Design for Well-Being and Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework of the Peer-to-Peer Sharing and Reuse Platform in the Circular Economy

To regain overall well-being in the post-pandemic era, the priorities should not be only economic growth but also human physical and mental health. This study investigates how to incorporate the concept of well-being into the circular economy to facilitate the pursuit of individual/personal and social growth, and sustainable consumption. We begin with a systematic search of the literature on well-being and sustainable product–service systems, model the well-being components in peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing and reuse platforms, and propose design guidelines for platform development. According to our findings, (1) allocentric well-being components (such as gratitude, contribution, and altruism) serve as the antecedents of sharing behaviors, while egocentric components (such as pleasure and attachment) serve as the consequences, and (2) information sharing is crucial to initiating the flow of well-being perceptions and sustainable sharing and reuse behaviors. Based on the findings, we suggest a data-driven approach and active inference theory to facilitate related studies. This study sheds light on the potential to develop well-being within the circular economy and facilitate the sustainable working of the sharing and reuse ecosystem.

Antecedents of digital supply chains for a circular economy: a sustainability perspective

PurposeA digital supply chain (DSC) positively enhances circular economy (CE) practices. However, what factors and conditions lead to the implementation of DSC for transitioning toward CE is not yet clear. Therefore, this study aims at identifying and subsequently analyzing the antecedents of DSC for CE.Design/methodology/approachThe study identifies major antecedents of DSC for CE to achieve sustainability objectives through literature review and expert opinions. In this study, 19 potential antecedents of DSCs for CE are established from the literature and suggestions from industry professionals. A trapezoidal fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach is applied quantitatively to investigate the antecedents identified.FindingsConducted in the context of Indian automobile manufacturing industry, the findings of the study reflect that advanced information sharing arrangement, effective government policies for DSC and CE implementation and digitalizing the supply chains are the top three potential antecedents of DSC for a CE.Originality/valueIn the existing literature, few studies are specific to investigating the DSC and CE paradigm. The present study will help organizations develop a practical and integrated strategic approach that will foster DSC through improved knowledge of CE.

Circular hospitality: Utilizing the benefits of circular economy to boost hospitality SME successes

Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings: Hospitality SMEs in the UK were found to be more resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic when they had adopted a circular economic model. Yet for those who had not already done so, adopting a circular economic model could be prohibitively expensive. Originality/value: The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Measuring economic crises impact transitioning to a circular economy.

Increasing global concern about climate change and the circular economy have successfully established itselves in international and national policies over the last decade, with the aim of reshaping the production and consumer behavior. The circular economy is one of the core pillars of European Union policy and its success depends on the energy efficiency, reducing production costs, and maintaining employment levels by ensuring continuous strong economic independency of the region. While crises are unavoidable and continue to appear, this paper aims to project the impact of any crisis on sustainability transitions using data analysis of the Global Financial crisis from 2008 to 2009 and discuss how the success of the circular economy implementation and environmental policies could be affected. The paper notes that the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 had a short-term positive impact on environmental degradation and that economic interests overshadowed environmental goals. Due to the recent events of the ongoing Russia and Ukraine war, COVID-19 societal and industrial behavior has shifted from sustainable to linear and has taken a step backward in reducing environmental pollution and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Analysis of already present data and the context of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, reviewing of COVID-19 impact on the global economy, health sector, and environmental policies allows us to predict the consequences, as it relates to the future of circular economy policy. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s10668-023-03367-x).

Green growth, sustainability, and decoupling carbon emissions from industrial activities in emerging economies: A focus on Zambia's energy sector

This paper quantified carbon emissions to create a credible post-COVID-19 baseline specific to the energy sector in Zambia. The approach was drawn from the IPCC – 2006 Guidelines for Tier 1. Using the IPCC Inventory Software V2.69, and focussing on specific sectors for which data were available, CO2 emissions were estimated from both petroleum-based fuel consumption, and electricity generation and consumption for the period 2019–2020. The spatial emissions consumption pattern for petroleum-derived fuels were also ascertained. From petroleum-based consumption, results show that the transport sector contributed 49% of the total CO2e emissions in the period examined, followed by mining at 28%, and power generation at 23%. Similarly, the spatial consumption emission-pattern revealed that Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces were the highest emitters at 33 and 32%, respectively. It was concluded that CO2 emissions from petroleum-derived fuel consumption vary across the country and sectors. Results also showed that electricity generation and consumption contributed emissions 3-times more than petroleum-derived fuels with discounted importation of electricity, but 5-times more when importation of electricity was accounted. The mining sector was the highest emitter in the electricity consumption category.

Conceptualising Circular economy performance with non-traditional valuation methods: Lessons for a post-Pandemic recovery

The circular economy (CE) has gained importance in the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Businesses, while realising the CE benefits, have challenges in justifying and evaluating the CE benefits using available performance measurement tools, specifically when considering sustainability and other non-traditional benefits. Given the rising institutional pressures for environmental and social sustainability, we argue that organisations can evaluate their CE implementation performance using non-market-based environmental goods valuation methods. Further, the effectiveness of the CE performance measurement model can be enhanced to support supply chain sustainability and resilience through an ecosystem of multi-stakeholder digital technologies that include a range of emerging technologies such as blockchain technology, the internet-of-things (IoT), artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and tracking technologies. Accordingly, a CE performance measurement model (CEPMM) is conceptualised and exemplified using seven COVID-19 disruption scenarios to provide insights that can be addressed through CE practices. Analyses and implications are presented along with areas for future research.

Performance analysis and environmental feasibility of bifacial photovoltaic thermal dryer with heat storage

In Covid19, it was observed that dehydrated commodity (fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.) was the most sustainable because of their long life and availability. The stored product market grew very fast after Covid19. It was predicted that the dehydrated circular economy would be the future of food demand and supply. The greenhouse dryer (GD) was the most economical and environmentally viable among various drying techniques. However, the problem associated with GD was low operating hours, sustainability, heat loss from the North wall, and operation after sunset. The present study incorporated a bifacial photovoltaic thermal (BIFPVT) on the roof, Lauric acid as a phase change material (PCM), and an aluminium foil-wrapped thermocol (Polystyrene foam) on the north wall of the GD as an insulation to overcome the above-said problem. The thermal efficiency of the modified greenhouse dryer was found to be lie in the range of 26–54%. In contrast, the electrical efficiency was found to be 20.1%. The integration of the thermal energy storage (TES) system runs the system even after sunset and improves the operation hours. The designed system not only makes the system self-sustainable but also mitigates 3136 kg of CO2 in its whole life span. The modified TES can further improve the thermal performance of the GD. A PCM-integrated BIFPVT greenhouse dryer is recommended for cleaner production.

Production efficiency and economic benefit evaluation of biohydrogen produced using macroalgae as a biomass feedstock in Asian circular economies

This study uses three data envelopment analysis models to determine the production efficiency of biohydrogen which is produced from macroalgae and other sources by dark fermentation. The efficiency of macroalgae is greatest in batch mode for S. Japonica using a sDFMEC process at pH 5.3, 35 degrees C, 1 g COD/L and a hydrogen production rate (HPR) of 0.34 L/L/h. The highest efficiency is using an internal circulation batch reactor in continuous mode for beverage waste water. The HPR and substrate concentration are the most important factor of biohydrogen efficiency, and efficiency and temperature are the most important factors of HPR. Malaysia and India are the two economies that most benefit from increased production efficiency due to the use of macroalgae. Increasing biohydrogen yield efficiency will improve macroeconomic growth and establish a renewable hydrogen and biohydrogen industry, which is especially efficient related to the economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategic use of thermo-chemical processes for plastic waste valorization

Plastic is one of the most widely used materials in industries including packaging, building, and construction due to its lightweight, low cost, durability, and versatility. However, the mass production of plastics has exacerbated plastic pollution. Globally, plastic waste is predominantly incinerated, landfilled, or released into the environment;only 5-6% is recycled in the United States. Although conventional management protocols such as incineration and landfilling are evidently effective for plastic waste disposal, they are associated with significant environmental and societal challenges. In addition, most recycled plastic is downcycled, and thus does not provide sufficient incentive to use recycled materials instead of virgin materials. This review discusses thermo-chemical upcycling processes such as (catalytic) pyrolysis and heterogeneous catalysis. Furthermore, we present the recent progress in the thermo-chemical upgrading of single-type plastic waste, heterogeneous plastic mixtures, and post-consumer plastic waste obtained from different locations and, finally, suggest future research directions.

Thermoelectric Generator Using Low-Cost Thermoelectric Modules for Low-Temperature Waste Heat Recovery

One of the most significant problems in industrial processes is the loss of energy according to the sort of heat. Thermoelectrics are a promising alternative to recovering this type of thermal energy, as they can convert heat into electricity, improving the industrial efficiency of the process. This article presents the characteristics of low-cost thermoelectric modules typically used for generation (SP1848-27145SA (TEG-GEN)) and refrigeration (TEC1-12706 (TEC-REF)), both utilized in this research for heat recovery. The modules were evaluated against various configurations, source distances, and distributed systems in order to determine optimal recovery conditions. The experiments were conducted both at the laboratory level and in a large-scale furnace of the traditional ceramics industry, and they revealed that even refrigeration modules are suitable for energy recovery, particularly in developing countries, whereas other generators are more expensive and difficult to obtain. These thermoelectric generators were tested for low-temperature heat recovery in regular furnaces, and the results are to be implemented elsewhere. Results show that even the thermoelectric refrigeration modules can be a solution for heat recovery in many heat sources, which would be particularly strategic for developing countries.

Optimizing plastics recycling networks

Plastic pollution is a serious sustainability issue facing the global community. Fragments of macroplastics and microplastics pollute terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, while nanoplastics can also degrade air quality. The recent COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated the problem. Large-scale commercial use of plastics recycling technologies is hindered by various socio-economic barriers. In particular, cross-contamination of mixed plastic streams is prevalent due to imperfect waste segregation. The concept of Plastics Recycling Networks is introduced to facilitate planning of reverse supply chains using optimization models. In this work, basic Linear Programming and Mixed-Integer Linear Programming models are developed for matching sources of waste plastic with plastic recycling plants within Plastics Recycling Networks. These models allocate streams while considering the ability of recycling plants to tolerate contaminants. Two illustrative case studies are analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the models, and policy implications for mitigation of plastic pollution are discussed. These models enable planning of networks with some tolerance for contaminants in plastic waste, and can be the basis for developing new variants to handle additional real world aspects.

Upcycling Medical Plastic Waste into Activated Carbons towards Environmental Safety and Sustainability

The ubiquitous plastic pollution poses a critical crisis to our human beings and entire ecosystem, and such medical plastic waste-caused environmental pollution is further being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we reviewed an emerging technical route on upcycling of plastic waste into activated carbons for CO2 capture, which is beneficial to achieving ‘waste-to-resource' strategy and mitigating both plastic pollution and climate change, simultaneously. Machine learning effectively accelerate synthesis of activated carbon with high-performance CO2 adsorption performance for sustainable plastic management. Cyclic performance indicators need to be evaluated to determine the application potential of the activated carbons. Such novel upcycling treatment is verified as a sustainable and practical route from perspectives of environmental sustainability and economic feasibility, providing a practical option for the goal achievement of United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution.

