scholarly journals Potentials and Prerequisites on the Way to a Circular Economy: A Value Chain Perspective on Batteries and Buildings

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 956
Author(s):  
Meta Thurid Lotz ◽  
Robin Barkhausen ◽  
Andrea Herbst ◽  
Matthias Pfaff ◽  
Antoine Durand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
The Political ◽  
Specific Approach ◽  
A Value ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Key Sectors

It is becoming increasingly clear that linear modes of production and consumption are unsustainable. A circular economy would help to minimize both environmental and social problems. As a result, the concept is gaining momentum in the political discourse. However, current policies do not seem sufficient to transform linear value chains to circular ones. This paper compares the potentials of and prerequisites for a circular economy along two important value chains. As a best practice example, the legal framework along the battery value chain is analyzed. This analysis is used to derive recommendations for how to improve the legal framework along the building value chain. We find that the battery value chain is already addressed by targeted instruments and the instruments addressing the building value chain have to be aligned and their credibility improved through mandatory requirements. A value chain-specific approach to develop the legal framework is promising for key sectors, while both general frameworks and value chain-specific instruments are required to fully exploit the CE for every product.

scholarly journals Impact of circular economy as the EU’s ambitious policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-96
Author(s):  
Urška Fric
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The article describes the role of legislative and legal framework which brought about a new approach to waste management through the concept of circular economy, and its drivers. We explicitly focus on the impact of ambitious EU environmental policy and its financial support from the European Commission (EC) which helped social actors recognize not only the ecological, but also the economic and social benefits of the circular economy. Over 50 actions under the “Circular Economy Action Plan” launched in 2015 have been delivered or are being implemented in this period in European Union (EU). Through overview of the EU’s ambitious policy, best practice of the circular economy in the world and status quo in circular economy at EU level we also show the circular economy is nowadays a crucial megatrend and there is still needed to increase up action at EU level, provide the competitive advantage it brings to EU economy and close the loop. Beside impact of ambitious EU environmental policy article focuses on the Cultural Political Economy (CPE) approach as a political economy approach with the purpose for explaining the role of legislative and legal framework as a mechanism for selection and retention of the paradigm of circular economy.

scholarly journals Staging Co-Design for a Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3371-3380
Author(s):  
Signe Pedersen ◽  
Christian Clausen
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Design Guide ◽  
Design Value ◽  
Circular Design

AbstractIn recent years major companies such as Philips, H&M and Google have adopted a circular economy agenda to promote sustainability. Design consultancies such as IDEO has developed and promoted a circular design guide to help companies in this endeavour. However, designing for a circular economy often require design and reconfiguration of entire value chains – making the transition towards a circular economy rather difficult. In this paper we analyse a development project from the Danish island of Bornholm to investigate how to align diverse actors across the value chain in a process of co-creating systems for a circular economy. We combine design, value chain considerations and circular economy mindsets to informing negotiations of concerns among actors in the value chain.Such strategical navigation might involve:Staging initial spaces for dialogue with central actors from the value chain and initiates a process of mapping out their concernsStaging a re-alignment space where the diverse actors can meet and interact to discuss and negotiate their concerns and their roles in the networkDesign and enactment of a number of objects to faciliate negotiations

scholarly journals The circular economy: a new paradigm for the textile and clothing industries

2020 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 03008
Author(s):  
Radostina A. Angelova
Keyword(s):  
Linear Model ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Circular System

The Circular Economy (CE) is an approach that requires a paradigm shift from waste management and recycling to a completely new circular system in the textiles value chain. It is supposed to be linked with both the economic growth and harmonization with ecological systems. The paper investigates the limits of the existing linear model of textiles production and consumption. The supply chain in the CE model as an alternative to the linear model is presented. The formation of “loops” in the CE and their role for recovering the products’ value is analyzed. The environmental issues that arise with the new paradigm shift are also discussed. The difference between recycling and CE model is examined.

