling growth: lessons from the EU Ecolabel in Spain

Purpose The European Ecolabel (EU Flower) has the mission to encourage cleaner production and influence consumers to promote Europe's transition to a circular economy. Nonetheless, little is known about EU Ecolabel evolution; it is not clear what the drivers that encourage its implementation are. Thus, this study aims to assess the growing acceptance of the EU Ecolabel in the European Union, and Spain more specifically, by examining product and service categories and geographical regions. Methods The methodological approach taken in this study is a mixed methodology based on the triangulation method by consulting the EU Ecolabel scheme database, EU Ecolabel delegates from some autonomous regions, and the academic literature. Also, a geographic analysis was run in the ArcGIS Software with data about the accumulation of licenses assigned in 2016. Results and discussion The analysis shows that most products in Spain that have been awarded the EU Ecolabel belong to the following categories: Do-It-Yourself Products (paint and varnish), Paper Products, Cleaning Up Products, and Electronic Equipment. At the same time, the study showed that this ecolabel faces significant obstacles in its diffusion, such as the competition with environmental labels launched previously in Europe and other regional labels. Conclusions The results of this study indicate the existence of five drivers that may encourage the implementation of EU Flower in a region: (1) public management, (2) communication strategy, (3) sustainable public procurement criteria, (4) local income per capita, and (5) international trade incentives. Finally, this study provides essential recommendations for policymakers to trigger ecolabeling practices such as the need to improve the understanding of the EU ecolabel impact in different levels of activity, which means countries, regions, industrial clusters, firms, and consumers. Also, this investigation identifies areas for further research, and it expresses the need to develop business case studies about ecolabeling with the objective to visualize this phenomenon as an eco-innovation process

An Overview of the Circular Economy among SMEs in the Basque Country: A Multiple Case Study.

Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degreeof to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs.Design/methodology/approach:A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrialSMEs companies in the Basque Country.Findings:The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and inmany cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed toenvironmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face thebiggest challenges due to a lack of resources.Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promotingsustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. Thisresearch has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies inEurope and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmentalexcellence due to their limited resources