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• Calculation of product circularity and global warming indicators. • Evaluation of end-of-life management solutions to slow and close resource loops. • Chemical recycling has the greater circularity and low-impact potential. • Thermal recycling has the lower circularity and higher carbon footprint. • Higher circularity does not always lead to carbon savings. It is estimated that 570 Mt of blade waste, whose management is complex and expensive, will be generated by 2030 in the European Union alone. Accordingly, alternative blade waste management techniques are being investigated to optimize material recovery. This study evaluates the correlation between the circular economy performance and the carbon footprint of seven end-of-life management solutions for wind turbine blades: repurposing, grinding, solvolysis, pyrolysis, co-processing in cement kilns, incineration with energy recovery and landfilling. The circular economy performance is analyzed through the calculation of the product circularity indicator, while the carbon footprint is determined through life cycle assessment, using the global warming indicator and considering the management of three blades from cradle-to-gate as functional unit. As the performance of solvolysis and pyrolysis recycling is expected to change in the future, a sensitivity analysis is also carried out to evaluate the variability of the results by changing their process efficiency and the quality of the recovered materials. The results indicate that blade recycling through solvolysis is the most circular (0.47–0.77) and low-carbon (225–503 CO 2 eq.) solution overall. Blade repurposing, grinding and cement co-processing have a similar circularity (0.52–0.55) and a global warming impact ranging from 499 t CO 2 eq. to 615 t CO 2 eq. Although the circularity of pyrolysis is 59% (0.35) to 118% (0.48) greater than the circularity of incineration and landfilling (0.22), its carbon footprint can range from 566 t CO 2 eq. to 744 t CO 2 eq, which could be up to 19% higher than the carbon footprint of these linear EoL management alternatives (623 t CO 2). Based on these findings, proposals for sustainable industrial innovation and methodological recommendations for the development of integrated circularity and sustainability studies are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The sustainability benefits of using solar cookers in developing countries have been analysed widely in the literature. However, the sustainability potential of solar cookers in developed economies has not been explored yet, which is the topic of this paper. Three types of solar cooker – box, panel and parabolic – were built as part of this research, using mostly (>70%) reused household materials. Their life cycle environmental and economic performance was analysed and compared to conventional microwaves. The results were first considered at the level of individual cookers and then scaled up to the levels of a city, region and country, considering a conservative (10%) uptake of solar cookers in substitution of microwaves. The contribution of home-made solar cookers to a circular economy and their social sustainability were also analysed. Spain was used as an illustrative example to demonstrate the potential sustainability benefits of using solar cookers in developed countries. The results suggest that, in comparison with microwaves, they could reduce annual life cycle costs by up to 40% and environmental impacts by up to 65%, including greenhouse gas emissions. At the national level, 42,600 t of CO 2 eq. would be avoided annually while the consumption of primary energy would be reduced by 860 TJ. Furthermore, the electricity consumption would decrease by 67 GWh/yr and 4200 t/yr of household waste would be avoided. If solar cookers were built entirely by reusing household materials, up to €23.2 million could be saved per year. Finally, the development of craft activities to build and repair the cookers can help people to engage socially and reduce stress, thus enhancing their social wellbeing. It can also increase people's awareness of a more sustainable use of resources. Therefore, home-made solar cookers represent a promising opportunity to motivate behavioural changes towards a circular economy and sustainability in developed countries. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The benefits of using home-made solar cookers instead of microwaves are evaluated. • GHG emissions and waste generation can be reduced by 42.6 kt and 4.2 kt annually. • Around 67 GWh of electricity and €23.2 million can be saved each year. • Social engagement in building and using solar cookers can enhance social wellbeing. • They can motivate behavioural changes towards circular economy and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 130 million microwaves are affected by European Union (EU) legislation which is aimed at reducing the consumption of electricity in the standby mode (‘Standby Regulation’) and at more sustainable management of end-of-life electrical and electronic waste (‘WEEE Directive’). While legislation focuses on these two life cycle stages, there is little information on the environmental impacts of the entire life cycle of microwaves. To address this gap, this paper presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment of microwaves and assesses the environmental implications of the Standby Regulation and the WEEE Directive at the EU level. The impacts are first considered at the level of individual appliances and then at the EU level, with the aim of evaluating the potential environmental implications of the full implementation of the above two EU regulations by 2020. The effects of the electricity decarbonisation and the expected increase in the number of microwaves in use have also been considered. The results suggest that implementation of the EU regulation by 2020 will reduce the environmental impacts considered by 4%–9% compared to the current situation. The majority of these reductions is due to the Standby Regulation, with the contribution of the WEEE Directive being small (~ 0.3%). However, the expected decarbonisation of electricity will result in much higher reductions (6%–24%) for most impact categories. The results also show that the materials used to manufacture the microwaves, the manufacturing process and end-of-life disposal are environmental hot-spots for several impacts, including depletion of abiotic elements. Therefore, efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of a future electricity mix should be combined with the development of specific eco-design regulations for microwaves that stipulate optimisation of resource consumption. Possible future trends, such as shorter lifetimes and limited availability of some resources, make the development of such product regulations more critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) is essential for decoupling economic growth from resource consumption and environmental impacts. However, effective implementation requires a systemic change across supply chains, involving both technological and nontechnological innovations. Frameworks are beginning to emerge to foster CE thinking in organizations. However, literature review carried out as part of this research has revealed gaps in