THE EU’S SHRINKING SHARE IN GLOBAL MANUFACTURING: A VALUE CHAIN DECOMPOSITION ANALYSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 252 ◽  
pp. R19-R32
Author(s):  
Robert Marschinski ◽  
David Martínez-Turégano
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Global Manufacturing ◽  
A Value ◽  
Industry Policy ◽  
The Eu

The EU´s falling share in global manufacturing has fuelled concerns about an overall loss of EU competitiveness, in particular vis-à-vis China. We analyse the empirical evidence underlying these concerns by applying a newly developed decomposition technique to global input-output data spanning the years 2000 to 2014. Our results confirm the diminishing role of the EU in manufacturing value chains, but also show that this is mostly, by nearly 75 per cent, a consequence of the geographical and sectoral reallocation of global demand, reflecting the lower economic growth in the EU relative to the rest of the world. Still, the other almost 25 per cent of the EU’s loss of global share is explained by its lower participation in manufacturing value chains, which confirms a downturn in EU competitiveness. By extending the analysis to individual manufacturing activities we show that this general trend is more pronounced for low-tech (e.g. textiles) than high-tech sectors, with pharmaceuticals emerging as the most resilient EU industry. Policy concerns appear to be most warranted for electronics, a key sector for which the EU´s global share fell even more than for overall manufacturing, without evidence that EU value added from upstream service inputs could significantly mitigate this trend.

scholarly journals Facilitating Aligned Co-Decisions for More Sustainable Food Value Chains

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6551
Author(s):  
Gaëlle Petit ◽  
Gwenola Yannou-Le Bris ◽  
Claudia Eckert ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Pork Products ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Food Value

The transition of existing food value chains towards greater sustainability is a societal imperative and a potential competitive factor. To succeed, some actors in the chains define new practices to establish common sustainability goals. To date, there is little evidence that the visions and values of the various actors in the chains have been leading to common solutions. This work explores the impact of collaboration on the value chain actors’ ability to jointly decide strategies for redesigning their activities. It reports on an empirical approach, which elicits the values and priorities of different stakeholders. The case takes place in the context of a value chain of the production/processing/sale of pork products. This value chain involves two French production-processing and redistribution cooperatives. Stakeholders were questioned about their prioritization of sustainability issues and these weights were applied to evaluate 12 animal feed solutions that vary in terms of the composition and geographical origin of rations, and the means and locations of their production. The results show that despite several years of cooperation, the objectives of the upstream and downstream actors remain different. The objectives of the upstream actors are driven by the economic difficulties of production and those of the downstream actors by the multiplicity of consumer demands and cost control objectives. In a reversal of the current practice marked by the economic difficulties of the actors upstream of the chain, an integrated culture could be led by bottom-up approaches to create a shared vision. Public policy would be then essential in regulating the sharing of value among actors; and in promoting chain models that help the required investments.

scholarly journals Viability and Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy Value Chains on Underutilised Lands in the EU and Ukraine

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1566
Author(s):  
Cosette Khawaja ◽  
Rainer Janssen ◽  
Rita Mergner ◽  
Dominik Rutz ◽  
Marco Colangeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Bioenergy Crops ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Feed Production ◽  
A Value ◽  
Sustainability Assessments ◽  
Selection Of

Bioenergy represents the highest share of renewable energies consumed in the European Union and is still expected to grow. This could be possible by exploring bioenergy production on Marginal, Underutilised, and Contaminated lands (MUC) that are not used for agricultural purposes and therefore, present no competition with food/feed production. In this paper, the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains on these lands is investigated and measures for market uptake were developed. Using three case study areas in Italy, Ukraine, and Germany, a screening of MUC lands was conducted, then an agronomic assessment was performed to determine the most promising crops. Then, techno-economic assessments followed by sustainability assessments were performed on selected value chains. This concept was then automated and expanded through the development of a webGIS tool. The tool is an online platform that allows users to locate MUC lands in Europe, to define a value chain through the selection of bioenergy crops and pathways, and to conduct sustainability assessments measuring a set of environmental, social, and economic sustainability indicators. The findings showed positive results in terms of profitability and greenhouse gas emissions for bioethanol production from willow in Ukraine, heat and power production from miscanthus, and biogas and chemicals production from grass in Germany. The webGIS tool is considered an important decision-making tool for stakeholders, which gives first insights on the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains.

