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In the quest for a sustainable future, the bio-economy and biorefineries have emerged as pivotal agents of transformation. This review paper offers an accessible and comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted bio-economy landscape. Environmental concerns, resource scarcity, and the demand for renewable and bio-based products are the key drivers shaping this sustainable paradigm. Agriculture and agro-industry play an indispensable role, acting as the primary suppliers of the essential feedstock for biorefineries. They not only fuel the bio-economy but also foster sustainable farming practices and rural development, forming a mutually beneficial relationship. Biorefineries, the workhorses of the bio-economy, optimize resource usage, minimize waste, and produce a diverse range of bio-based products. Innovative biorefinery techniques are at the forefront, revolutionizing efficiency and expanding the array of feedstock's, thereby creating higher value-added derivatives. These value-added products, spanning biofuels, bio-plastics, and more, drive the market towards a greener and circular economy. The bio-economy's commitment to sustainability is evident through waste reduction and the promotion of circular economy principles. Policy, regulation, and market developments shape the bio-economy by promoting bio-based industries while favouring eco-friendly alternatives, creating a competitive and healthy ecosystem. While the bio-economy shows promise, it faces challenges. Optimizing conversion efficiency, discovering new feedstocks, and solving biorefinery environmental issues need technological breakthroughs and research. In summary, the bio-economy and biorefineries orchestrate a sustainable symphony, driven by environmental consciousness, rooted in agriculture, refined by innovative techniques, and harmonized by the production of bio-based products. The stage is set for a greener, more sustainable future. Bio-economy and biorefineries have become crucial drivers of transformation in the pursuit of a sustainable future. The review paper provides a thorough and easily understandable examination of the diverse bio-economy landscape. Environmental concerns, limited resources, and the need for biodegradable and renewable products are some of the main things that are shaping the sustainable paradigm. Agriculture and the agro-industry play a big role in this because they provide biorefineries with the feedstock they need. The bio-economy is not only fuelled by them, but they also contribute to sustainable farming practices and rural development, creating a mutually beneficial relationship. Biorefineries are the backbone of the bio-economy as they effectively utilize resources, minimize waste, and generate a wide array of bio-based products. At the forefront of innovation, biorefinery techniques are revolutionizing efficiency and expanding the range of feedstock's available. This, in turn, leads to the creation of higher-value derivatives and value-added products, such as biofuels and bioplastics, promoting a greener and more circular economy. The commitment of the bio-economy to sustainability is demonstrated through its efforts to reduce waste and promote the principles of a circular economy. Policy, regulation, and market developments impact the bio-economy by working together to support bio-based industries and encourage the use of eco-friendly alternatives. As a result, a competitive and healthy ecosystem is created. Although the bio-economy holds promise, it also encounters various challenges. Technological breakthroughs and research are necessary for optimizing conversion efficiency, discovering new feedstock's, and solving biorefinery environmental issues. In essence, a commitment to the environment guides how the bio-economy and biorefineries collaborate in a sustainable manner by utilizing innovative methods to refine and produce bio-based products. This harmonious process creates a symphony of sustainability, paving the way for the dream of a greener, more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water industries (WIN) are now approaching towards sustainability of resource use, recovery process, and water and energy management based on the circular economy (CRE) framework. Thus, the integration of electrodialysis (ED) technology in the WIN with a CRE paradigm should be recommended for ensuring the sustainability of ED desalination, resource, and energy recovery (EDDRER). According to the literature review, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic study devoted to the sustainable EDDRER; hence a comprehensive and critical knowledge generation of EDDRER is essential for further technological advancements of ED. Consequently, this review paper investigated the plausible incorporation of ED in the WIN for a CRE of EDDRER. The recent progress of EDDRER has been described comprehensively and critically. Moreover, an all-inclusive techno-economics and environmental sustainability analysis of EDDRER from WIN for a CRE has been carried out. This paper marks the first instance in which energy recovery techniques employing ED have been reported and critically discussed. In addition, the latest case studies of EDDRER in the WIN have been discussed critically, and the significant scaling-up issues of EDDRER have been assessed based on the state-of-the-art recent scientific findings. Furthermore, the potential mitigation measures for the scaling-up issues have also been addressed. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of EDDRER from WIN for a closed-loop economy. The novel insights of this study could be essential for the development of a sustainable CRE-based EDDRER process for WIN to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs). [Display omitted] • Electrodialysis (ED) technology was linked with water industries and circular economy • Sustainability of ED desalination, resource and energy recovery (EDDRER) was assessed • Energy recovery techniques employing ED have been critically discussed • Techno-economical model of EDDRER was proposed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper examines how the agri-food system is currently responding to the grand challenges of sustainability. • It reviews the literature related to sustainability-oriented innovation to identify ways in which the agri-food system could better respond to grand challenges in the future. • It highlights the key contributions of the seven articles in the special issue. • It draws three potential avenues for future research. The