Re-designing a more circular Scottish economy

Policies to develop a more circular economy can unlock opportunities that change how businesses, supply chains and economies could operate in the 21st Century. Such approaches build on the application of earlier concepts of industrial ecology (Frosch and Gallopoulos, 1989), cradle-to-cradle (Braungart and MacDonough, 2002) and the performance economy (Stahel, 2010). This article explores the nature, benefits, barriers and enablers of the shift towards a more circular Scottish economy, drawing on the global evidence and the programme of research undertaken by the Scottish Government and its public sector partners. In particular, it assesses the nature and scale of the opportunities in two of Scotland’s growth sectors – oil & gas and the bioeconomy – and highlights the policy and evidence issues that will be important to support the transition to a more circular – and sustainable – Scottish economy

The Baltics on their way towards a circular economy

Circular economy has been studied extensively both in Europe and worldwide. It is largely viewed as a potential strategy for societal development, aimed to increase prosperity while reducing dependence on raw materials and energy. Many businesses regard circular economy as a way to enhance economic growth and increase profits. Governments across the world actively engage in the discussion about the benefits of a transition to a circular economy and about its impact on employment, economic growth, and the environment. This paper aims to study the major issues of circular economy, to identify its advantages, and to offer an insight into the transition stage the Baltic States are undergoing today on their way to circular economy. It is stressed that the Baltic countries are not fully using the opportunities offered by a circular economy. For example, Latvia's, Lithuania's, and Estonia's recycling rates are significantly below those of other European countries. The Baltics depend heavily on EU financial support. An increase in funding will contribute to the implementation of circular economy technologies

The plastic Industry in Bogotá: A strategic study facing the challenges in global contamination growth

El presente artículo de investigación tiene como propósito definir cuál debe ser la postura estratégica de la industria del plástico en Bogotá, frente a los desafíos en el aumento en la contaminación global. Para esto se empleó una metodología cualitativa, de carácter exploratoria-descriptiva, que combina el uso de herramientas como la matriz DOFA, el análisis PESTEL y de las cinco fuerzas competitivas de Porter, así como la categorización de la información resultante en la matriz que integra la tipología de estrategias de Porter y de Miles, Snow, Meyer y otros autores. Con la investigación, se llega a la principal conclusión de adoptar como estrategia que mejor se adecua a este sector defender del mercado actual enfatizando en la diferenciación de productos.This investigative article has as purpose to define which should be the strategic posture of the plastic industry in Bogotá, facing the challenges in the global contamination growth. For that, it was used an exploratory-descriptive, qualitative methodology, that combines the use of certain tools such as the SWOT matrix, the PESTEL analysis and the five competitive forces by Porter, as well as the categorization of the resulting information in the matrix that integrates the strategy typology made up by Porter, and Miles, Snow, Meyer and other authors. With the investigation, its principal conclusion is to adopt as strategy that suits better to this sector, to defend the current market emphasizing in product differentiation

The Circular Economy: A review of definitions, processes and impacts. CEPS Research Report No 2017/8, April 2017

Transforming the linear economy, which has remained the dominant model since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, into a circular one is by no means an easy task. Such a radical change entails a major transformation of our current production and consumption patterns, which in turn will have a significant impact on the economy, the environment and society. Understanding these impacts is crucial for researchers as well as for policy-makers engaged in designing future policies in the field. This requires developing an in-depth knowledge of the concept of the circular economy, its processes and their expected effects on sectors and value chains. This paper reviews the growing literature on the circular economy with the aim of improving our understanding of the concept as well as its various dimensions and expected impacts. On the basis of this review, it attempts to map the processes involved and their application in different sectors. The paper suggests that research on the circular economy is currently fragmented across various disciplines and there are often different perspectives and interpretations of the concept and the related aspects that need to be assessed. This fragmentation is also evident in the available studies that adopt different approaches in calculating the impacts, which makes efforts at comparing the results from different sources very challenging. Finally, this paper suggests that there is limited information on the indirect effects on the economy (e.g. impacts on the value chain and/or changes in consumption spending patterns) as well as the social impacts of the circular economy transition

