Waste treatment company decision-making in a complex system of markets influenced by the circular economy

As waste treatment companies are pivotal for a shift towards the circular economy, more insight into their decision-making process is needed. This paper explores how waste treatment companies make decisions facing the circular economy by using a qualitative research approach (semi-structured interviews, workshop, focus group) with 10 companies and experts across the EU in a framework of four interrelated markets. We found that the circular economy will exacerbate competition across markets, which creates difficulties for both public and private waste treatment companies to make the shift towards the circular economy in a changing technology landscape. Furthermore, there are institutional contradictions that arise due to lagging support mechanisms, leaving waste treatment companies with significant uncertainties concerning their transfer to a circular economy. Therefore, waste treatment companies will require a regulatory framework that meets their needs across various markets

Towards a Circular Bioeconomy. VOLATILE FATTY ACID PLATFORM FOR BIOWASTE RECYCLING

Resources in general are not infinitely available, and also renewable resources if consumed outside their normal replacement cycles become scarce. Therefore, the establishment of a circular bioeconomy must respect natural systems and replacement cycles of organic carbon thereby reducing environmental pressure of human consumption. Upcycling of side and biowaste streams towards added value compounds represents hereby a critical aspect reducing land system change and fertilizer use for biomass supply for the bioeconomy. The development of a Volatile Fatty Acids Platform (VFAP) represents an important cornerstone for the upcycling of heterogenous municipal biowaste streams.This e-book was prepared in the context of the EU funded project VOLATILE in accordance with the grant agreement No 720777 (European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme)