scholarly journals Importance of Sustainable Mineral Resource Management in Implementing the Circular Economy (CE) Model and the European Green Deal Strategy

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzena Smol ◽  
Paulina Marcinek ◽  
Joanna Duda ◽  
Dominika Szołdrowska
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Individual Member ◽  
Member States ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Circular Model ◽  
Strong Emphasis

The European Green Deal is the new strategy for economic growth adopted by the European Commission (EC) in late 2019. One of the most important tasks in the realisation of this strategy is the mobilisation of the industry for a clean and circular economy (CE). Currently, the European Union (EU) is in the process of transformation towards a CE model, which was announced in 2014. The CE assumes a transition from a linear model based on take–make–dispose to a circular model, in which waste, if it arises, becomes a valuable resource. At the same time, it is recommended to use raw materials (RMs) more efficiently and to recycle them. The EC underlines that both changes in the management of mineral resources in individual member states and their effects should be monitored. Therefore, in 2018, the EC pointed out issues related to RM management as important elements of the monitoring framework in transformation process towards CE. The paper presents strategic directions aimed at sustainable and circular RM management in the EU, with a strong emphasis on the key elements of sustainable development—environmental, economic and social. Moreover, the importance of mineral resources management in the EC in the context of transformation towards the European Green Deal and CE is presented, and the results of selected CE indicators related to the RMs, and indicators that present sustainable RMs management are discussed. The core of the paper is presentation of a set of recommended actions which should be taken in coming years with strong emphasis on the implementation of the sustainable development (SD) principles. RM management faces a number of challenges, primarily in achieving increased levels of critical raw materials (CRMs) recycling, as well as the greater involvement of stakeholders themselves and awareness raising in the field of SD and CE among enterprises operating in the RMs sector. Currently, all member states are working together to accelerate the transformation process in the area of CE and the European Green Deal, e.g., by implementing national CE programs. A great opportunity to accelerate the transformation process is the new financial perspective for projects under the balanced and circular management of RMs—Horizon Europe, which plans to finance the new projects on RMs management and recycling.

scholarly journals Tenebrio molitor in the circular economy: a novel approach for plastic valorisation and PHA biological recovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Sangiorgio ◽  
Alessandra Verardi ◽  
Salvatore Dimatteo ◽  
Anna Spagnoletta ◽  
Stefania Moliterni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Tenebrio Molitor ◽  
World Population ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Biological Recovery ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
The One

AbstractThe increase in the world population leads to rising demand and consumption of plastic raw materials; only a small percentage of plastics is recovered and recycled, increasing the quantity of waste released into the environment and losing its economic value. The plastics represent a great opportunity in the circular perspective of their reuse and recycling. Research is moving, on the one hand, to implement sustainable systems for plastic waste management and on the other to find new non-fossil-based plastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). In this review, we focus our attention on Tenebrio molitor (TM) as a valuable solution for plastic biodegradation and biological recovery of new biopolymers (e.g. PHA) from plastic-producing microorganisms, exploiting its highly diversified gut microbiota. TM’s use for plastic pollution management is controversial. However, TM microbiota is recognised as a source of plastic-degrading microorganisms. TM-based plastic degradation is improved by co-feeding with food loss and waste as a dietary energy source, thus valorising these low-value substrates in a circular economy perspective. TM as a bioreactor is a valid alternative to traditional PHA recovery systems with the advantage of obtaining, in addition to highly pure PHA, protein biomass and rearing waste from which to produce fertilisers, chitin/chitosan, biochar and biodiesel. Finally, we describe the critical aspects of these TM-based approaches, mainly related to TM mass production, eventual food safety problems, possible release of microplastics and lack of dedicated legislation.

scholarly journals New Industrial Conditions of Sustainable Development of Mineral Resource Dependent Russian Economy in High Volatility Conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 04049
Author(s):  
Tatiana Skryl ◽  
Evgeniya Shavina ◽  
Elena Dotsenko
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
World Market ◽  
Industrial Transformation ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
The World ◽  
High Volatility ◽  
New Industrialization ◽  
Positive Results