Southern African Regional Value Chains and Integration

2021 ◽  
pp. 395-418
Author(s):  
Reena das Nair
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
A Value ◽  
Push Forward ◽  
Chain Level

Despite the changing face of global trade towards greater ‘south-south’ trade, the development of regional value chains (RVCs) and the record of intra-regional trade and integration in Southern Africa has been poor. This chapter unpacks the nuances that affect participation, investment, and upgrading in RVCs in Southern Africa, drawing lessons from selected agro-processing and food retail value chains. The lack of a clear regional development vision is evident in how these value chains have developed in practice, with limited value-addition outside South Africa, even where there is potential for it. Regional integration in Southern Africa has been fairly weak against stated targets, and the development of RVCs can push forward the regional integration agenda. This requires tailored and coordinated investments across public and private sectors, and targeted policy interventions at a value chain level, with an appreciation of political economy dynamics and the role that South African firms with market power play in shaping value-chain outcomes in the region.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Impact of Genome Editing on Agricultural Value Chains: The Case of Fungal-Resistant and Coeliac-Safe Wheat

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Maaß ◽  
Nicola Consmüller ◽  
Hella Kehlenbeck
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Socioeconomic Impact ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Value Chain Analysis ◽  
A Value ◽  
Food Retailers ◽  
Chain Analysis

Genome editing (GE) is gaining increasing importance in plant breeding, since it provides opportunities to develop improved crops with high precision and speed. However, little is known about the socioeconomic impact of genome editing on agricultural value chains. This qualitative study analyzes how genome-edited crops could affect agriculture value chains. Based on the hypothetical case of producing and processing fungal-resistant and coeliac-safe wheat in Germany, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with associations and companies operating in the value chains of wheat. A value chain analysis and qualitative content analysis were combined to assess the costs and benefits of the crops studied along the value chains of wheat. The results show that the use of fungal-resistant and coeliac-safe wheat can provide benefits at each step of the value chains. Fungal-resistant wheat benefits actors by reducing the problems and costs resulting from fungal-diseases and mycotoxins. Coeliac-safe wheat benefits actors by producing high value-added products, which can be safely consumed by patients suffering from coeliac disease. However, the results also show that low acceptance of GE by society and food retailers poses a significant barrier for the use of genome-edited crops in agricultural value chains.

scholarly journals More value from fewer resources: how to expand value stream mapping with ideas from circular economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-459
Author(s):  
Christer Hedlund ◽  
Petter Stenmark ◽  
Erik Noaksson ◽  
Johan Lilja
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Value Stream ◽  
A Value ◽  
New Business ◽  
Value Streams ◽  
Recent Trends

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent trends in the circular economy and investigate how value stream mapping (VSM) can be extended to more fully include some of the critical aspects of circular economy. Design/methodology/approach The findings are based on previous research that has explored the usage of VSM to include aspects of the environment and sustainability aspects. These ideas are then expanded to new ways to use VSM by mapping value of a product as it is; used, maintained, re-used, remanufactured, recycled, incinerated or used for landfill. The authors test out this approach through application in the waste management sector to identify possibilities for improvement and new business opportunities in what now is considered waste. Findings This paper introduces an expanded version of VSM that refines the existing Lean toolbox for exploring value and mapping value in a circular economy. Practical implications The aim of this paper is to expand the relevance and practical value of VSM as the world economy increasingly moves toward a circular one. Originality/value Today, VSM is a widespread method within Lean manufacturing that scrutinizes value creation within an organization or within a value chain. This paper describes how VSM can be refined to explore value streams in the afterlife of a product and explore waste as a resource utilization opportunity.

Risk and value chains: Participant sharing of risk and rewards

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Preckel ◽  
Allan Gray ◽  
Michael Boehlje ◽  
Sounghun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Pork Industry ◽  
Contractual Arrangements ◽  
A Value ◽  
Sustainable Value

Much discussion, analysis and experimentation with various forms of value chain coordination has occurred, but often, these business arrangements have not been sustainable. We address the important role that risk/reward sharing plays in developing sustainable value chains. The discussion will: 1) describe an analytical framework for determining the optimal risk/reward sharing between partners in a value chain, and 2) illustrate the application of the framework to contractual arrangements between producers and processors in the pork industry. We find that contract structures must balance the risk/reward preferences of both producers and processors in order to be sustainable.

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