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This comprehensive review explores recent advancements in the manufacturing of cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based cellulose nanopaper (CNP). The analysis delves into customizing CNPs through nanofiber manufacturing, mechanical refining, and chemical treatments. The report underscores the growing interest in CNPs derived from CNF due to their exceptional properties and eco-friendly attributes. CNP strength significantly enhanced through mechanical refining encompassing cellulose nanofibrillation were breaking down of cellulose into nanofibers takes place. Conversely, dense CNF network formed through filtration and casting method. Chemical treatments such as dispersion, functionalization, and coating methods followed by drying and consolidation introduce custom functionalities for diverse applications. These applications span packaging, electronics, energy harvesting, EMI shielding, optoelectronics, nanogenerators, transparent conducting films, water treatment, bioelectronics, and neuromorphic computing. The study conducts an in-depth investigation to assess CNP's effects on promoting sustainability and minimizing environmental waste, making a significant contribution to the circular economy. This investigation underscores the pursuit of innovation and aligns with the principles of progressing toward a more environmentally sustainable future. [Display omitted] • Explores CNF production, refining and chemical treatments for CNP customization. • Remarkable properties of CNP draw academic and industrial interest. • CNP applied in packaging, electronics, energy, and environmental science. • Investigates role of CNP in circular economy. • Emphasizes CNPs as eco-friendly, fostering innovation and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Papermaking enterprises are currently under both environmental pressure and economic pressure for sustainable development in China. Thus, the efficiency, effectiveness, and benefits of resource utilization need to be improved. High-consumption and high-pollution companies should manufacture paper using sustainable methods. This study highlights a resource value flow analysis from the circular economy perspective, developing an extension of material flow cost accounting and modifying it by accounting for environmental damage as well as economic benefits. With reference to the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, this specific case study was conducted to verify the comprehensive utility of resource value flow analysis by establishing decision-making prioritization according to the dualistic diagnosis of "internal resource loss–external environmental damage costs." In general, applying a resource value flow analysis can both reduce resource consumption and minimize environmental damage, enhancing the sustainable development of a process industry with limited resources. Highlights • Material flows and value flows form an interactive unit in the resource value flow analysis model. • The resource value flow analysis model extends the environmental dimension of material flow cost accounting. • A dualistic diagnosis of "internal resource loss and external environmental damage costs" can achieve both economic profits and environmental benefits. • The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle was introduced to strengthen the practical application of the resource value flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collection, as the first stage of the recycling process, and pre-processing to increase waste stream purity constitute key operations for achieving high recycling rates and a closed loop in the circular economy. For wastepaper recycling in Hong Kong, it is the semi-formal-informal recycling (SFIR) sector that plays a central role in both stages. This study analyses the so far little explored SFIR stakeholder network in Hong Kong and sheds light on value chains, recovered waste paper quantities and the impact of policies on the sector. The findings show that SFIR stakeholders reclaim 55.6 t/recycling station/month of wastepaper and thereby achieve about a 5.7 times higher reclaim rate than the formal-private recycling system. Critical to this achievement is the SFIR transaction network, which enables its stakeholders to develop a value chain and thereby generate an added value of around 1900 HKD (243.9 USD/t) for wastepaper. Given limited circular structures in Hong Kong, financial subsidies are critical to sustain the SFIR's operations over the short-term. However, over the long-term legalization and integration of its stakeholders are necessary to ensure an economically and socially sustainable wastepaper recovery system in Hong Kong. [Display omitted] • Qualitative & quantitative analysis of the semi-formal-informal recycling (SFIR) sector. • The SFIR's wastepaper value chain achieves a cumulative added value of 1900 HKD/t. • The SFIR recovered 5.7 times higher capacities than the formal system in 2021. • Financial support can enhance the SFIR sector's recovery capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production systems are being restructured to close production cycles via implementing circular economy (CE) practices. The planted tree industry in Brazil has shown potential for applying CE practices due to its efficient use of resources and inclination towards environmental innovation. However, some gaps and difficulties have been observed in several industrial segments so that the logic of the circular production system is put into practice more effectively and intensely. In this context, the aim was to investigate the use and impacts of CE practices in the Brazilian planted tree industry by sector of operation and scale of enterprises based on the ReSOLVE framework. Data were collected from 34 companies that answered a questionnaire, corresponding to 47.2% of Brazilian planted tree industry companies. Data analysis involved univariate and multivariate statistical techniques, considering the grouping of companies by sector of activity (forest producer, pulp and paper, and timber processing) and scale (small, medium, and large). The results revealed that "pulp and paper" and medium- and large-scale companies had the most significant application of CE practices and reported more significant impacts. [Display omitted] • Explores a segmented analysis of the circular economy by scale and sub-sector groups. • Scores of circular practices and their impacts are presented according to the groups. • The association between circular practices and impacts by group are analyzed. • Propositions to enable the adoption of circular practices are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the market size of all materials and products presently produced from (organic) carbon and we present a method to estimate the intrinsic recycling potential of these materials/chemicals as a function of their respective applications. The method is based on the expert assessment of a number of variables that are important within the different application categories and markets of the carbon-based materials/chemicals. Applying the method, the paper presents the recycling potential of all carbon-based products. Following, an estimation of the amount of new products that can be produced each year through recycling of discarded products is presented and the amount of carbon that needs to come from other sustainable sources to fulfil our demand for new products is calculated. We distinguish nine different categories of (organic) carbon-based materials/chemicals: plastics, textile fibres, thermoset resins, rubbers, surfactants, solvents, fine chemicals, paper/board and wood products. Within these nine categories the most important materials/chemicals types were taken into account. Fossil-based and bio-based materials/chemicals were assessed separately. For each of the materials/chemicals types, the market size in terms of mass (Mt) was calculated for the main applications in which they are applied. Next, for all materials/chemicals types in these applications, the maximum recycling potential, in case mechanical or physical recycling methods are applied, was assessed, using an expert panel. Also, inevitable leakage of materials/chemicals in the different applications was assessed. Finally, the amount of feedstock coming from recycling streams that may be made available for chemical recycling or carbon capture and utilisation technologies was derived. From this, the magnitude of carbon-based materials/chemicals that need to be replaced each year by other renewable feedstock than recycled content in terms of Mton carbon was calculated. The analysis is relevant in view of implementation of a circular economy and reuse and recycling of materials, to combat depletion of raw materials. Next, it is relevant in view of phasing out fossil-feedstock to combat climate change. Our analysis indicates that the recycling potential of carbon-based materials and products through mechanical or physical methods lies around 50%, even in a system that is fully optimised for recycling. Chemical recycling and carbon capture and utilisation may provide another 25% of the renewable-carbon feedstock needed, but they generally require far more energy and other inputs to produce new materials and chemicals than the mechanical and physical recycling methods. The remaining demand for renewable-carbon feedstock thus needs to come from either biomass or CO 2 through carbon capture and utilisation technologies. Based on our findings, we argue that the composition of our present carbon-based products pool needs to be redesigned on a fundamental molecular level, towards material types that contain more oxygen. Carbon-based materials that contain more oxygen generally can be recycled more efficiently, and are also easier to produce from the alternative feedstocks biomass and CO 2 through CCU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates for the first time the possibility of using carbon rich paper recovery sludge, and nitrogen rich meat processing industry waste as cultivation medium for the production of high value enzymes needed in the respective industries. The complex cellulose rich deinking sludge was able to support the growth of many industrially relevant enzyme producing microorganisms (Bacillus licheniformis, Candida cylindracea, Aspergillus oryzae, Trichoderma reesei) and of recombinant enzyme producers (Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris). Further detailed studies with Trichoderma reesei as model organism demonstrated that the organism was able to grow optimally in the presence of 40gL-1 paper sludge as carbon source and 67.5 gL-1 pasteurised blood as nitrogen source substituted in Mandels medium. Under these conditions cellulase activities up to 28.1 nkat FPU were achieved. Anyhow, to achieve these results pretreatment of both waste streams is inevitable. In summary, this study provides the practical basis for a valorisation systems of paper industry waste to produce valuable enzymes to be used on-site in paper processing or for other purposes. Image 1 • Blood and paper waste used for microorganism growth. • Growth and cellulase production achieved utilising blood waste streams. • Pretreatment of paper waste and blood waste is necessary. • Waste to Value with in