The conditions for the transition to sustainable development and new industrial transformation for resource-dependent countries are closely linked. With the increasing volatility of the world market of raw materials and finance, the innovative modernization of the extractive industries, as the basis of the new industrialization of the economy, is experiencing significant difficulties. The article analyzes the problems of transition of the resource-dependent Russian economy to sustainable development, associated with the slowdown of the process of new industrialization in the context of the world market volatility. The authors assessed the new industrialization of the Russian economy following the 5-year period of sanctions imposed by Western countries. The article provides a theoretical review of the concept of the influence of sanctions on transition to sustainable development. The authors concluded that the mineral resources export-oriented strategy of the Russian economy still gives positive results, although the internal structure of the Russian economy has not changed significantly.

scholarly journals Impact of globalisation on circular economy and sustainable development

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 06018
Author(s):  
Iveta Máliková
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Economic Cycle ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
Globalized World

Currently, the issues related to the global threats of the environment represent a special, increasingly more significant category of global issues. The main cause of the constantly changing conditions of the environment is the economic growth itself as it is closely connected to the growth of population, satisfaction of the man´s needs and a consequent increase in consumption. With the increase in consumption, there is an increase in the use of natural resources which we perceive as a usable resource that results in the transformation of raw materials into materials being used in the production of consumer goods. The energy used in the production, together with the reusable resources, is being later returned to the economic cycle in the form of waste. However, the way we currently use resources is not sustainable. To ensure sustainable development in the Slovak Republic, as well as in the whole European Union, we need to employ resources in a more inteligent, sustainable way. It is evident that the linear model of economic growth, that we relied on in the past, does not fullfill the needs of present, modern societies in the globalized world. The transition to a circular economy seems to be an appropriate system that can provide environmentally- and economically- sustainable use of available resources, and , thereby, being able to support the main objective within the Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth - Europe 2020.

scholarly journals The Aspects of Sustainable Development in Mineral Resources Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał ZUBEK
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Renewable Raw Materials ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Face

Mineral resources provide a high standard of living for modern societies: satisfying electricity demand as well as demand for construction materials and they sustain the basis for industry and technological development. Now, modern societies are facing the challenge ofreversing the trend of the depletion of non-renewable mineral resources and sustainable development is intended to ensure the survivalof human civilization in the face of dwindling non-renewable raw materials (especially energy resources) and also increasing anthropopression and related environmental pollution. The amount of non-renewable mineral resources of the Earth's crust is limited. Underspecific conditions there is a possibility of their regeneration however over a period of several if not more than a dozen generations. Thearticle raises questions how societies can prevent mineral resources crises in future and whether this task is feasible.The article identifies the main aspects of the sustainable development in mining sector in Poland as well as environmental challengesrelated to the new CSR mechanism which are: the creation and implementation of sustainable and responsible business model whichthanks to reformed financial and economic system, will make creating a better future easier, more natural and more cost-effective.The crucial aspects of sustainable development as economic and social conditions, environmental challenges, safety of agglomerationlocated in the area of exploitation of resources or in its neighborhood were also presented in the article. The author highlighted thelegal conditions for the management of deposits and extracted mineral resources as well as work safety and research and developmentactivities in the sector.

scholarly journals Accountance in the Context of Sustainable Development and Circular Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (524) ◽  
pp. 183-188
Author(s):  
N. H. Melnyk ◽  
◽  
V. Z. Semaniuk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Production Process ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Economic Model ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Significant Component ◽  
New Approach ◽  
System A ◽  
Difficult Challenge

A significant component of sustainable development, proclaimed by the UNO, is the requirement to significantly reduce the formation of waste by preventing, reducing, recycling and reusing them. In the context of the formation of sustainable models of consumption and production, it is the circular economy that can provide a restorative, closed nature and is intended to replace the linear economic model. Circular economy has a restorative, closed nature, is characterized by minimization of consumption of primary raw materials and volumes of recycled resources, reduction of waste and waste costs. However, the transition to a circular economy requires a completely new approach not only to the production process, but also to the management system, a significant component of which is accountance. The purpose of the research is to outline the features and tendencies of accounting evolvement in the conditions of sustainable development and circular economy. The article specifies that the speed of changes in practical activities and scientific research in the context of sustainable development causes a change in requirements and functional approaches to accountance. The theoretical and practical approaches considered allow to determine those features of sustainable development and circular economy that influence accountance. The most difficult challenge in the development of accounting in the conditions of sustainable development and circular economy is the combination of economic, ecological and social results, as well as formed, established principles of accountance and financial reporting, also ensuring their reliability. Research of theoretical conceptions of accounting for sustainable development on the basis of positive and normative accountance theories can contribute to standardization and unification of financial and non-financial reporting on the company’s performance in the context of sustainable development and circular economy, limiting the possibility of incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate or unnecessary information.

