Performance indicators for a circular economy: A case study on post-industrial plastic waste

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 46-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Huysman ◽  
Jonas De Schaepmeester ◽  
Kim Ragaert ◽  
Jo Dewulf ◽  
Steven De Meester
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Post Industrial

scholarly journals Extending Multilevel Statistical Entropy Analysis towards Plastic Recyclability Prediction

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Philippe Nimmegeers ◽  
Alexej Parchomenko ◽  
Paul De Meulenaere ◽  
Dagmar R. D’hooge ◽  
Paul H. M. Van Steenberge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Entropy Analysis ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
Statistical Entropy ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Material Component ◽  
Future Work

Multilevel statistical entropy analysis (SEA) is a method that has been recently proposed to evaluate circular economy strategies on the material, component and product levels to identify critical stages of resource and functionality losses. However, the comparison of technological alternatives may be difficult, and equal entropies do not necessarily correspond with equal recyclability. A coupling with energy consumption aspects is strongly recommended but largely lacking. The aim of this paper is to improve the multilevel SEA method to reliably assess the recyclability of plastics. Therefore, the multilevel SEA method is first applied to a conceptual case study of a fictitious bag filled with plastics, and the possibilities and limitations of the method are highlighted. Subsequently, it is proposed to extend the method with the computation of the relative decomposition energies of components and products. Finally, two recyclability metrics are proposed. A plastic waste collection bag filled with plastic bottles is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of the developed extended multilevel SEA method. The proposed extension allows us to estimate the recyclability of plastics. In future work, this method will be refined and other potential extensions will be studied together with applications to real-life plastic products and plastic waste streams.

Identifying effective institutions for China’s circular economy: Bottom-up evidence from waste management

2020 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2097279
Author(s):  
Benjamin Steuer
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
Formal Systems ◽  
Evaluation Matrix

The present article centres on institutions, that is, systems of rules that guide behaviour and interaction of socio-economic actors, and their role in advancing China’s circular economy (CE), particularly in waste management (WM). Since the early 2000s, state and non-state actors in China have begun to explore CE ideas in WM resulting in a multitude of related patterns and schemes. In regard to why such systems exhibit different degrees of effectiveness, it appears that much is determined by the institutional arrangements within. Based on several years of field research in China, the article identifies and analyses key institutional ingredients for effective outcomes. Methodologically, these components are identified via an analytical model incorporating WM performance indicators and a framework for assessing interest inclusiveness. Empirically, the analysis is applied to case study findings on the informal and semi-formalised recycling sector in Beijing and Changchun. The resulting findings are synthesised into an evaluation matrix: it indicates which effective informal institutional elements in waste collection and pre-processing allow for a translation into formal systems. The so-demonstrated convertibility indicates a substantial potential for the innovation of current formal WM systems in urban China.

Development trends of circular economy: Case study of Ukraine

2017 ◽  
pp. 51-66
Author(s):  
Tamara Merkulova ◽  
Kateryna Kononova ◽  
Olena Titomir
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Development Trends

Transitioning Business for a Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan EVANS
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Operational Model ◽  
New Vision ◽  
To Come ◽  
Space Requirements

This case study explores the strategic business opportunities, for Lane Crawford, an iconic luxury department store, to transition in a circular economy towards sustainability. A new experimentation framework was developed and conducted among cross departmental employees, during a Design Lab, with intention to co-create novel Circular Economy business concepts towards a new vision: the later was a reframe of the old system based on the principles of sustainability; to move beyond a linear operational model towards a circular economy that can contribute to a regenerative society. This work draws on both academic and professional experience and was conducted through professional practice. It was found that innovative co-created concepts, output from the Design Lab, can create radical change in a circular economy that is holistically beneficial and financially viable; looking forward to extract greater value a)Internal organization requires remodeling to transform towards a circular economy; b)Requirement for more horizonal teams across departments vs solely vertical; c)New language and relationships are required to be able to transition towards a circular economy; d)Some form of physical and virtual space requirements, for cross-disciplinary teams to come together to co-create; e)Ability to iterate, learn and evolve requires agency across the business

scholarly journals A Review of Bioplastics and Their Adoption in the Circular Economy

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1229
Author(s):  
Alberto Di Bartolo ◽  
Giulia Infurna ◽  
Nadka Tzankova Dintcheva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Net Zero