house use of cellulase in paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upcycling agroindustry residues into new valuable products is a strategy for mitigating environmental impacts while increasing material circularity. In this study, two sizes of eggshell particles (D 90 = 7.1 μm (ESAJ) and D 90 = 16.3 μm (ESBU)) were obtained and their incorporation as fillers into biodegradable pectin/starch film was evaluated. The effect of the presence of eggshell particles (2–8 w/w%) on the structural and morphological aspects, water barrier, and mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of the biocomposites was evaluated and then the reinforced film was applied on the surface of kraft paper. The release of calcium in an acidic solution was inverse to the size and concentration of particles and the released íon may contribute to the crosslinking of pectin. The incorporation of only 2 % eggshell resulted in 42% lower solubility of the film. The eggshell-reinforced films proved to be more opaque and rigid. The addition of 6% ESAJ significantly improved the tensile strength (an increase of 32%), modulus of elasticity (an increase of 29.7%), and water vapor barrier (59% of improvement). DSC analysis suggests that the calcium from the eggshell interacts with the pectin polymeric structure, reducing the sites available for water molecules, which may have caused more mobility of the chains through the matrix. The reinforced pectin/starch film was very well adhered to the kraft paper in the application test by continuous casting, but the coated paper showed no improvement in oil and water resistance, which means that other coating processes need to be explored. • Eggshell was used as a reinforcing filler material in pectin/starch film. • Eggshell particles were well adhered to the matrix. • The eggshell powder had improved the water resistance of the pectin/starch film. • The addition of 6% eggshell had increased the film's tensile strength in 32%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to quantify and compare the environmental impact of a number of different deinking sludge utilization approaches. A comparative life cycle assessment of deinking sludge material and energy recovery was performed for the baseline scenario—landfill disposal, and four alternative scenarios: two cement plants, a lightweight aggregate plant, and a stone wool plant. Sludge pretreatment and transportation processes were included in the scenario analyses. The results of the life cycle assessment showed that the use of dry deinking sludge in a cement plant in Finland, 45 km from the point of supply of the deinking sludge, to substitute 46% of the petcoke and 2.7% of the limestone showed the best performance. Therein, a global warming potential reduction of 13% and an eutrophication potential reduction of 12% – the highest reduction out of all impact categories studied – were achieved. A similar reduction in global warming potential of 12% was achieved when deinking sludge was incinerated and the ash utilized in cement production in a Russian plant located 350 km from the paper mill. However, abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential slightly increased by 2.6 and 1.5%, respectively. A maximum reduction of 2.1% out of al impact categories was achieved when dry sludge was used in a lightweight aggregate plant. That is considerably less compared to the reduction achieved at the cement plants. The use of deinking sludge ash in a stone wool plant to substitute 25% of cement resulted in a maximum reduction of 25% in the ozone layer depletion potential. Thus, the utilization of deinking sludge in construction materials production while preventing its landfilling has beneficial effects on the environment, in particular decreased greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal scavenging grants material circularity, but its potential contribution to the sustainability of a Supply Chain (SC) is far from being a trivial issue. Thus, this paper aims to understand what is the impact of formal scavenging on the sustainability of an SC and quantify it. Accordingly, a case study in an Italian Pulp and Paper circular SC was developed through the lenses of the Triple Bottom Line. This SC consists of five groups of stakeholders and a formal scavenger that collects and redistributes wastepaper. The findings show that, in a one-year time window, the formal scavenger generated an economic value of over €3 million and led to saving 718 tCO 2 e and an energy equivalent to that consumed by 1000 average Italian families every year. In addition, it created new stable jobs and directly contributed to decreasing the waste tax in the geographical area in which it operates. Furthermore, formal scavenging proved to be effective in building up SC resilience in the face of unexpected changes in the prices and volumes of wastepaper. The results contribute to framing formal scavenging as a collaboration-based solution to enable the achievement of sustainability benefits in closed-loop SCs and provide actionable suggestions for SC managers and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of CaO for lime-based plaster and render generates 1.2 t CO 2 /t CaO, consumes 1.78 t CaCO 3 /t CaO. This research paper examines the environmental and economic performance of upcycling paper mill sludge (PMS) and carbide lime (CL) as replacements for hydrated lime (HL) in lime-based plasters production. For this, a new Cradle-to-Gate industrial-scale inventory is designed, upscaling recent lab-scale innovations, investigating PMS and CL treatment processes, followed by a Cradle-to-Grave scenario analysis. The results show that incorporating CL in the plaster yields better environmental and economic outcomes compared to PMS. The intermediate treatment for CL is cost-effective and has low carbon emissions. The upcycling of CL eliminates 100% of CO 2 emissions, while PMS reduces emissions by 11%. The production of the traditional binder HL is more expensive than upcycling PMS (+69%) and CL (+65%), with carbon taxes accounting for 35%, 44% and 15% of production costs, respectively. The effect of an equilibrated carbon price to ensure fair market competition, considering the natural carbonation of lime (carbon credit) is discussed, and the cost assessment reveals a 47% and 54% reduction for upcycled plasters using PMS and CL, respectively, compared to traditional HL. [Display omitted] • Availability, properties, and treatments of secondary lime resources. • Industrial-scale inventory for upcycling carbide lime (CL) & paper sludge (PS). • Cradle-to-Grave assessment: CL reduces CO 2 most, trailed by PS and hydrated lime. • Key factors for Cradle-to-Grave impact: lime kiln heat consumption (PS) and drying operation (CL). • Cost analysis of carbon taxes and credits across the material's life-cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The textile industry is facing increasing criticism because of its intensive use of resources –both natural and fossil derived– and the negative environmental and societal impacts associated with the manufacturing, use and disposal of clothes. This has led to a desire to move towards a circular economy for textiles that will implement recycling concepts and technologies to protect resources, the environment and people. So far, recycling processes have been focused on the chemical and mechanical reuse of textile fibres. In contrast, bio-based processes for textile production and recycling have received little attention, beyond end-of-life composting. However, the selectivity and benign processing conditions associated with bio-based technologies hold great promise for circularising the textile life cycle and reducing the environmental impacts of textile production and processing. Developing circular and sustainable systems for textile production requires a revolutionary system approach that encompasses the choice of material and finishes being designed for recycling at the end of life, and in this context bio-based processes can help provide the means to maintain materials in a closed loop. This paper reviews established methods in mechanical and chemical recycling processes in closed-loop textile recycling of all fibre types, as well as bio-based processes that demonstrate open-loop textile recycling. Fermentation and enzymatic processes have been demonstrated for the production of all types of textiles, which in combination with enzymatic deconstruction of end of life cellulosic textiles could allow them to be recycled indefinitely. Within the context of the circular economy, bio-based processes could extend mechanical and chemical textile recycling mechanisms in the technical cycle, enabling greater circularity of textiles in the biological cycle before composting takes place. [Display omitted] • Closed-loop mechanical and technical recycling of textiles has been established. • Enzymatic processes can deconstruct all fibre types in open-loop textile recycling. • Biochemical processes can establish textiles circularity in the biological cycle. • Biotechnology can modify the concept of separate biological and technical cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the role of Design Thinking (DT) in the context of sustainable development (SD), based on a perceived research need to identify the features which may characterise its deployment, and identify ways via which it may be optimised, especially in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The main goal of this study is to examine the connection between DT and SD and showcase examples of what has been done to deploy it, using real-case situations. From a methodological perspective, the paper deploys a set of two methods: bibliometric analysis and case studies. Among other findings, the paper shows that DT can be used to help implement the UN SDGs by providing an approach that emphasizes human-centered design. This includes identifying problems, creating user-friendly solutions, and testing them in order to ensure that they are effective. Also, by using DT, companies, organisations, and governments can create low-cost, high-impact, and sustainable solutions to help achieve SDGs such as SDG8, SDG9, SDG12, and SDG13, among others. Overall, DT provides a framework for combining creative and analytical reasoning, specific mindsets, and diverse hands-on tools and techniques to improve critical thinking abilities towards sustainability challenges. The novelty of the paper relies on the fact that the combined use of the two methods allowed the identification of some useful features of DT, which may facilitate its deployment in sustainability contexts. This may assist future studies since it provides a theoretical basis for the field. • Research gaps in DT prevent its widespread use in SD. • The paper deploys bibliometric analysis and case studies. • DT within a circular economy is an emerging approach. • DT may foster sustainability practices. • A novelty is the identification of pathways to optimise DT in SD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to show how taxation of intermediate items produced from virgin and recycled materials negatively impacts closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) results (labor, capital, returns, outputs, prices, profits, and dead-weight-loss). It offers remedies to alleviate