Directions for Sustainable Development of China's Coal Industry in the Post-Epidemic Era

China's energy structure is dominated by fossil fuels, especially coal consumption, which accounts for a relatively high share. In January 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak affected the global coal market, and many countries experienced negative economic growth. Economic development requires energy consumption. In 2021, China set a target of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 in order to phase out the dependence of carbon emissions on economic development. Therefore, the aim of this article is to develop directions for the sustainable development of China's coal industry. Based on the macroenvironment and situation analysis, the article concludes that, under the influence of geopolitics, China's shortage of imported coal resources and China's continuous rise in coal demand, the share of coal in China's energy structure will not decrease significantly in the long-term. The main directions for the sustainable development of China's coal industry are to ensure the safety of coal energy storage and improve the level of safety supervision;coordinate the development of regional energy;increase the clean, efficient, and low-carbon utilization of coal;and strengthen international coal strategic cooperation.

Digital Value Chain Strategies and its Impact on Organizational Productivity: The Mediating Role of Government Digital Initiatives to Achieve 5 Trillion US$ Economy by 2025. A Case Study of Select Automobile Firms in Delhi NCR Region

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the Automobile sector in the Delhi NCR region with Supply chain disruptive innovations and periodic travel restrictions imposed by the government. The present study investigates the influence of the digital value chain on organisational productivity. The study analyses the data collected from Logistics and Supply chain managers working in allied areas of value chain operations in the automobile sector. The target respondents selected for the study are 200, and purposeful sampling is used to identify the target respondents with expertise in the areas of supply chain and marketing. Partial least squares regression is used to analyse the collected data and establish relationships among the variables and explanatory variables. The study contributes to the understanding of value chain strategies and their significance in enhancing organisational productivity in the automobile sector.

Circular economy practices in the leather products industry toward waste valorization: an approach of sustainable environmental management

Purpose: The global resolution of embracing dynamic and intertwined production systems has made it necessary to adopt viable systems like circular economy (CE) to ensure excellency in the business. However, in emerging countries, it is challenging to implement the CE practices due to the existing problems in the supply chain network, as well as due to the vulnerable financial condition of the business after the deadly hit of COVID-19. The main aim of this research is to determine the barriers to implementing CE considering the recent pandemic and suggest strategies to organizations to ensure CE for a cleaner environment and greener economy. Design/methodology/approach: After an extensive literature review and validation from experts, 24 sub-barriers under the class of 6 main barriers are finalized by Pareto analysis, which is further analyzed via the best-worst method to determine the weight and rank of the barriers Further, fuzzy-Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to rank the proposed startegies to overcome the analysed barriers. Findings: The results identified "unavailability of initial funding capital”, "need long time investment”, "lack of integrating production system using advance technology” and "lack of strategic planning” as the most acute sub-barriers to CE implementation. Further, fuzzy TOPSIS method is used to suggest the best strategy to mitigate the ranked barriers. The results indicated "integrated design facility to CE”, "ensuring large scale funding for CE facility” as the best strategy. Practical implications: This study will motivate managers to implement CE practices to enjoy proper utilization of the resources, sustainable benefits in business, and gain competitive advantage. Originality/value: Periodically, a lot of work is done on CE practices but none of them highlighted the issues in the domain of the leather products industry (LPI) and COVID-19 toward achieving sustainability in production and consumption. Thus, some significant barriers and strategies to implement CE for achieving sustainability in LPI are highlighted in this study, which is a unique contribution to the literature. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Food supply chain waste reduction for a circular economy in the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study of New Zealand consumers

PurposeFood waste (FW) reduction, of which household wastage comprises a large fraction, has an important role in promoting the circular economy (CE). This study investigates how certain consumer traits impact household FW, particularly in the face of external shocks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a qualitative and longitudinal study, spanning three periods in New Zealand. A preliminary model is constructed from the outcomes of a survey with 178 participants. Then, the authors carried out 29 semi-structured interviews to refine the preliminary model and adapt it to the analysis of household waste behavior.FindingsDifferent segments of consumers have distinct response patterns in successive lockdowns, and these patterns impact household FW reduction and food supply chain (FSC) management. The key findings include (1) for government, quick responses to quash unhelpful rumors help to reduce public concerns around FSC interruption;(2) for retailers, the pandemic has hastened the growth of online shopping;being able to expand the distribution channel in a short time is a critical issue;and (3) for consumers, the experience of lockdown has different impacts on different groups of consumers. This variation of experience may either enhance or exacerbate FW in households.Originality/valueThis paper complements the existing literature on the FSC and contributes to household FW and CE literature by providing a framework that integrates external impacts, consumer segmentation to reflect on waste management, and the possible applications of the proposed framework.

