Gypsum Waste Management in the European Union: Towards a Circular Economy for the Construction Sector

This paper aims to create an image of progress towards circular economy registered by European Union countries through specific indicators. In this way, this paper is based on the study and analysis of the 13 indicators, grouped on 4 pillars: Production and consumption, Waste management, Secondary raw materials, Competitiveness and innovation. After the presentation of the methodology, the paper develops an analysis in time and space of the selected indicators, then an analysis of the countries with their grouping on clusters, creating a map of them and highlighting the current situation of circular economy in the European Union. Moreover, the paper also presents the evolution of the countries regarding circular economy, which has a big importance taking into account that in the European Union the preoccupations for this concept is higher from one period to another. Among the most interesting results are: (1) a massive concentration of countries with problems for Waste management pillar; (2) Europe is one of the regions with the largest contribution in terms of circular economy, but the concept is developing differently from one country to another; (3) The scoreboard evolution is particularly useful in revealing the continuous actions adopted by countries in order to facilitate the conversion to circular economy. Finally, the paper presents possible limits of the research, but also future directions of its development.

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The Relationship between the Circular Economy and Sustainable Waste Management in European Union

Journal of Business Administration Research ◽

10.30564/jbar.v4i1.2709 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marcuta Liviu ◽

Panait Razvan ◽

Marcuta Alina

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Waste Management ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Living Standards ◽

The European Union ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

European Policies ◽

The Relationship

Modern life has contributed both to the increase of living standards, to the increase of the comfort level and to the development of the society, but also to the increase of the amount of waste that end up suffocating the planet and threatening the existence of present and future generations. Among the solutions that are sought and that are included in various programs and policies, the concept of circular economy is one that is increasingly discussed when talking about the sustainable development of society. The circular economy implies a reduction of the natural resources consumed due to both recycling and their fair consumption. At the E.U. level the foundations have been laid for policies aimed at waste management to ensure the application of the principles of the circular economy.Considering the importance that the quantification of the indicators for implementing the circular economy have on the elaboration of more efficient policies, but also on the determination of the degree of implementation of this concept, in this paper we intend to analyze the evolution of these indicators in 2010-2019, in the European Union using a customized version of the DPSIR model. Their analysis led us to the conclusion that although important steps have been taken towards the transition to the circular economy, there are still many aspects that need to be improved in order to achieve the proposed objectives through European policies.

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Circularity in value chains for building materials

Proceedings 5th CARPE Conference: Horizon Europe and beyond ◽

10.4995/carpe2019.2019.10196 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Evert-Jan Velzing ◽

Annemiek Van der Meijden ◽

Kitty Vreeswijk ◽

Ruben Vrijhoef

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

United Nations ◽

European Commission ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Action Plan ◽

Ecological Economics ◽

United Nations Environment Programme ◽

Construction Sector ◽

The European Union ◽

Global Vision

AbstractThe urgency for developing a circular economy is growing, and more and more companies and organisations are concerned with the importance of adapting their business to fit a changing economy. However, many analyses on the circular economy are still rather abstract and there is a lack of understanding about what circularity would mean for specific industries. This insufficient insight especially seems to be apparent in the building and construction sector. Besides, the building and construction sector is responsible for a major part of energy use and emissions. To tackle the issue of insufficient insight into the business consequences of circular devlopments, further research is necessary. Therefore, we propose to collaborate on a research project that aims to provide a more detailed level of analysis. The goal is to identify drivers and barriers to make better use of materials in the building and construction sector. This further research would benefit from an international collaboration between universities of applied sciences and industry from different European countries. An additional benefit of the applied orientation would be the relevance for professional education programmes. References CBS, PBL & Wageningen UR. (2017). Vrijkomen en verwerking van afval per doelgroep, 1990-2014 (indicator 0206, versie 13, 26 janauri2017). Retrieved from: https://www.clo.nl/indicatoren/nl0206-vrijkomen-en-verwerking-van-afval-per-doelgroep Cuchí, A.; Arcas, J.; Casals, M. & Fobella, G. (2014). Building a common home Building sector – A global vision report. Produced by the Global Vision Area within the World SB14 Barcelona Conference. De Jesus, A. & Mendonça, S. (2018). Lost in Transition? Drivers and Barriers in the Eco-innovation Road to the Circular Economy. Ecological Economics, 145, 75-89. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.08.001. EC. (2015). Closing the Loop – An EU action plan for the Circular Economy. Brussels: European Commission. EC. (2019). Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of the Circualr Economy Action Plan. Brussels: European Commission. Ghisellini, P; Cialini, C. & Ulgiati, S. (2016). A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, 11-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007. Kirchherr, J., Pisciceli, L., Bour, R., Kostense-Smit, E., Muller, J., Huibrechtse-Truijens, A. & Hekkert, M. (2018). Barriers to the Circular Economy: Evidence From the European Union (EU). Ecological Economics, 150, 264-272. Mazzucato, M. (2018). Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union – A problem-solving approach to fuel innovation-led growth. Retrieved from: European Commission; https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/mazzucato_report_2018.pdf Nederland circulair in 2050. Rijksbreed programma Circulaire Economie (2016). Den Haag: Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu & Ministerie van Economische Zaken. Stahel, W.R. (2016) The Circular Economy. Nature, 531(7595), 435-438. UN. (2018). 2018 Global Status Report – Towards a zero-emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector. United Nations Environment Programme. UNCTAD. (2018). Circular Economy: The New Normal (Policy Brief No. 61). Retrieved from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/presspb2017d10_en.pdf

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Waste Regulation

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Environmental Law ◽

10.1093/law/9780198790952.003.0027 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 606-625

Author(s):

Natalie Jones ◽

Geert van Calster

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Waste Management ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Waste Treatment ◽

The United States ◽

The European Union ◽

Waste Generation ◽

Waste Streams ◽

Waste Hierarchy ◽

Broad Structure

This chapter examines the structures and principles of waste management law, using several jurisdictions including China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States for comparison. It first provides an overview of the so-called macrostructures of waste management laws, focusing on three ways in which the broad structure of waste laws can be contrasted: centralized systems versus delegated systems, unified systems versus fragmented systems, and integrated versus specific systems. It then considers the principles of waste management law, with emphasis on approaches taken to define ‘waste’, waste hierarchy, waste streams, and waste classifications. It also describes management principles such as reduction of waste generation, treatment near the source, standards of waste treatment, prohibitions and restrictions of movement, and extended producer responsibility. Finally, it explores the emerging trend of circular economy approaches to waste management.