tax inefficiencies. After formulating upstream and downstream production functions and recycling process, a Stackelberg game framework is analytically solved and data from steel industry and automobile stimulus program in the US are used to obtain numerical results. The results show that an optimum collection channel along with endogenous consumer return behavior can improve outcomes and reduce inefficiencies stemming from output taxation. The principal policy implication is that American, Chinese, Canadian, and German governments' tax incentive programs applied to items produced from recyclables are a sound strategy in the way of spurring their circular economies, improving environmental sustainability, and reducing economic loss. [Display omitted] • Legislators aim to reduce environmental impact of used products and propel sustainable business. • However, governments interventions can distort circular economy outcomes. • This paper proposes remedies to reduce economic and environmental distortions. • The remedies include optimal collection channel and incentive-responsive return program. • The paper quantifies the outcomes in the steel industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) adoption is spreading worldwide, and it aims at decoupling the creation of value from resource consumption, leading to sustainable and responsible production and consumption as highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goal 12. The circular transition will ask for the transformation of the companies and the workforce, from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The set of required skills will be influenced by the circular transition, while the degree of implementation of circular activities will depend on the availability of adequate skills. Nevertheless, the extant literature has not reached a consensus on which competences are required for a circular transition, and few studies have approached this topic at all. This paper presents a systematic literature review to identify and categorize the skills that can facilitate the adoption of circular practices in manufacturing companies. The identified skills were systematically organized within a structured framework extending Porter's Value Chain. Leveraging the literature review's findings, the paper proposes a series of ideal job profiles for circular manufacturing, and it outlines some preliminary education and training paths. This research contributes to the current body of literature and practical understanding on the "human dimension" of circular manufacturing. [Display omitted] • Systematic literature review on skills required for circular manufacturing. • Skill classification based on circular manufacturing value-added activities. • Ideal job profiles modelled on the most relevant skills mentioned in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals in the Netherlands generate approximately 1.3 million kg of waste from the polypropylene (PP) wrapping paper (WP) used to wrap surgical instruments each year. The aim of this study was to develop a method to recycle WP waste into new medical devices. WP was recovered from Maasstad Hospital, Netherlands. The WP was melted into bars, granulated, and mixed with virgin material at different ratios and temperatures. Dog bones were injection-molded from volume (v.%) virgin, mixed (%R), and recycled (100%R) granulate, and a tensile testing machine was used to compare the material properties before and after ten disinfection cycles at the sterilization department. Then, 25 instrument openers were made from the 50%R material and circulated for four weeks. The data indicated no significant differences in the mechanical properties at different melting temperatures. For dog bones made from the 100%R, 50%R, and virgin granulate, the Young's moduli were 1021 (SD13), 879 (SD13), and 795 (SD14) MPa, and the strains were 8%, 12%, and 14%. Ten disinfection cycles did not significantly change the material properties. After one month, the openers did not show any deterioration or damage other than surface scratches. The results indicated that the initial WP melting temperature did not influence the mechanical properties. Although devices could be produced directly from the recycled WP granulate, increasing the recycled granulate in the mix ratio increased the strength and brittleness. It is feasible to recycle WP waste into a high-quality raw material for the injection molding of medical devices without using additives. This would allow hospitals to become more compliant with the circular economy enabling economically viable and circular processes that positively contribute to cleaner technical processes, sustainable products, and the reduction of medical waste. ⁃ Circular reprocessing of surgical waste into high quality raw material. ⁃ Enables cleaner processes for reduction of medical waste. ⁃ Increases sustainable development. ⁃ A new method to decrease the production of medical waste. ⁃ Decreases the shortage of base materials and costs. ⁃ Environmental and sustainability assessment: designs for products based on the "green" wishes of customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The textile industry's resource use, waste, and emissions have led to severe scrutiny, worsened by fast fashion's rise, making clothing disposable. The circular economy (CE) offers a solution to address these issues but achieving circular fashion requires systemic and comprehensive stakeholder engagement across the value chain. Current research often overlooks wider stakeholders beyond internal company members, neglecting calls to incorporate a systems perspective in CE transitions. Moreover, the potential of stakeholder engagement for social learning, where stakeholders mutually share and acquire knowledge, remains largely untapped. To this end, this paper provides a systematic methodology of stakeholder engagement based on an empirical setting of transition towards CE in fashion textiles in London. It entails identifying contexts, aligning stakeholders' actions, negotiating interventions, and communicating insights effectively. Based on the learnings from an empirical stakeholder engagement process, findings suggest a lack of alignment in the understanding of the CE concept across actors, that is underpinned by a fragmented knowledge of the overall value chain, often leading to also fragmented siloed policy approaches. While this paper uses fashion textiles as an illustrative case study, the process-led framework is largely applicable across different areas of the CE transition. • Stakeholder engagement fosters social learning in circular transitions. • The fashion industry lacks alignment on circularity interventions across the value chain. • Actors in fashion lack a cohesive understanding of the value chain. • Circular fashion requires design, business models, and behaviour changes. • The stakeholder engagement framework applies to circular economy transitions in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the transition towards a circular economy (CE) being a significant element in achieving the decarbonisation of the built environment, a clear and common pathway to applying CE principles to building design is still lacking in both industry practice and academia. The integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has the potential to enable the identification of feasible pathways to increase circularity. This study aims to investigate its practical use to facilitate the application of circular economy principles at the early stage of building design via using LCA-based BIM plugins. Within this aim, the paper centres on a co-production approach and presents a gap analysis by identifying gaps in knowledge and implementation as well as addressing the pressing needs of the current practice in the UK. A series of semi-structured interviews with expert practitioners in the field were conducted for data collection, contributing to the following phases of the co-production by allowing for an in-depth investigation and reflection of the practice. The findings have revealed that: (a) there is still an insufficient level of contextual awareness and readiness in the implementation of CE principles in the built environment and LCA understanding and (b) the adoption of BIM at the early stages of building design is still limited in the current practice; BIM models with sufficient level of data details and quality to enable circularity assessment are rarely produced. Thus, the paper highlights the need for enabling mechanisms, including the introduction of legislative instruments, the involvement and commitment of the industry and key stakeholders, the support for training and skills improvement, and the establishment of effective communication and implementation process management frameworks. Future research agenda points to the need of formulation of a BIM protocol to enable integration of BIM and LCA to promote CE principles in the building design process. [Display omitted] • Co-production is a promising approach to capture and respond to the industry needs. • Lack of seamless integration between BIM and LCA tools. • Insufficient understanding of how to apply CE principles in the building design. • Lack of systematic guidance and standardised process to implement BIM and LCA integration. • A tailored BIM protocol needed for applying LCA from a CE perspective in the building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The textile and clothing industry is a significant global sector due to its economic and social contributions. However, it is one of the most polluting industries. There has been a significant uptake of research on circular economy implementation to reduce its environmental impacts. Nevertheless, there is a critical gap in reviewing how the research field is evolving and what the core focus and underlying assumptions of the existing research are. This paper utilises bibliometrics, content analysis, and problematisation to comprehensively examine the state of research. Analysing 132 primary documents dating from January 2014 to April 2023, this study reveals that sustainability-oriented innovation and transition challenges are the core focus of existing research. Technology-oriented circularity and its positive impact on sustainability is the in-house assumption that almost all studies are founded on. Besides unpacking the risk of such assumptions, this study provides tangible suggestions for future research on circular economy disruption, its rebound effect, and sustainability-oriented innovation. Although the time lag and language biases may have impacted the representation of current research trends, findings from this study can facilitate academic research and industry practice in implementing circular economy practices for a more sustainable future. • There is a significant uptake of research on CE implementation, its positive effects, challenges, and opportunities. • This paper utilises bibliometrics, content analysis, and problematisation to examine the research on CE in the TC industry. • Institutional factors, consumer behaviours, sustainability-oriented innovation and transition challenges are critical for CE. • The disruptive and rebound effect of CE, institutional isomorphism and innovation capability are future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to a circular economy can be undermined by rebound effects, which could mean secondary production does not fully displace virgin raw materials. So called 'circular economy rebound' is under examined in the academic literature and thus requires greater attention if it is to be successfully estimated and mitigated by decision and policy makers. Accordingly, this paper undertakes a systematic review of the methods that have been deployed to measure rebound effects of all types and identifies those quantitative tools that have yet to be utilised in the nascent area of circular economy rebound but which could have application in this context. In so doing, the paper also reflects on the data needs of different methods, as well as the magnitude of the different rebounds identified and potential mitigating strategies. Findings suggest clear research gaps within the rebound literature and identify areas in which estimation of the circular economy rebound specifically could benefit from this wider body of work on rebound assessment. • Circular economy rebound is underexamined in the academic literature. • A review of applied methods for estimating rebound effects is conducted. • Methods that could be used to estimate circular economy rebound are identified. • Data needs, rebound effect sizes and mitigation options are discussed/classified. • Major gaps in the rebound effect literature are synthesised in a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the Circular Value Chain Blind Spot in consumer behavior research on Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). A scoping review was conducted to ascertain the current state of research regarding consumer behavior in handling WEEE concerning circular or transformational and linear behaviors. By evaluating 122 articles from databases including Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and ProQuest the findings reveal a notable focus on three key strategies among the 9 R framework: recycle, repair, and reuse. Recycling emerges as the predominant area of research, while circular transformation strategies and linear concepts are also explored. Unexpectedly, concrete consumer action strategies are underrepresented, with a primary emphasis on companies and governments. As consumers are recognized as crucial actors within the circular economy (CE), this paper terms this contradictory state as the Circular Value Chain Blind Spot. Addressing future research, the paper concludes with a comprehensive research agenda encompassing six key areas: nudging, differentiation, systemic perspective, waste hierarchy, value chain strategies, and cultural factors. By adopting this research agenda, we anticipate overcoming the Circular Value Chain Blind Spot and fostering equal consideration of all stakeholders involved in the WEEE problematic. • Circular consumer behavior in the field of e-waste is scarcely researched. • Limited research focusses on recycling and linear behaviors. • Scoping review as a suitable method for uncovering research gaps. • Identification of the Circular Value Chain Blind Spot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular Economy (CE) is a promising solution for a wide range of stakeholders, including companies, governments, and society at large to confront serious environmental concerns (Crome et al., 2023) to address resource depletion, environmental degradation, and waste generation. As Cambodia's economy heavily relies on resource extraction and export-oriented industries (e.g., textile industry and agriculture contributing significantly to GDP), it generates substantial waste (fundamentally, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), but also industrial, construction and demolition waste (UNDP, 2022a,b)), and pollution. To tackle such issues, the government has recently demonstrated a stronger commitment to sustainable development by integrating CE principles into a national policy. First, this paper explores the current environmental issues of the country. Secondly, it assessed the country's CE Strategy and Action Plan. Thirdly, as a primary finding, it was discussed the potential barriers, international collaboration prospects, and implementation recommendations to catalyze challenges into opportunities, covering the gaps observed in the country's CE Strategy and Action Plan, and following prominent CE trends. Lastly, it concludes that despite the hurdles, CE has the potential in the country to provide socio-economic benefits, including job creation, resilience, reduced reliance on imports, and improved public health. This paper consisting of policy analysis combined with a bibliographical review presumably represents the first work on this topic; it will be useful for foreign investors, academia, and policymakers. • A contemporary analysis of the most noteworthy environmental issues in Cambodia. • Policy adoption assessment of Cambodia's Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan. • Discussion with barriers, international opportunities, and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions (HEIs) can play a key role in the transition to the circular economy (CE) given their missions, characteristics and role in shaping the coming generations of citizens and leaders. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive examination of HEIs as microcosms for transitioning to circular models. Through a semi-systematic literature review, it focuses on the systemic transformation of HEIs and uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis to map 72 research papers covering the topic. The paper also introduces a methodological approach to address the complex nature of HEIs as intricate systems. The analysis reveals the presence of six main themes relevant to CE implementation in HEIs: education and research; campus physical facilities; tools and activities for greening the campus; material flows and waste management; collaboration, stakeholder engagement and behaviours; and frameworks for CE implementation. The analysis showed a growing interest in CE implementation in HEIs and evidence of the potential of HEIs to foster the transition towards it. However, an organized approach is currently lacking as is an understanding of how to apply CE practices within HEI systems. Recommendations for future research include comparing academic research findings with grey literature from HEI networks and other credible organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the institutional logic of manufacturing companies in the transition to a sustainable and circular economy. The paper follows abductive reasoning and uses a qualitative methodology encompassing primary data collected from 16 interviews with manufacturing companies and supplementary data from web-scan analysis, observation and 15 interviews with public institutions and environmental experts. We identify four specific co-existing logics of the circular economy of manufacturing companies and explain operating conditions of each logic. Compliance and commercial logics reflect instrumental thinking, while value chain and value creation logics are more based on integrative thinking. To illustrate opposites of instrumental thinking and integrative thinking, we propose an analytical framework of circular logics, that consists of three pillars, that is homogeneity vs heterogeneity, techno-centric vs system-centric perspectives, compliance vs ethical responsibility. The originality also relates to the prioritization among different logics. • Four CE logics of manufacturing companies discovered. • Compliance and commercial logics reflect instrumental thinking, value chain and value creation logics are more based on integrative thinking. • We propose an analytical framework of CE logics that consists of three pillars. • Based on attributions of negative and positive factors, managers actually can prioritize integrative CE logics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw pulping plays a vital role in virgin pulp supply and regional agricultural residue utilization. However, a significant decrease in its production has been observed. From an environmental perspective, why has there been a sharp decrease in straw pulping? Are there any innovations in straw pulp production that alleviate the heavy environmental burdens of straw pulping? In this study, factors contributing to the decrease in straw pulp are examined. An innovative technique to produce straw pulp is introduced and its environmental performance is analyzed and compared with conventional pulping. The results show that the main reasons contributing to the environmental burdens of straw pulping lie in the difficulties in black liquor extraction and alkaline recovery for the black liquor. Technical processes are changed in the innovative technique of straw pulping through using a rapid displacement cooking process, converting black liquor into fertilizers, utilizing total chlorine-free bleaching, etc. The new technique (Case B) achieves superior environmental performance than that of the conventional technique (Case A) from a carbon metabolism perspective. Specifically, 1022.90 kg and 857.80 kg of biogenic-carbon (bio-carbon), and 594.32 kg and 628.13 kg of fossil-carbon are needed to make 1 ton of bleached straw pulp for Case A and Case B, respectively. The carbon efficiencies for Case A, Case B (when pulp is the only desired product) and Case B (when including other products) are 39.10%, 46.63% and 92.21%, respectively. The carbon factors for Case A, Case B (when pulp is the only desired product) and Case B (when including other products) are 3.66, 3.60 and 1.86 kg CO 2 -eq, respectively. In addition, the corresponding E factors, which reflect the waste generation level, are 3.20, 2.69, and 1.39 kg, respectively. The new technique for straw pulping, which follows the principle of a circular economy by fully utilizing resources and reducing the generation of waste, achieves both economic and environmental benefits. It is a promising technique for straw pulping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor management of waste electronic and electrical equipment (e-waste) has resulted in serious challenges to the environment and, consequently, to living organisms. Increasing consumer willingness to return household e-waste is a practical solution for better e-waste management. In this paper, for the first time, a circular supply chain network is structured by applying internet of things (IoT) technology to increase consumer willingness to return household e-waste and to manage the network more effectively. For this purpose, we formulate a mixed-integer linear programming model whose objective is to minimize strategic costs (setup costs and IoT deployment costs) and operational costs (transportation costs, costs associated with IoT, and processing costs in centers), simultaneously. In addition, we developed a heuristic algorithm based on Lagrangian relaxation to solve the proposed MILP model. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing its results with GAMS results using eight small-sized simulated problems. Furthermore, eight large-size problems are simulated and solved by the proposed algorithm. Finally, the data of an Iranian knowledge-based company is employed to validate the presented mathematical model and algorithm, and the sensitivity analysis process is used to examine the accuracy of the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations represent a blueprint for the adoption of global practices and policies to foster sustainability in societies and increase efficiencies in resources uses. The Italian National Trust, FAI, has embraced these goals, developing a holistic and transdisciplinary methodology to promote a more sustainable approach to preserve its natural and built heritage. This methodology combines heritage protection with the SDGs in various macro-areas of interventions, including energy, water, biosphere, responsible consumption, and sustainable communities. The aim is to increase access to affordable and clean energy, reduce water, waste, and soil footprints, promote responsible consumption, and develop human capital. The paper proposes a set of strategies to achieve the SDGs in heritage, involving the collaboration of several stakeholders, ranging from institutions to citizens. The methodology is applied to a specific Italian case study, Casa Macchi in Morazzone, to highlight the challenges in achieving the dual objective of preserving the historic building and promoting sustainability in the built environment. [Display omitted] • We propose a trans-disciplinary methodology for sustainable heritage preservation. • The heritage preservation project is analyzed in five macro-areas of intervention. • Assessment of effects on energy, water, biosphere, resources, and sustainability. • Casa Macchi preservation project to apply methodology and prove effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging industries and technologies are made up of objective, practical requirements and ideas that encompass broad hopes for what future newness might enable. The bioeconomy is one such emerging industry. Its recent evolution has involved a complicated and dynamic mix of promises, reality checks and subsequent ambivalences. This article frames and investigates the emerging algae-based bioplastics industry as one niche within this broader system envisaged for social, technological, economic, political and ecological change. As such, our paper presents two categories of knowledge that in practice interrelate: 1) specific and practical recommendations that can assist a future algal-based bioplastics industry to develop in Australia in ways that are conscious of socio-ecological and socio-cultural dimensions, and 2) critical extensions that go beyond the attributes of newness, impact, suddenness and universality often emphasised in both popular and scientific research into emerging green technologies. In particular, our analysis highlights the importance of specific temporal, tonal and spatial factors when framing the contextual factors associated emerging industries, technologies and the different pathways for change they might help support. • Pathways and enabling factors for a algal-based bioplastics industry in regional Australia are presented. • The 'social idea' of the bioeconomy is analysed with reference to algal-based bioplastics. • The algal-based bioplastics industry is contextualised in relation to transition pathways literatureon the bioeconomy. • Themes and recommendations are synthesised from literature review and semi-structured interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) strategies are largely adopted in the manufacturing sector. Nevertheless, the benefits of circular strategies could be reduced by the occurrence of the rebound effect (RE), defined as resource overuse due to improved efficiency in a system. Understanding the causes, mechanisms, and characteristics of CE's REs is therefore crucial for the effective implementation of CE strategies in the manufacturing sector. The main gap concerns the limited understanding of the occurrence of RE within CE in manufacturing. To this concern, five domains (i.e., business models, drivers, product lifecycle management (PLM), circular manufacturing ecosystem, and socio-economic aspects) have been initially identified in the twofold CE-RE domain. Starting from these, the paper aims to investigate and map the relations among these dimensions and unveil the related type of RE for each of them. To address this objective, a conceptual map, grounded on a systematic literature review (SLR), has been obtained to explore the five dimensions. The conceptual map showed the relations between the five dimensions and the possible occurrence of RE types (i.e., direct, indirect, economy-wide, and transformational). It turned out that the five dimensions are closely related. For example, socio-economic aspects were influenced by the adoption of circular business models and have a role in PLM strategies. Instead, from a RE perspective, socio-economic aspects dimension, linked to business model and PLM ones, could generate direct and indirect RE. The driver dimensions related to circular manufacturing and business models could cause economy-wide and transformational RE. The map of the relations obtained offers an initial framework to be exploited to prevent and mitigate possible CE's REs occurring in manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the connection between water supply and energy consumption in a circular economy is crucial for managing the demands of these resources. Sankey diagrams have the potential to enhance the visualisation of resource flows. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the effective use of Sankey diagrams to capture the water-energy nexus and circularity of water. This study focused on effectively utilizing Sankey diagrams to model the nexus of water and energy flows and to assess the circularity of water. A comprehensive literature review was conducted on major studies on water material flows and modelling. This was supported by a review of approaches for modelling circularity, which have evolved from the material circularity index. The newly developed framework in this paper models water resource flows at all stages of the water supply chain, embedding the nexus as an interaction and considering resource intensity and material circularity index at each node. A city-level case study in South Africa was then used to apply the recommendations, model circularity, and the water-energy nexus using Sankey diagrams. In terms of circularity, the results indicate that water loss in the study area was very high, accounting for up to 40% of the total water supply and the water recycle rate was still very low, ranging from 3% to 7%. In terms of the nexus, the residential sector was found to have the highest energy intensity for water supply, primarily due to energy demand for water heating. Exploring the use of renewable or solar energy for water heating will be of interest and value. The new approach presented in this study allows for the simultaneous consideration of objectives, enabling a more robust analysis of energy-effective water use and water circularity along the water supply chain. [Display omitted] • A new framework for modelling the water energy nexus enriched by circularity options, energy intensity factors and confidence modelling. • Options for embedded circularity through the water supply chain. • The urgent challenge to address massive water loses in water supply systems for water scarce regions. • New Sankey diagrams showcasing how to model nexus and circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from linear to circular economy is still far from being completed, particularly in the building industry. Indeed, its specific characteristics – such as the fragmentation of its business ecosystem – hinder the implementation of circular economy practices, and, particularly, circular product design and servitization practices. This paper analyses the collaborations among the companies involved in the design and servitization of one of the major elements of a building, the building façade, and it leverages on an action research methodology based on the "Envelope for Service" research project. The role of companies involved in the design and servitization of the circular building façade has been investigated. A novel research framework has been developed to match the circular practices implemented by the ecosystem of involved companies along the useful life phases of the building façade. The research framework highlights the paramount importance of collaborations within the business ecosystem of the building façade and shows how the interactions among companies take place and facilitate circular product design and servitization. We argue and provide evidence that the engagement of the whole business ecosystem is needed in fragmented industries, like the building industry, to implement circular product design and servitization practices. Finally, a hint of the relevance of digital technologies in enabling the implementation of circular practices in such industry is provided. • Building industry's fragmentation hinders the transition towards Circular Economy. • Circular practices have to be implemented by the whole building business ecosystem. • The research framework shows the importance of collaboration within the ecosystem. • The interactions among companies to design a circular product are analyzed. • Action research on a project aimed to building façade's servitization is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the circular economy in companies undoubtedly requires a transition of their business systems towards more environmentally oriented ones. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the topic in the micro-level. Based on a sample of 404 managers with positions of responsibility in SMEs that are in transition towards a circular economy, this paper analyses at the micro level, through the use of structural equation modelling, how internal and external drivers contribute to this transition process and, at the same time, how the process itself impacts the resilience of the company and, consequently, its transformation process. The obtained results contribute to the literature by observing that internal factors carry more weight than external factors when implementing the CE transition. They illustrate how resilience derived from the CE transition can foster transformative change and demonstrate the CE's impact beyond environmental sustainability, extending its influence into strategic management and organizational fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concrete industry has been responsible for significant depletion of natural resources and at end-of-life significantly contributes to global waste production. To date experimental studies have typically explored the use of single generation recycled aggregates (RA) in concrete production, however, to move towards a circular economy the concrete industry needs to embrace the use of multi-generation recycled aggregate concrete (MGRAC). In this paper the physical and mechanical performance of 45 concrete mix designs over 4 generations of concrete production is explored. At each generation a series of mixes are conducted at various water to cement ratios (w/c) and with a range of blends of virgin and recycled aggregates from differing generations to capture the impact on material properties. The physical and mechanical properties are quantified for both the aggregates and the concretes at each generation. The results show that the