agri-food system features prominently in discussions about sustainable development because of its broad economic, social, and environmental impacts. To examine how the agri-food system is responding – and can respond – to the grand challenges of sustainability, we position this Special Issue (SI) within the stream of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) literature, and in relation to the much-cited framework provided by Adams et al. (2016). This introductory article contains an overview of the selected papers, described by using the above-mentioned framework and by highlighting the contributions that these articles bring to fill current knowledge gaps in the field. Such knowledge gaps have been identified by investigating SOI links to sustainability and circular economy concepts and by studying how SOI relates to development in the agri-food system. The contributions to this SI explore different facets of the research agenda we have laid out and covers the range of SOI proposed by Adams et al. To help the field move forward, we finally identify a few areas as the most relevant for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Combining sustainable consumption with the circular economy concept could help tackle challenges, such as resource scarcity and climate change by reducing resource throughput and increasing cycling of products and materials within the economic system, thereby reducing emissions and virgin material use. To achieve sustainable consumption in a circular economy production and consumption practices need to change. Business models can potentially influence both practices as it defines how a company conducts business and shapes the company-consumer relationship. This paper developed future business models for sustainable consumption through two rounds of semi-structured interviews with experts from academia, industry, and policy. During the first interview round, four business model elements that are important for sustainable consumption were identified: Resource strategy, Revenue model, Consumer effort, and Objective to (decrease/increase) consumption level. Based on these elements, we developed a comprehensive business model framework. Using this framework, experts envisioned future business models for sustainable consumption of clothing during the second interview round. The findings of this study suggest that the most promising business models for sustainable consumption are those that reduce overall consumption levels and consumer effort. Further, we found that a diverse range of business models in the market can potentially enable different customer segments to consume sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population growth and urbanisation have accelerated waste generation, and effective waste management has become a major challenge worldwide. With advances in technology and management methods, waste management strategies have begun embracing digitalisation, leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, cloud/edge computing, machine learning, 5G communication, and blockchain technologies. Amongst them, the blockchain technology has the structural features of achieving information security and integrity without central guarantees. Blockchain also meets the data record/storage needs of waste management and the design of new mechanisms for effective waste management. These benefits make blockchain an attractive technology in the field of waste management, with researchers and practitioners alike investigating its broad applications to support sustainable waste management. However, this emerging technology has not yet been widely accepted by potential users. To further champion the application of blockchain technology, this review paper provides a systematic overview of the various pathways in which the technology has been applied in the waste management industry and further discusses its related challenges and opportunities via considering the promising prospect of combining blockchain technology with IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) and life cycle assessment (LCA). This review also provides insights for interpreting some emerging applications of blockchain in the field of waste management and clarifying the research paths in the context of blockchain, digitalised waste management, and circular economy. [Display omitted] • Impacts of blockchain technology on waste management have been substantial. • Recent development from blockchain's functional perspectives was surveyed. • There is a long way towards blockchain-based sustainable waste management. • Relevant challenges and opportunities in blockchain applications were discussed. • Outlooks in digitalised waste management and circular economy were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing importance of the concept of the circular economy as a way to attain sustainable development has encouraged scholars to propose different ways to understand it. Given the large number of studies done on the circular economy, their differing approaches and their multiple applications, this paper attempts to propose a consensus view of the basic notions of the circular economy framework and highlight its relationship with eco-innovation. To that end, this study carried out a systematic literature review that resulted in four main outputs: a knowledge map of the circular economy, an analysis of the main notions of the concept, principles, and determinants of a circular economy. Finally, this study brings to light some remarkable examples of eco-innovations developed for implementation in the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil amendment is a viable alternative to chemical fumigants thanks its benefits on soil quality, microbial biodiversity, and plant health being valorized underused biomass. Nonetheless, the concepts of durability and stability for disease suppressive soils are became a critical issue in the advanced organic cropping systems. Although a comprehensive and critical literature is available, this paper briefly analyzes the governance of the soil organic amendments as an external source of organic matter and beneficial microbiota in view of new opportunities and technological advancements. Particularly, it discusses some possible solutions for developing the suppressive properties of the amended-soils by helping grower to well understand the complex processes/interactions that lead to soil suppressiveness from the most practical viewpoints according to the principles of green economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]