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The circular economy package of the European Union: are new paths being taken or is it an old story?

Detritus ◽

10.31025/2611-4135/2020.13991 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 12-17

Author(s):

Andreas Bartl

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Waste Management ◽

European Commission ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Business Models ◽

The European Union ◽

New Business ◽

New Business Models

The European Commission is in the process of improving its waste management and as a result, the so-called Circular Economy Package (CEP) has been launched. As a matter of fact, only recently several directives in the field of waste management have been amended and in the next years targets for re-use and recycling of waste will be significantly tightened. However, the CEP aims to go beyond recycling and issues such as easy-to-repair design or new business models are put in the foreground. It is striking that some ideas of the CEP are already more than four decades old. Nevertheless, the CEP has to be welcomed under the motto “better late than not at all”.

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European Experience in Waste Management

Environmental Sciences Proceedings ◽

10.3390/environsciproc2021009017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 17

Author(s):

Tetiana Vitenko ◽

Nataliia Marynenko ◽

Iryna Kramar

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Waste Management ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Management Practices ◽

Environmental Safety ◽

The European Union ◽

Safety Standards ◽

European Experience ◽

Waste Management Practices ◽

The Eu

The development of the waste management system in the European Union is studied. The waste management practices in a range of the EU countries are analyzed. The main principles of solving the problem of managing waste in the EU are revealed. A comparison of indicators for waste management in the EU and Ukraine is provided. The dominant European trends among other areas of waste—“zero waste” and “circular economy”—are identified. The regulatory framework for waste management developed in Ukraine as a step towards international environmental safety standards is discussed.

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FROM COLLISION TO COLLABORATION - INTEGRATING INFORMAL RECYCLERS AND RE-USE OPERATORS IN EUROPE: A REVIEW

Facta Universitatis Series Law and Politics ◽

10.22190/fulp1801015s ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 015 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anne Scheinberg ◽

Jelena Nesić ◽

Rachel Savain ◽

Pietro Luppi ◽

Portia Sinnott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Waste Management ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Solid Waste Management ◽

Private Institutions ◽

The European Union ◽

Informal Recycling ◽

Structural Integration ◽

Integration Strategy ◽

Urban Waste Management

THE European Union (EU) hosts some of the world’s most developed waste management systems and an ambitious policy commitment to the Circular Economy. The existence of informal recycling and re-use activities in Europe has been vigorously denied until quite recently, and remains a very challenging subject for the European solid waste management sector, as well as for European government and private institutions. In countries ranging from Malta to Macedonia and from France to Turkey, informal recyclers excluded from legal recycling niches increasingly collide with formalised and controlled EU approaches to urban waste management, packaging recovery schemes, formal re-use enterprises, and extended producer responsibility systems.This review focuses on the period from 2004 through the first half of 2016. The 78 sources on European (and neighbouring) informal recycling and re-use are contextualised with global sources and experience. The articles focus on informal recovery in and at the borders of the European Union, document the conflicts and collisions, and elaborate some constructive approaches towards legalisation, integration, and reconciliation. The overarching recommendation, to locate the issue of informal recovery and integration in the framework of the European Circular Economy Package, is supported by four specific pillars of an integration strategy: documentation, legalisation, occupational and enterprise recognition, and preparation for structural integration.

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European experience in transition to circular economy

Economic Analysis Theory and Practice ◽

10.24891/ea.19.4.598 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 598-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S.V. Ratner

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Action Plan ◽

National Level ◽

The European Union ◽

Scientific Methods ◽

European Experience ◽

General Scientific ◽

The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

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A Review of Bioplastics and Their Adoption in the Circular Economy

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13081229 ◽

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.

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Towards Circular Economy—A Comparative Analysis of the Countries of the European Union

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources10050049 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 49

Author(s):

Ewa Mazur-Wierzbicka

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Spatial Differentiation ◽

The European Union ◽

Main Research ◽

Eu Countries ◽

Population Member ◽

Research Population

There are many studies which implement and assess existing measurement manners and document the progress of entities towards the circular economy (CE) at various levels, or present or propose new possibilities of measurement. The majority of them refer to the micro level. The aim of this paper is to conduct a multidimensional comparative analysis of the implementation of circular economy by EU countries. After an in-depth critical analysis of the literature, CE indicators which were proposed by the European Commission were adopted as a basis. Owing to the research population-Member States of the European Union (EU-28), focusing on the said indicators was declared reasonable in all aspects. The classification of EU countries according to the level of their advancement in the concept of CE was adopted as a main research task. In order to do so, a relevant index of development of circular economy was created (IDCE). This will allow us, inter alia, to trace changes in the spatial differentiation of advancement of the EU countries in implementing CE over the years, to identify CE implementation leaders as well as countries particularly delayed in this regard. The comparative analysis was conducted by means of statistical methods. On the basis of the analyses, it was concluded that among all EU countries, those of the old EU are the most advanced in terms of CE. The analysis confirmed significant rising trends for IDCE only in the case of Belgium and The Netherlands.

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