physical properties and some mechanical properties of the concrete and RA decrease with respect to virgin aggregate concrete and virgin aggregate but, implementing a 50% replacement of VA can slow down intergenerational degradation. Furthermore, the blending RA from a range of generations can also slow intergenerational degradation but to a lesser extent. Effective aggregate properties are determined, and direct relationships confirmed indicating potential for informed mix design based on an understanding of a few simple aggregate properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a look at the impact of eco-control systems on the circular economy (CE) practices and economic and environmental performances of firms, taking in account the moderating role that environmental uncertainty can play in this regard. Based on data from a sample of 205 French manufacturing firms, and using hierarchical regressions analysis, the study reveals that eco-control systems improve CE practices as along with both ecological and economic performances. As such, this study provides novel insights challenging thus extant literature which argued that the influence of ecological control systems on economic performance may not be direct and may come about through specific organizational actions or initiatives. Research also reveals that the impact of eco-control systems as mediated by CE practices differs depending on the nature of the company's performance. More precisely, eco-control systems improve environmental performance through CE practices while no indirect effect was found with regard to economic performance. In doing so, this study provides novel insights to existing works by highlighting the positive role that CE plays in value creation of businesses. Moreover, environmental uncertainty was found to be a main contextual factor that positively moderates connection between ecological control systems and economic performance. As such, this study provides novel insights and broadens the literature in this area. This work generally offers an innovative view of the role that ecological control systems play in managing firms' CE practices to achieve better performance under environmental uncertainty conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigating the complex pavement system to the circular economy is a multi-dimensional and time-consuming endeavour. Obstructed by lock-in mechanisms of the prevailing "take-make-dispose" linear mode, the current circular economy studies in pavement infrastructure often focus only on one certain type of practice, featured by fragmentation from a system perspective. This study presents the first systematic literature review on the historical development trend of the circular economy concept in the pavement sector based on the collected 59 studies from 2006 to 2022. This review also identifies the soft (regulatory, social/environmental) and hard (technical, market/economic) drivers of- and barriers to the paradigm shift, aiming to coordinate the existing fragmented findings and facilitate the future systemic implementation of the circular economy. The synthesis of the results indicates that the underdeveloped technical guidance and legal system are inhibiting the paradigm shift to the circular economy. Furthermore, the authors argue that the importance of transparent and standardized data along the whole supply chain should be highlighted. Ultimately, this paper suggests that a welcoming environment set by the road authorities is crucial for innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as for constructing a system where stakeholders can confidently take responsibility and initiative. • First systematic review of circular economy transition in pavement engineering. • Identify the soft and hard drivers of- and barriers to the sustainable transition. • Guide towards the future adoption of material passports in the pavement sector. • Call for decentralization and multi-stakeholder engagement in the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the world has witnessed a sudden rise in population and rapid urbanization. This has led to an increase in the water demand and consequently an upsurge in wastewater. Water scarcity, coupled with untreated wastewater, has become a major concern throughout the world. Municipalities are challenged with the task of treating wastewater and meeting domestic, agricultural, and industrial demands. Mismanagement of wastewater results in economic, social and environmental loss. The high concentration of population, lack of sanitation and water security, reduced awareness, and evident pollution have made India a home full of opportunity and innovation in the wastewater management (WWM) business. The paper gives a comprehensive review to understand the wastewater management and business approach. The research uses Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) to identify, acknowledge, and interpret the major factors for the stakeholders and for future companies who wish to venture into the wastewater management business. The study provides insight into developing a circular economy solution and gives a vivid framework highlighting the relevant factors for a successful WWM business. The study also provides direction to the practitioners who are involved in the WWM industry and helps evaluate their options, prioritizing resource-efficient solutions. [Display omitted] • Develop a strategy for an efficient wastewater management business framework. • Identifying the factors crucial for the success of a wastewater management business. • An integrated multi-attribute interpretive structural decision approach is proposed. • Provides a pragmatic business framework with dependent and driving factors. • Managerial implication & policy insights for implementing the model are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large quantities of post-use glass packages are produced globally, that so need to be treated as waste: this is cause of a global environmental concern. Therefore, efforts are required for optimisation and promotion of re-use and recycling practices with a waste valorisation-oriented approach in a circular economy context. In this context, the study was aimed at documenting environmental damages and improvements related to recycling glass cullet into sodium silicate in water solution on a lab-scale chemical process. Life Cycle Assessment was applied for this purpose according to the specialised International Standards. The study highlighted that the environmental hotspots of the process stay in the production of electricity and of sodium hydroxide as both required for the chemical reaction development. Those two input items contribute 81.94% and 14.33% of the total damage associated with the whole lab process, that is equal to nearly 36.5 μpt. A 64% environmental damage reduction could be obtained by sourcing the process electricity requirements by means of a photovoltaic plant. Furthermore, through a sensitivity analysis, the authors proved that the investigated sodium silicate is appreciably more environmentally sustainable than the virgin-origin counterpart, whose environmental profile was measured in nearly 43 μpt. The study can be considered as a proof that, already in the design phase on a lab-scale dimension, it is possible to identify recycling paths that may contribute to implementing sustainable circular models of the economy. [Display omitted] • The paper investigates the recycling of post-use glass containers into sodium silicate. • Life Cycle Assessment was applied to a chemical process on the laboratory scale. • The functional unit was 41g sodium silicate. • Electricity consumption and sodium hydroxide production were the environmental hotspots. • Recycled sodium silicate was environmentally proven than the virgin counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, understanding its impacts on cities has received much attention in science and policy circles. This paper systematically reviews the literature on the interface of the pandemic and urban sustainability. The objective is to portray the impacts brought by the COVID-19 outbreak in urban environments within the sustainability framework and to detect trends and challenges for future research. The paper follows a methodology that integrates both bibliometric and systematic review approaches. The first approach relies on bibliometric analysis to provide an overview of the landscape of main trends on this nexus. The second approach presents a content analysis that deepens the work by outlining the impacts of the pandemic and the challenges that emerged on five different key topics for urban sustainability. The role of resilient urban planning is discussed as an integrative concept to face diverse challenges in the construction of sustainable cities in a post-pandemic scenario. Likewise, the study deliberates on future research topics related to resilient urban planning, social equity, healthy urban environments, sustainable mobility, and circular economy. This review serves as a guide for researchers and urban planners to understand emerging challenges and future research trends in urban sustainability. [Display omitted] • A literature review integrating bibliometric and contents analysis synthesizes the effects of the COVID-19 on the urban sustainability. • The impacts are sorted into thematic areas: resilient urban planning, healthy urban environments, social equity, sustainable mobility, and circular economy. • Challenges for urban sustainability and resilience are proposed as topics for future research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's competitive world, gathering precise context knowledge is a critical barrier for industry practitioners, professionals, and researchers in supply chain management, impeding their capacity to acquire expertise and give effective management awareness. In this regard, this study aimed to identify the data-driven capabilities of supply chain management. Realising the abovementioned issues, the existing literature on supply chain management needs to be further reviewed to explore the data-driven capabilities for sustainable supply chains. The study presented a systematic literature review on a data-driven sustainable supply chain to achieve this goal. One hundred ninety-seven documents from various publications were identified for bibliometric and network analysis from the Scopus database using specific keywords related to the research concept published during 2013–2023 through inclusion and exclusion criteria. The emerging themes were identified using the "R" package and reviewed the papers were reviewed in theme directions. The study showed that implementing data-driven and sustainable technologies could assist strategic decision-making. Also, Data-driven solutions can effectively improve sustainability in supply chain network operations performance. The study demonstrates that big data can contribute to achieving sustainability goals through bibliometric analysis and critique of previous papers published in the specialised field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the alignment and misalignment of objectives within private companies and public organizations in their approach to the circular economy. While many studies have investigated the alignment within single actor