scholarly journals Palimpsest and heterotopia, metaphors of the Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre Birat
Keyword(s):  
Linear Model ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Laser Scribing ◽  
Circular Model ◽  
Engineering Sciences ◽  
Societal Challenge

Words like palimpsest or heterotopia do not belong to the working vocabulary of materials or engineering sciences: they are used in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). A palimpsest is a manuscript written on an older document, the text of which has been erased. Heterotopia is a young word forged by Michel Foucault in 1967 to describe a closed space, the boundaries of which mark a discontinuity in terms of behavior: a jail or a monastery are thus a heterotopia. The Circular Economy (CE) is an essential concept in the framework of the ecological transition, pulled by a series of converging economic, ecological and political drivers. It is usually described as the adoption of a circular model of production to replace the “linear model”, but also as the new buzzword to describe material efficiency, the 3-R rule, the zero-waste ideal, the concepts of lean or frugal design or their reformulation by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, as a societal challenge and an ethical necessity. Materials producers claim that they have been practicing the Circular Economy since long before the expression was ever invented, thus à la Monsieur Jourdain, etc. The point of this paper is to describe the Circular Economy as a palimpsest and as a heterotopia and to use the metaphors, if indeed they are only metaphors, to highlight some of the less obvious features of the CE. A palimpsest is a parchment or a papyrus, which is used several times to support a series of consecutive texts. Secondary raw materials are like a palimpsest, because there are retrieved from a previous life and used again in a second life: a new artefact made from that material is like a new text written on/with this material – a metaphor also used, mutatis mutandis, in expressions like 3-D printing or laser scribing. Some interesting features of the CE pointed out by the metaphor: a the palimpsest can be used several times, like a material can be recycled several times; the concept of the palimpsest posits that the parchment is somehow more important than the text that is written on it, therefore a material is more important than the goods that are made of it; the palimpsest was used before the invention of paper and, similarly, the Circular Economy was the standard model before mass production of cheap consumer goods imposed the so-called “linear model”; a palimpsest keeps a fragmented memory of the past, in the same way as recycled material maintains a link to its past lives, through its composition in tramp elements. Examples of heterotopia are a prison or a cemetery. The Circular Economy defines a space where a particular material/element exists in its various avatars, impersonations and reincarnations and this may tentatively be worked out as a heterotopia. This is a more complex endeavor than discussing the palimpsest metaphor, but a potentially more fruitful one. Foucault has provided criteria defining heterotopia which can help us explore the analogy: particularly the point that such a space is either a space of illusion or a space of perfection. This analysis is original because it hybridizes materials and SSH concepts and thus fits with the exploration of the frontier between materials and society that SAM conferences are concerned about.

Ecological Responsibility and Sustainable Development as Preconditions for Development of the Concept of Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Olja Munitlak Ivanovic
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Intergenerational Justice ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ecological Responsibility ◽  
Production And Consumption

Ethical and ecological responsibility represent the root of sustainable development taking into account intergenerational justice. Mass production and consumption have left negative effects on the environment. Disregarding ecological responsibility, production processes were mainly based on uncontrollable use of raw materials and non-renewable energy sources. Taking into account limitation of raw materials, economic and ecological disasters, a concept of resilience has been developed to make all elements of society flexible in terms of unwanted shocks. This chapter describes two conceptual economic models: linear and circular. The linear model is based on the principle “take, produce, consume, and throw,” meaning that usability of waste is reduced and that waste is simply thrown out after consumption. Circular economic model takes into account environmental responsibility, but it also makes companies more competitive. Waste is treated and processed adequately and used as raw material in production, thus increasing competitiveness. Waste that cannot be processed is disposed permanently.

