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To promote their public image, a growing number of companies have adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that benefit various social interests. As such, it is imperative to audit the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of CSR projects for their sustainable development. This paper presents an assessment of three CSR projects undertaken by the energy industry (renewable energy) and commercial sector (plastic waste recycling) in Thailand to transition towards the circular economy (CE) business model. A set of CE indicators were selected from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development: WBCSD 2018 European Commission 2018, and British Standard Institution 2017 and compared with the sustainability indicators listed in the ISO 26000:2010 (referenced in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): G4 Guidelines). These indicators were established to assess the readiness of companies to implement sustainable CSR projects. The assessment results showed that the CSR projects in the case study were conducive to the CE model, as most of the CE concepts evaluated by the performance indicators were already in place. This study aimed to support the implementation of CSR projects that contribute to adopting a CE business model and determine key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and monitor CSR projects in terms of their CE concepts. The sustainability KPIs proposed in this study can serve as a set of guidelines to drive CE strategy adoption and allow for the identification of sustainable CSR projects that can simultaneously offer more value creation and satisfaction for all stakeholders, including society and the companies, while reducing environmental impacts. This paper integrates CSR into a CE approach that results in business sustainability and contributes to Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) targets. [Display omitted] • KPIs were adopted for the comprehensive assessment of CSR projects. • CSR projects of renewable energy and plastic waste were evaluated in their ability to CE concepts. • The KPIs can identify sustainable level and contribute to CE and SDG targets of businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary concepts of economic development in the European Union (EU) progressively focus on environmental protection. At the stage of their implementation by the EU countries, some of the policies include sustainable development, green growth, green economy, and circular economy. The leading concept in this regard is the European Green Deal. It should be noted, that a multitude of means exists within EU countries, by which plastic waste is managed, with a significant share of countries largely landfilling it or placing it in waste storage facilities. The aim of this paper is to introduce a proposal meant to propel the prospects related to managing plastic waste through chemical recycling. This recommendation would contribute to the fulfillment of the circular economy model implemented by EU countries. By means of chemical recycling, it is possible to transform plastic waste into a full-value market product which can be used, for example, in the fuel industry, constituting an alternative to the agricultural products used (biocomponents). Thereby, it may result in the production of, for example, engine fuel components that can replace plant-based components or other added-value chemicals. The findings demonstrated on four levels: environmental, technical, economic, and managerial, confirm the technological possibilities of chemical recycling of plastics and the legitimacy of the implementation of the presented concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismanaged plastic waste is a major environmental concern, especially in countries of the Global South. Municipal solid waste management can not only alleviate environmental problems but also create jobs and promote local economic growth. However, providing appropriate waste management services is costly. The question is to what extent waste management policies that have proven to be successful in other geographies can help solve the challenge in developing countries. Specifically, the economics and financial flows along the value chain need to be known. In this paper, we shed light on these questions by presenting a novel, model-based method to elicit and assess the cost structure of the recycling sector in developing countries. We exemplify our method with plastics waste management in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana—an area particularly challenged by plastic waste. For this purpose, we surveyed over 80 participants of the waste management value chain and combined the data with insights from expert interviews and workshops. Based on this data, we built a bottom-up model with 67 parameters, reflecting all cost positions in the waste management value chain. We found that street waste pickers are the poorest and most vulnerable, earning only a fraction of the already low minimum wage. Middlemen and aggregators, while often being criticized for their earnings, also provide social-security-like services to waste pickers. In addition, formal and informal recyclers differ not only in earnings and size but also in recyclate quality where the informal sector provides higher quality. [Display omitted] • Analysis of formal & informal plastic waste management value chain in Accra, Ghana. • New bottom-up method for estimating & modelling true cost of waste management. • Waste pickers abstain from necessary safety equipment to achieve positive returns. • Formal recycling structures allow for scaling but reduce recyclate quality. • Substantial investments are needed to scale up recycling capacity and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic today is commonplace. Products and parts made with plastic have short life cycles, ending up in landfills not long after manufacture. Finding new pathways for plastic waste has become a critical focus of sustainability efforts, especially within manufacturing. Thus, research in this field continues to grow in order to determine the feasibility of reclaiming post-consumer plastic for reuse. This paper evaluates the potential for a sustainable, circular pathway for end-of-life plastic material using 3D-printing techniques. To do this, the work investigates two prevalent industrial 3D-printing technologies: selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) of polymers. Material-flow and economic models are developed to outline how plastic parts at the end of their life cycle can be processed and reused. Prior works on fundamental material degradation are integrated into mathematical models of cost and operation. This enables mapping of how multiple reuse cycles affect two prevalent industrial polymers: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyamide 12 (PA 12). The mapping identifies there is significant opportunity for improving both SLS and FDM 3D-printing technologies when it comes to economic viability and sustainability. Comparison between reuse of FDM using ABS and SLS using PA 12 shows the former costs 82% less than the latter, while also producing 87% less waste than it. While the study established that available industrial 3D-printing technologies can help to reduce plastic waste within manufacturing, a fully circular economy demands materials with less thermal degradation than the primary industrial 3D-printing polymers. • Reuse of 3D printing material can reduce part cost by 10% for PA12 SLS and 70% for ABS FDM while decreasing material waste. • Polymer degradation during the print cycle is a primary barrier for reuse of 3D printing polymers in a circular economy. • Additional research is needed on material options for increasing reuse capability and enhancing the mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]