Sustainable development of the built environment : response to contradiction through the circular economy and designing out waste in the construction industry

The concept of the 'circular economy,' a term perhaps unfamiliar just a few years ago, has now caught the imagination of thought-leaders across the world, and is taking shape as a viable, practical alternative to the current linear economic model based on the notion of 'take-make-dispose' – a model that has, for generations, embodied an expanding culture of waste production. With 3 billion middle class consumers expected to enter the global market place by 2030 the need for changing our relationship with waste is urgent

Financing circular economy projects: a clinical study

This paper interconnects the literature on circular economy and sustainable finance. In addition to describing the reasons behind circular economy projects, this paper surveys the literature on financing circularity. The financial industry plays a significant and increasing role in promoting sustainability by supporting sustainable investment projects. To obtain funds for circular economy projects, sponsors face additional challenges due to business and financial complexities inherent to such projects. We characterise and describe firms’ reasons for developing circular economy projects as well as how these projects are funded by using a clinical study focused on three projects. Extant literature presents 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle); the reduction of cost and pollution; improvement in competitiveness, innovation, and processes; improvement of ESG ratings, and enhance reputation. All these reasons are positively correlated and address resource scarcity, impact on environment, and economic concerns. Innovative circular projects are typically funded via a mix of sustainable equity - venture capital funds, impact investors, EU funds - and debt - sustainable bonds (green and ESG bonds) and loans.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Circular economy : implications for the Swiss fashion retail industry

The concept of Circular Economy is much discussed among experts and in sustainably advanced business contexts such as the 2017 Sustainability Summit in London. Several multinational companies have already joined networks to accelerate the transition into futureproofed business practices. Startups, long-established companies and scientific research are devising groundbreaking solutions to work towards this new business imperative. At its core, the Circular Economy aims at replacing the traditional, linear way of extraction, production, consumption and disposal with a circular model, where waste is considered as a precious resource for new applications. However, it seems that in the Swiss business environment the concept is rather unknown or ignored, even though it is highly relevant considering the current and forecasted macro-economic and environmental developments. “Adapt or die” is one of the more recent statements in the light of environmental pollution, the tightening of resource availability together with population growth and increasing consumption on a global level. Therefore, this Bachelor’s thesis aims to analyze the present status of and to provide guidance for the Swiss fashion retail industry. By means of a multiple-case, embedded case study design, two Swiss fashion retailers are studied within their respective ecosystems. The two units of study were selected to approach a certain degree of external analytic validity, which is the reason why a large multinational and a smaller player with Swiss tradition were chosen. Qualitative and quantitative sources of primary and secondary data are adduced, whereas solely qualitative methods are applied. The assessments are then made inductively on the basis of the business model Recovery & Recycling. It is as such one of five Accenture-devised possibilities for enterprises to embark on a circular future. It was found that successfully employing the Recovery & Recycling business model embraces decoupling in two different ways: decoupling from potentially harmful resources, the environmental perspective and, decoupling from increasingly scarce resources, the economic perspective. The Swiss fashion industry turned out to be rather advanced within the environmental perspective, yet there is room for improvement when it comes to closing the material loop from an economic perspective. Smaller players with limited means are well advised to draw on the many instruments or methods already available and to imitate larger, more advanced players. Finally, some advancements depend on breakthroughs in recycling technology and material sciences. Nevertheless, much can already be improved by efficient design of products and processes in a way that facilitates reuse and recycling

Sanitation in the Circular Economy: Transformation to a Commercially Valuable, Self-sustaining, Biological System

In 2016 the Toilet Board Coalition ran a Feasibility Study to explore the potential role of Sanitation in the Circular Economy. The following questions were at the centre of our inquiry:- Are there products or materials of value being upcycled from toilet resources?- Are there scalable business models to deliver sustainable supply of these products to the market?- Is there commercial interest and demand from large industrial operations to become buyers into the system? This paper presents the findings of our study in the form of a thought piece on the topic of sanitation in the Circular Economy. Our intent is to present a number of business opportunity spaces, where we believe that value has been left on the table and customer needs unmet, which we recommend are to be explored further in the decade ahead.