The European Union is working towards the 2050 net-zero emissions goal and tackling the ever-growing environmental and sustainability crisis by implementing the European Green Deal. The shift towards a more sustainable society is intertwined with the production, use, and disposal of plastic in the European economy. Emissions generated by plastic production, plastic waste, littering and leakage in nature, insufficient recycling, are some of the issues addressed by the European Commission. Adoption of bioplastics–plastics that are biodegradable, bio-based, or both–is under assessment as one way to decouple society from the use of fossil resources, and to mitigate specific environmental risks related to plastic waste. In this work, we aim at reviewing the field of bioplastics, including standards and life cycle assessment studies, and discuss some of the challenges that can be currently identified with the adoption of these materials.

scholarly journals A Framework for Assessing Commitment Indicators in Sustainable Development Decisions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5234
Author(s):  
Mustafa S. Al-Tekreeti ◽  
Salwa M. Beheiry ◽  
Vian Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Corporate Leaders ◽  
Corporate Decisions ◽  
Waste Energy ◽  
Infrastructure Project

Numerous decision support systems have been developed to address the decision-making process in organizations. However, there are no developed mechanisms to track commitment down the line to the decisions made by corporate leaders. This paper is a portion of a study that establishes a framework for a comprehensive metric system to assess commitment to Sustainable Development (SD) decisions down the line in capital projects, and sets the groundwork for further development of performance indicators for SD outcomes. This ultimately leads to investigating the relationship between commitment to corporate decisions and better project performance in SD parameters. Hence, this study explores the literature to extract relevant parameters that reflect the degree of the project participants’ commitment to SD decisions and to develop commitment indicators. The study created then validated an index to track this commitment along the project stages: the Sustainable Development Commitment Tracking Tool (SDCTT). The SDCTT was tested on an infrastructure project case study. In this paper, techniques relevant to the first stage of projects (planning and definition) are presented. The SDCTT is the groundwork for the future development of performance indicators for SD outcomes, and within the postulated model should ultimately contribute towards reducing project waste, energy use, and carbon emissions.

Evaluation of circular economy potential of plastic waste in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keshan Samarasinghe ◽  
Srikanth Pawan Kumar ◽  
Chettiyappan Visvanathan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Plastic Waste

scholarly journals The Key Strategies to Implement Circular Economy in Building Projects—A Case Study of Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 754
Author(s):  
H.-Ping Tserng ◽  
Cheng-Mo Chou ◽  
Yun-Tsui Chang
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Building Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pilot Projects ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
The World ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Future Project

The building industry is blamed for consuming enormous natural resources and creating massive solid waste worldwide. In response to this, the concept of circular economy (CE) has gained much attention in the sector in recent years. Many pilot building projects that implemented CE concepts started to appear around the world, including Taiwan. However, compared with the pilot projects in the Netherlands, which are regarded as the pioneer ones by international society, many CE-related practices are not implemented in pilot cases in Taiwan. To assist future project stakeholders to recognize what the key CE-related practices are and how they could be implemented in their building projects in Taiwan, this study has conducted a series of case studies of Dutch and Taiwanese pilot projects and semi-structured interviews with key project stakeholders of Taiwanese pilot projects. Thirty key CE-related practices are identified via case studies, along with their related 5R principles (Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle) and project phases. Suggestion on CE-related practices, their 5R principles, project items, and phases to implement in building projects in Taiwan is also proposed while discussion on differences between two countries’ pilot projects is presented.

scholarly journals Moving from Niche to Norm: Lessons from Food Waste Initiatives

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7667
Author(s):  
Lusine H. Aramyan ◽  
Gonne Beekman ◽  
Joris Galama ◽  
Sandra van der Haar ◽  
Maarten Visscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Success Traits

For a transition to a circular economy to take place, behavioural change from people who are part of the transition is a key requirement. However, this change often does not occur by itself. For systemic behavioural change, policy instruments that incentivise behaviour supporting circular food systems play a key role. These instruments need to be aligned with the environment in which the behaviour takes place. In this study, we scrutinise a case study with five initiatives on the reduction of food loss and waste (FLW) contributing to a circular food system, to understand how specific, well-targeted combinations of instruments as well as other contextual and personal factors can fuel the transition to a circular economy and the reduction of FLW. All the initiatives are taking place under the umbrella of the Dutch initiative “United against food waste” (STV). We use a behavioural change perspective to assess how initiatives that support circular food systems arise and how they can be further supported. Based on the case-study analysis, we arrive at five common success traits and barriers, and five key needs for upscaling. We conclude that motivated, inspiring frontrunners are of key importance in the initial phase of a transition process. However, once a niche initiative is ready to be scaled up, the enabling environment becomes increasingly important.

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