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

Developing engineering students’ engagement with Circular Economy practices

[EN] The Circular Economy has become a topic of high interest for policy makers, scholars, and business managers because it is shown as a new paradigm to achieve the sustainability of our society. However, the main efforts in Circular Economy cannot be reduced to professional or experts’ acts. Nevertheless, we consider that if we pretend to meet the current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, we have to teach present generations the principles to achieve the economic, social and economic sustainability in the short and long term. This paper enhances the use of guided and official student clubs at the university to teach and engage engineering students with the Circular Economy practices.The support of the National Program for Fostering Excellence in Scientific and Technical Research of Spain (No. DPI2015-70832-R) is gratefully acknowledged.Ormazabal, M.; Jaca, C.; Prieto-Sandoval, V.; Lleó, Á. (2017). Developing engineering students’ engagement with Circular Economy practices. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1095-2003. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.5521OCS1095200

Environmental training at companies. The case of Volkswagen Navarra

[EN] Companies have made great strides in strengthening their environmental maturity and sustainable production. Nevertheless, many of them have not transmitted their knowledge to their workers, and this makes it more difficult to have employees participate in their company’s sustainability improvement process. In the particular case of Volkswagen Navarra, they have a lot of experience in environmental management, but they don’t have a proper program for teaching their workers so they can be more involved in the environmental aspects of the company. This paper proposes an environmental training program that can be used either as an e-learning course or a face-to-face course with the objective of providing employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the improvement of environmental aspects.The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Cátedra de Empresa, Volkswagen Navarra – Universidad de Navarra. The authors also want to give particular thanks to the environmental manager of Volkswagen Navarra, Ana Isabel Moreno, who has been an active participant through the entire project.Ormazabal, M.; Viles, E.; Prieto-Sandoval, V.; Jaca, C. (2017). Environmental training at companies. The case of Volkswagen Navarra. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1077-1084. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.5518OCS1077108

4BeGreen: metodología para motivar la conciencia ambiental, la valorización y prevención de residuos en empresas de servicios

The operation of a service organization can create an image of a reduced generation of adverse environmental impacts. It is evidenced by the absence of environmental management strategies within the company both in its operation and in the habits of its employees. However, it is an increasingly important topic in organizations based on the benefits for the company and its employees—the company benefits in terms of brand awareness, prestige, economic benefits, and legal interests. In the same way, employees can feel a greater sense of belonging, loyalty to the company, and increase their sense of retribution by feeling that they are ethical. Intending to propose a methodology to motivate environmental awareness, recovery, and prevention of waste in service companies, this study developed a case study in an export service company. As a result, the 4BeGreen methodology was designed, consisting of 4 concrete steps, representing benefits for the company and its collaborators. 1) Diagnosis, 2) Waste characterization, 3) Theoretical and practical awareness plan, 4) Ecological evaluation and feedback.La operación de una organización de servicios puede crear el imaginario de una reducida generación de impactos ambientales negativos, esto se evidencia en la ausencia de estrategias de gestión ambiental al interior de la empresa tanto en su operación como en los hábitos de sus empleados. Sin embargo, este es un tema que cobra cada vez más importancia en las organizaciones por los beneficios para la empresa y sus empleados. La empresa se beneficia en términos de recordación de marca, prestigio, beneficios económicos y legales. De la misma manera, los colaboradores pueden sentir mayor sentido de pertenencia, lealtad hacia la empresa e incrementar su sentido de retribución al sentir que actúan de manera ética. Con el objetivo de proponer una metodología para motivar la conciencia ambiental, la valorización y prevención de residuos en empresas de servicios, este estudio desarrolló un caso de estudio en una empresa de servicios de exportación y negociación internacional. Como resultado se diseñó la metodología 4BeGreen, compuesta por 4 pasos concretos: 1) Diagnóstico, 2) Caracterización de residuos, 3) Plan de concientización teórica y práctica, 4) Evaluación ecológica y retroalimentación

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

Aumentar la participación de estudiantes de ingeniería en prácticas de economía circular

The circular economy has become a topic of intense interest for policymakers, scholars and business managers because it has proven to be a new paradigm to achieve the sustainability of our society. However, the main efforts made in the circular economy cannot be limited to the actions of professional or experts. We believe that if we intend to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, we must teach present generations the principles for achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability in the short, medium and long-term. This paper highlights the use of participatory guided activities instead of traditional courses to teach and engage engineering students with circular economy practices.La Economía Circular se ha convertido en un tema de gran interés para los legisladores, académicos y empresarios, ya que se muestra como un nuevo paradigma para lograr la sostenibilidad de nuestra sociedad. Sin embargo, los principales esfuerzos en la Economía Circular no pueden reducirse a actos de profesionales o de expertos. Consideramos que, si pretendemos satisfacer las necesidades actuales sin comprometer la capacidad de las generaciones futuras para satisfacer sus propias necesidades, tenemos que enseñar a las generaciones actuales los principios para lograr la sostenibilidad económica, social y ambiental a corto, medio y largo plazo. Este artículo destaca el uso de actividades participativas en lugar de cursos tradicionales para enseñar e involucrar a estudiantes de ingeniería con las prácticas de economía circular

Circular Clock model for circular economy implementation in firms: Balance between theory and practice

Purpose: The circular economy is a key issue for any company, city, or institution. The linear economy model, based on "take, make, use and waste" of products and resources, has discarded potentially valuable resources and caused serious contamination problems. In contrast, the circular economy (CE) model is a strategic paradigm whose purpose is to regenerate and conserve resources through closed material loops and the sustainable use of energy in its processes. Therefore, a growing number of companies are applying different tools and techniques to implement the CE principles to innovate their products, services, and processes, achieving promising results. Thus, the main objective of this study is to suggest an implementation model named “Circular clock” based on a set of tools and techniques which firms may use for implementing CE. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents an empirical analysis based on the triangulation method that includes three different data sources: semi-structured interviews in Spain, academic literature and books, and non-academic publications from institutions and consultancy firms. Findings: The most relevant result of this study is the proposal of a Circular Clock model for circular economy implementation is based on six fields of action define in the academic literature: take, make, distribute, use, recover, and industrial symbiosis. Moreover, this study may serve as guidance in facilitating the strategic adoption of eco-innovation practices in firms' transition to a CE.  Research limitations/implications: The sample of companies that participated in the triangulation is exploratory; however, this limitation is overcome by reviewing academic literature and institutional reports. On the other hand, academics could expand the selection of tools with subsequent studies. Practical implications: The current study is based on the triangulation method, which was vital to balance the theory and practice provided by academic sources, reports, and books. In addition, this study has improved our understanding of the goals or intentions that may motivate firms to implement the CE and align them with the suggested set of tools. Consequently, this study is relevant to support practitioners in selecting a tool based on the goal they want to achieve towards circular economy implementation. Social implications: This research suggests several tools; however, each organization could adapt some that it already knows. Therefore, firms and implementation leaders should customize the circle with short lines in each case. Moreover, the clock bells represent the deadline considering that every CE implementation process requires a deadline to ensure its success in micro-level or firms. Originality/value: The "circular clock" provides a didactic way for sustainability leaders, consultants, or companies to facilitate the implementation of the circular economy by choosing the field of action on which they want to focus and the most appropriate tool according to their strategy, objective, and budget.  Therefore, this model is based on the balance between theory and practice

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

Circular business models for lithium-ion batteries - Stakeholders, barriers, and drivers

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