types, this research reveals the dynamics of alignment when private companies and public organizations engage. Drawing upon qualitative research protocol, our study employs a circular economy financing initiative implemented in Italy as the empirical foundation for investigating these dynamics. The results highlight the positive repercussions when private companies and public organizations achieve perfect alignment, which triggers internal transformations within both entities. However, perfect alignment is seldom achieved. Our findings thus contribute to the literature by proposing actor misalignment as a potential barrier to the circular economy. This paper provides both theoretical and managerial insights into alignment dynamics within the context of the circular economy and offers a perspective on how these dynamics might evolve over time in multi-stakeholder circular economy initiatives. • Positive repercussions when private businesses and public actors achieve perfect alignment. • Perfect alignment between private businesses and public actors is seldom realized. • Actor misalignment represent a potential barrier to the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to synthesize the extant literature on supply chain (SC) resilience and draw a roadmap for resilient SCs by employing a systematic literature review (SLR). The paper utilizes an SLR methodology to draw upon important themes and sub-themes. This is based on a pool of papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Major themes identified included SC networks and structures, Industry 4.0 and digitalization, innovation and entrepreneurship, capabilities and strategies, SC risk management, circular economy and sustainability. SC networks and structures, as well as the role of information technology and Industry 4.0, are an important theme of research in the literature. The literature at this juncture has mainly highlighted the role of big data analytics, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence in SC resilience. In addition, the important capabilities highlighted by researchers include SC flexibility, SC capacity, SC robustness, SC relationship management and SC leadership for improving SC resilience. The important themes and sub-themes identified in the study would help identify the strategic fields of action for creating resilient SCs. Particularly, the conceptualization of resilience within the SCs would help to uncover the factors that play an important role in improving the SCs. Further, the study also focuses on the interplay between sustainability and resilience. The present study will help managers to understand the factors that affect resilience in SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comply with a circular economy (CE) and gain significant financial, environmental, and societal benefits, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tend to adopt circular strategies, also known as "Rs". With a growing tendency to develop new Rs in CE frameworks, OEMs can become disoriented. While remanufacturing is often ranked low compared to other Rs, remanufacturing can still retain the highest product value (pull the used product value up to the top of the Retained Value Hill (see graphical abstract)).The aim of this paper is to align remanufacturing in comparison to other value-retaining processes (VRPs) in terms of the retained product value. To fulfill this aim, data was collected through a literature study and interviews with remanufacturers. The results show that although remanufacturing tends to demand more resources to retain a high product value, it outperforms other VRPs and delivers better output quality, assured with a longer warranty, neutral product identity, and extended (doubled or tripled) product use time. This paper enriches the research on remanufacturing, VRPs, and CE frameworks by showing that OEMs can ride the Retained Value Hill highest and longest only with remanufacturing. Retained Value Hill framework (inspired by Achterberg et al., 2016) with 6 VRPs: prepare for direct reuse, refresh, repair, recondition, refurbish, and remanufacture , where remanufacturing enables the longest and highest ride. The height of the Retained Value Hill refers to the retained product value, which reflects the output quality and can be measured by the exchange value in the economy. The length of the ride is a proxy of extended product life, which can be measured by the additional product use time. [Display omitted] • Numerous circular strategies disorient manufacturers. • Retained Value Hill framework orients manufacturers around circular strategies. • Manufacturers ride the Retained Value Hill highest and longest with remanufacturing. • Remanufacturing outperforms other value-retaining processes. • Retained Value Hill framework ranks remanufacturing high among circular strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting from a traditional linear to an alternative circular paradigm can foster economic growth and support sustainable capital renewal in the European Union. This topic has attracted growing academic interest in recent years. However, the evaluation of case studies regarding Circular Economy implementation, strategies, and practices (at all levels) is still in its infancy. With the aim of bridging this gap, this paper analyses, through a systematic review of case studies, the implementation of circular practices in all economic sectors and industries of the European Union (from 2015 until April 2023). To this end, this research uses a framework of circular strategies built considering the European Union political framework. Based on this analysis, it can be deduced that recycling was the most used circular strategy (24.2%) to reintegrate materials into the economic system and reduce the use of raw materials (18.9%), demonstrating the existence of virtuous circles in the European Union's economic sectors. The results show that the best performing industry, in terms of circular strategies, is Food and Beverage (17.92%), within the Agri-food economic sector. While the economic sector with the least number of circular strategies (7.86%) is Capital Equipment. This paper proposes several tools for Circular Economy implementation that could lead to future research and support business, policymakers, and the scientific community. [Display omitted] • Circularity implementation in the European Union's economic sectors is evaluated. • The most important barriers and challenges are outlined and discussed. • Circular strategies are obtained from the European Union political framework. • The main performing economic sectors and industries are listed. • Food and Beverage was found to be the most circular industry in the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of sustainability principles is becoming fundamental for companies, also for creating added value in the production processes. Production managers should not consider only the economic-financial aspects in their decisions, but also the environmental and social implications to extend the benefits to all current and future world populations. This vision requires to develop and apply sustainability-oriented methodologies to compare alternative production strategies. This paper contributes to addressing this problem by proposing a methodology that allows comparing different production strategies by considering their sustainable impact, starting with the definition of their processes. An aggregated sustainability index has been designed for this purpose. Thus, the paper contributes to the literature on the evaluation of sustainability through the development of a methodology, which can be used by the practitioners as a decision support tool to identify the most sustainable production strategy according to the objective of the company and the specific production process considered. Then, the proposed methodology has been applied to compare two different production strategies, i.e., AM-based remanufacturing and the production of new components. A simulation model has been implemented to reproduce the behaviour of the two competing production strategies. Although the results depend on the utilized data, this application showed that it is possible to distinguish different areas of convenience for each strategy. Moreover, findings revealed that the sustainability of the production strategies is strictly connected to the adopted technology and the importance given to the economic, environmental and social aspects by the company. • A sustainability based methodology for comparing production strategies is proposed. • Remanufacturing and new production strategies are considered. • Additive Manufacturing technologies are considered to conduct the assessment. • Remanufacturing is always the best strategy from the environmental perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ongoing development of urban infrastructure and higher living standards, waste glass has become a significant component of municipal solid waste that cannot be disregarded. To address this issue, researchers have been looking for sustainable solutions to establish Circular Economy best practices for the full value chain of products made of glass, particularly for waste from high-quality glass sheets. Unfortunately, most of this waste is either dumped in landfills or recycled in an open-loop manner, due to its diverse composition and low volume. However, with the advent of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies, including machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, collaborative robots, dynamic life cycle assessment, and advanced remanufacturing techniques, it could now become possible to characterize and recover end-of-life high-quality glass sheets like chemically strengthened glasses, e.g. used in smartphone screens, real time in smart factories for use in other high-tech applications. Such smart factories can economically produce on-demand batch-size 1 products, marking a fundamental transition from conventional recycling methods to a sustainable solution. This paper delves into the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in glass recycling research and the potential contributions of Industry 5.0, addressing its societal implications. It also introduces an intelligent method to assess and optimize the lifespan of smartphone screen glass, suggesting potential reuse or remanufacturing solutions. [Display omitted] • Challenges in traditional glass waste management and the complexities of recycling. • Recycling's contribution to resource conservation and the Circular Economy. • New methods for recovering high-value materials like Chemically Strengthened Glass. • Identification of research gaps and future directions for recovery of high-quality glass materials. • Influence of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 on advancing glass recovery practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of a circular food economy, particularly through insect farming using food waste, has gained increasing attention in recent years. This approach holds the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of food production by repurposing food waste as insect feed, while simultaneously offering an alternative source of protein. Although the environmental advantages of insect farming are well established, limited