their ability to fulfil CE requirements. Furthermore, few frameworks provide support on how CE requirements may be implemented. To address these issues, this article presents a new framework, BECE (backcasting and eco-design for the circular economy), to ensure that businesses can implement CE requirements more readily. BECE empowers organizations to tackle the CE holistically by embedding the concept into corporate decision making and by bringing operational and systems thinking together, thus increasing the likelihood of successful implementation. The potential of the BECE framework was tested through a pilot workshop focusing on the development of a CE business model through redesign of products and supply chains. Using vacuum cleaners as an illustrative case study, several product design and supply-chain alternatives were identified, including the development of scenarios and action plans for their implementation at the business level. Although the case study focuses on a particular product, the BECE framework is generic and applicable across different products and business sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular business models, aimed at narrowing, slowing, and closing resource loops, can potentially generate significant economic and social benefits, promote resource security and improve environmental performance. However, within the wind power industry, sustainability research, including life cycle assessments, has been focused mostly on technology innovation at the material (e.g. permanent magnets), components (e.g. blades) or product level (e.g. new assets). Research analysing the implementation of circular business models in the wind industry is scarce. Such information could, however, support more robust decision-making in the development of system-level innovations for the deployment of more resource-efficient and sustainable wind energy infrastructure. Building upon practical methods for the identification, categorisation and characterisation of business models, 14 circular business models with application to the wind industry were comprehensively evaluated through the revision of 125 documents, including 56 journal papers, 46 industrial business cases and 23 wind technology management reports. Each circular business model is examined according to i) business offering and drivers, ii) value creation, delivery and capture mechanisms, iii) sustainability benefits and trade-offs, and iv) industrial challenges and opportunities. Accordingly, comprehensive guidelines to drive political (legislation design and implementation), industrial (technology and business innovation) and academic (further research) actions, are provided. Though the results are focussed on the wind industry, the general findings and recommendations are relevant across the renewable and low-carbon energy sector. • Comprehensive assessment of 125 journal papers, business cases and industrial reports. • Characterisation of 14 CBMs articulated around the life cycle management of wind farms. • Business offering, value creation, delivery and capture mechanisms, and sustainability benefits are evaluated. • Ten intervention areas to overcome CBM implementation challenges are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The service sector has the potential to play an instrumental role in the shift towards circular economy due to its strategic position between manufacturers and end-users. However, there is a paucity of supporting methodologies and real-life applications to demonstrate how service-oriented companies can implement circular economy principles in daily business practice. This paper addresses this gap by analysing the potential of service-oriented companies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector to build and implement circular economy business models. To this end, the Backcasting and Eco-design for the Circular Economy (BECE) framework is applied in an ICT firm. BECE, previously developed and demonstrated for product-oriented applications, has been developed further here for applications in the service sector. By shifting the focus from a product-oriented approach to a user-centred eco-design, the paper shows how ICT firms can identify, evaluate and prioritise sustainable business model innovations for circular economy. The two most promising business model innovations are explored strategically with the aim of designing circular economy models consistent with the company's priorities of customer satisfaction and profitability. The findings suggest that ICT companies may be able to support the deployment of a circular economy in the service-oriented technology sector. Importantly, micro and small organisations can play a fundamental role if provided with macro-level support to overcome company-level barriers. Finally, the BECE framework is shown to be a valuable resource to explore, analyse and guide the implementation of circular economy opportunities in service-oriented organisations. Further research to verify the application of the findings to other service-oriented organisations is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy (CE) strategies, aimed at reducing resource consumption and waste generation, can help mitigate the environmental impacts of battery electric vehicles (BEV), thereby providing a more efficient alternative to petrol-fuelled vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are commonly used in BEV because of their higher performance than that of the benchmarks. However, how to analyse the CE innovations through life-cycle assessment (LCA) and how environmental savings relate to different CE strategies remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to i) identify and characterise the CE strategies most studied thus far in LCA studies on electric vehicle batteries, ii) evaluate the reasons behind the variability in the environmental impacts and savings between LIB with different chemistries, and iii) provide guidelines for the development of robust LCA studies for LIB by integrating CE management scenarios. The results showed that LCA-supported CE strategies have not been sufficiently explored in the literature, causing variability in methodological choices and research outcomes. While battery recycling was a dominant topic contemplated in 80% of the analysed LCA studies, other CE strategies, such as battery upgrading or remanufacturing, received little attention. The normalised impacts for LIB varied from 4400 kg CO 2 eq. to 55,000 kg CO 2 eq. based on several factors subject to the practitioners' choices, such as the battery chemistry considered, impact assessment method applied, available inventories used, and the CE scenario analysed. LCA methodological guidelines for determining the environmental sustainability of the CE strategies for electric vehicle batteries were provided based on the findings. • Comprehensive review of life cycle assessment and circular economy studies. • Battery longevity is the most important factor for reducing resource consumption. • Repurposing batteries to stationary energy storage leads to notable impact reduction. • Direct cathode recycling is the best end of life process to mitigate carbon emissions. • A holistic analysis of the suitability of circular economy strategies is yet lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]