scholarly journals Statistical Evaluation of the Level of Development of Circular Economy in European Union Member Countries

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6401
Author(s):  
Barbara Fura ◽  
Małgorzata Stec ◽  
Teresa Miś
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Member States ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Medium ◽  
The Eu

In this paper, we have analysed the level of advancement in circular economy (CE) in the EU-28 countries. First, we used a synthetic measure to examine CE advancement in EU countries in each of the Eurostat CE distinguished areas, i.e., production and consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials, and competitiveness and innovation. For the empirical analysis, we applied 17 Eurostat indicators to the CE areas. To find the synthetic measure in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, we used multidimensional comparative analysis, i.e., a zero unitarisation method. Second, based on the synthetic measures of the CE areas, we created a general synthetic measure of the CE advancement of the EU-28 countries as well as the countries’ rankings. Third, we classified the countries into groups according to their level of advancement in CE, i.e., high level, medium–high level, medium–low level and low level groups. Finally, we applied a similarity measure to evaluate the correlation between obtained rankings in two most extreme moments in the period of analysis (2010, 2016). Our analysis covers all EU member states, as well as “old” and “new” EU countries separately. Our results confirm that highly developed Benelux countries, i.e., Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium, have the highest CE advancement level. Malta, Cyprus, Estonia and Greece are the least advanced in CE practice. Apart from that, on average, there is some progress in CE implementation, significant disproportions between the EU countries were observed, especially among the “new” member states.

scholarly journals The Circular Model in Disposal with Municipal Waste. A Case Study of Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1839
Author(s):  
Henrieta Pavolová ◽  
Roman Lacko ◽  
Zuzana Hajduová ◽  
Zuzana Šimková ◽  
Martin Rovňák
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
National Level ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Linear Arrangement ◽  
Circular Model

Mineral resources are life and driving force of the European Union. It is gaining awareness not only in the EU dependent on imports, but also in the world. In the context of the growing population and the growing demands of economies for natural resources, this type of material management has a significant negative impact on the environment. The main aim of the study was to justify the model of circular economy on the national level, based on the disparities between the regions of Slovak republic. To meet the objective, mostly one-factor analysis was implemented. The circular model, which is based on the partial replacement of primary raw materials by secondary ones, should, on the one hand, limit the depletion of natural resources and, on the other hand, reduce the amount of waste produced. The presented work focuses on the issue of sustainable development, which is closely related to the circular economy, and then explains the circular economy model, including the differences from the linear arrangement and possible obstacles to its implementation for the specific conditions of the Slovak republic. From the results, it is clear that the proposed circular model would be helpful to improve the inefficiencies and disparities on the regional and national level.

scholarly journals Smart Specialisation Strategies for Elevating Integration of Cultural Heritage into Circular Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jermina Stanojev ◽  
Christer Gustafsson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Regional Competitiveness ◽  
Member States ◽  
Smart Specialisation

The smart specialisation approach is becoming a strategic instrument for identifying regions’ opportunities for growth and sustainable development. It is a place-based approach and plays an important role in benchmarking regional competitiveness. To have a smart specialisation strategy has been thought of as a key factor in making a choice for investment. Smart specialisation strategies represent a policy measure to overcome disorganised and weak parallel activities in developed EU countries and offer support to those areas that have research, technological and production capacity to carry out particular activities. Smart specialisation strategies, therefore, follow the socio-economic situation in countries and their integrated technological, institutional and business processes. The EU Member States and regions recognised that supporting a limited number of well-identified priorities for knowledge-based investments and/or clusters could advance, focusing on competitive assets and realistic growth capabilities reinforced by a critical mass of action and entrepreneurial resources. However, the role of culture and cultural heritage has not been significant in these processes. As the policy review revealed that circular economy should be considered as a broader sustainable development strategy, which should also “support Member States and regions to strengthen innovation for the circular economy through smart specialisations”, the purpose of this paper is to lay a basis for a new, stronger complementarity between culture, cultural heritage and adaptive reuse practices, and circular economy concepts through smart specialisation strategies.

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