research exists on insect farming in colder regions with cleaner grid electricity, such as Quebec, Canada. In this paper, a framework is developed to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions of a mealworm farm within a circular economy context. The benefits of circular economy practices are assessed through multiple different feed acquisition scenarios (virgin feed and feed diverted from composting, anaerobic digestion, and landfilling). Furthermore, the benefits of mealworm farming are assessed through a comparative analysis with other sources of protein. The framework consists of five stages: feed acquisition, transformation, heating, transportation, and fertilizer production. The results show that farming mealworms using virgin feed emits +14.94 Kg CO 2 eq/Kg protein. However, using diverted food waste as feed eliminates the need for conventional waste management and leads to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of −1.54, −2.48, and −16.39 Kg CO 2 eq/Kg protein for food waste diverted from composting, anaerobic digestion, and landfilling, respectively. This study highlights that mealworm farming with virgin feed generates lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to beef and pork and is on par with chicken production. Overall, this study demonstrates the environmental superiority of mealworm farming, whether or not food waste is utilized, in a Canadian context. [Display omitted] • Circular economy and insect farming can decrease agriculture's carbon footprint. • Upcycling food waste yields carbon-negative edible insects. • Mealworms fed by diverting organic waste from landfill emit −16 KgCO 2 eq/Kg protein. • Mealworms fed virgin grains emit +15 KgCO 2 eq/Kg protein. • Virgin-grain-fed insects have impacts similar to chicken but lower than beef or pork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the supply chain and reverse channels of expanded polystyrene packaging connection in Brazil and their roles to discuss the main challenges towards circular economy. In order to achieve this goal, we propose a four-step method, anchored in the literature, technical visits, and interviews with experts in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry. First, the EPS supply chain was characterised and mapped, and secondly, the stakeholders and logistics activities in reverse channels were analysed. Third, the Brazilian legislation and chain structure was reviewed to obtain an understanding of how this can influence the activities developed in reverse channels. Fourth, with an analysis of the data collected before, the barriers to implement EPS reverse chain were presented. The main results establish that the EPS can complete one cycle of the circular economy, which is recycling, but products need to be separated and washed. The most significant waste generators are public and private institutions, residences, and retailers. Notable barriers to its recycling are a lack of understanding of the nature of expanded polystyrene recycling by Brazilian people, high transport cost due to material density, and the dispersion of post-consumer expanded polystyrene in several regions of the country linked with the small number of recycling facilities. Finally, this issue could be explored in industries and companies that require their managers to adopt strategies to improve reverse logistics in order to promote the circular economy. The companies' actions could facilitate a stronger circular supply chain since they could increase recycling efforts, reduce expanded polystyrene waste, and present new business models. The resulting generation of employment would contribute to the quality of life of contemporary society. The findings presented in the paper enable industries to identify and guide the most demanding significant steps and processes, and to shift the reverse chain and expanded polystyrene recycling to ensure that they operate more efficiently. • Reverse logistics as the first step towards circular supply chain. • The paper maps the expanded polystyrene packaging supply chain and its reverse logistics. • This paper presents the barriers that hinder the reverse logistics in Brazil. • The main challenges are related to the consumers and the recycling industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers are embracing the circular economy (CE) as a means of harmonizing environmental and economic interactions, including at the urban level. Whilst numerous studies cover CE practices, few papers cover how it is being implemented and how cities (hotspots of material consumption, waste generation and disconnected pollution) are transitioning from linear-like processing of materials to a cyclical form. This paper addresses (a) how is the CE being applied and driven at the city level, and (b) what are the emerging transitional barriers and limits of such strategies? It compares the case studies of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, especially as the Netherlands is considered a CE frontrunner. Utilising document analysis of key national and city level strategies and 67 interviews, we show that the key municipal instruments include public procurement, zoning laws, capacity building and knowledge exchange and these can mostly be applied to municipal purchases and the construction sector. Practitioners perceived the initial barriers as knowledge of suitable technologies and deployment opportunities, the low quality of waste streams in comparison to the low costs of high-quality virgin inputs, the difficulty in addressing these issues at the urban scale, and the linear mindset of relevant actors. We argue that core limitations for these strategies and city level circular transitions include the instrumental scope and capacity to influence value chains and businesses, in addition to an overt focus on end-of-pipe actions as opposed to reducing and reusing resources. This research suggests that multi-level policy integration is needed to alter value chains to enable a greater reduction in material inputs and changes in actor behaviour. • Cities are experimenting with circular economy (CE) activities in the construction sector because of its potential. • Cities can incentivize CE through e.g. public procurement, tendering, zoning and suasive. • Cities prioritise lower R-options (e.g. recycling) over higher ones (e.g. reduce). • Hard barriers include applying suitable technologies and the low cost of virgin materials. • Soft barriers include linear mindsets and the limited scope of municipal mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the circular economy (CE), the importance of the evaluation of costs, benefits, and externalities capturing the variables involved in a product's life cycle are gaining attention both in the literature and with practitioners. In many cases, costs are isolated across the various life cycle stages and addressed in fragmented ways. The literature indicates the importance of developing and implementing life cycle costing methods from the perspective of the product/material flow life cycle. Numerical application of the product structure-based integrated life cycle analysis (PSILA) with the externalities demonstrates how this method can assist in the management of circular businesses. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the benefits of using aluminum packaging in the food sector by combining the life cycle costing (LCC) model and externalities in the CE. The results obtained through the LCC concept and externalities indicate an economic benefit and CO 2 reduction. This paper seeks to fill the research gap regarding expenditures and benefits for the analysis of production costs, environmental impacts, and externalities in an integrated manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature argues that an organization's management control needs to adapt as an organization changes business model or strategy for the management control to be consistent with the organization's objectives and strategies. Nevertheless, scepticism has been raised about the role of management controls in promoting sustainability or the circular economy within organizations. Based on the management control framework of Malmi and Brown (2008), this paper explores empirically how organizations work with the circular economy and how management control has adapted to the business model. The results show that the circular economy can be practiced in different ways and that the adaptation and application of the circular economy affects the whole management control package. The paper identifies the importance of cultural control and long-range planning for communicating circular values and spreading a culture based on circular principles. However, regardless of what circular strategies are used, circular work tends to steer attention to the early phases of the product life cycle. For management controls this means that action plans, cost accounting, and investment appraisals must reflect a higher level of detail and a longer time horizon. The paper highlights how this is associated with challenges for traditional management controls. • Circular work steer the attention to the early phases in the product life cycle. • CE demands a higher level of detail and longer time horizon of decisions. • Managers need to build both a strong CE-culture and improve their cybernetic controls. • A challenge is how cost accounting and investment appraisals can develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the circular economy era, environmental sustainability is critical, and both green and non-green products with similar functions co-exist in practice. There is little doubt that these two types of products are competing and may substitute one another even though one is more environmental friendly than the other. In this paper, we build analytical models to explore the optimal advertising and pricing decisions for a green product in the presence of a non-green product substitute. We investigate both simultaneous and sequential pricing strategies under which there are three possible pricing scenarios, namely: 1) both prices of green and non-green products are determined simultaneously (Strategy IP), 2) the green product's price is decided first and then the non-green product's price is determined (Strategy GL), and 3) the non-green product's price is decided first and then the green product's price is determined (Strategy NL). We find that the sequential pricing strategy is more profitable than the simultaneous pricing strategy for both green and non-green supply chains. It is interesting to prove the existence of "second-mover advantage" in the pricing game. Moreover, we identify that if the green supply chain uses Strategy NL, it could achieve a better performance in profit and minimize the corresponding environmental impact. If the green supply chain is truly socially responsible, it should design a product with low substitutability, so that the environmental impact can be enhanced. Furthermore, our numerical results indicate that Strategy IP never performs the best in terms of consumer surplus and social welfare when the product substitution level is sufficiently high. Findings of this paper contribute to the literature on cleaner production systems in the circular economy era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]