A review of plastic pollution and their treatment technology: A circular economy platform by thermochemical pathway

The rapid expansion of plastic manufacturing industries in last several decades has brought serious concerns over the environmental impacts of plastic wastes. Recent outbreak of Covid-19 drastically increased production, use, and disposal of plastic products. Current management strategies for wasted plastics still rely on landfill and incineration that continue to exacerbate plastic pollution and carbon emissions. Many countries have put forward multifaceted administrative efforts to reduce plastic wastes, but the annual global generation of plastic wastes is still increasing. In techno-society, researchers have been exploring more effective plastic wastes treatment technologies to alleviate environmental impacts of plastic wastes. Such efforts entailed several technical options that can potentially contribute to establishing a circular economy for plastics. Thermochemical process is a prominent example of such techniques. This review presents an overview of the issue of plastic pollution, covering topics including global plastic production, environmental impacts, and toxicity. In addition, the global administrative efforts aimed at reducing plastic pollution are discussed, as well as detection and treatment strategies to establish a circular economy in plastic management. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Technological intelligence for circular supply chain: a co-citation analysis approach

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply chains, and this brought researchers and practitioners to think about more on circular supply chains (CSC). The CSC concept has been discussed in the literature more than a decade. This study aims to find out the theoretical roots of CSC by analyzing scholarly articles in literature.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses document cocitation analysis for reaching this aim. After retrieving data from Web of Science database, this paper explores data set by considering used references of these publications and clusters them based on their title terms and visualizes them by using cosine similarity index.FindingsThis paper concludes that CSC is mainly discussed along with sustainability, sustainable supply chains and green supply chains, where the focus is integrating circular economy principles to supply chain management (SCM). On the other hand, although resiliency is an essential characteristic of SCM, contribution of CSC to supply chain resilience is neglected in the literature.Research limitations/implicationsCSC will gain importance in near future to increase national/firm productivity, and findings of this paper will give researchers insights for furthering their studies.Social implicationsTo avoid supply chain and market collapse caused by natural disruptions, supply chain resilience is of paramount importance. According to the findings of this paper, the authors believe that business resilience in COVID-19-restricted environment may have exit point by using circular perspective.Originality/valueThe importance of CSC has increased due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this unique study was undertaken to investigate the evolution of this crucial topic with evidence from the literature through a cocitation analysis.

Sustaining circular economy practices in supply chains during a global disruption

PurposeCircular economy (CE) practices are critical to achieving sustainable development goals. However, the recent global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted sustainable practices. The literature shows a significant research gap in analyzing factors that sustain CE practices in supply chains during a global disruption. This study fills the research gap by developing a mix-method approach to analyze factors for sustaining CE practices during a global disruption.Design/methodology/approachTo fulfill the objectives of this study, the list of factors that sustain CE practices was first identified by conducting a literature review and finalized through an expert opinion survey. The survey finalized 18 different factors for sustaining CE practices. The finalized factors were further analyzed using the grey decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The quantitative analysis confirmed the priority of the factors and their cause-and-effect relationships.FindingsThe results revealed that continued stakeholder pressure, retention of CE and sustainability culture, continued implementation of cleaner technology, feedback system and ongoing CE training for resilience issues are the top five factors that sustain CE practices during a global disruption. The study also revealed ten factors as belonging to the cause group and eight to the effect group.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by exploring factors for sustaining CE practices during a global disruption. Moreover, the study's findings are important in real-life situations, as decision-makers can use the findings to formulate strategies for sustaining CE practices during future global disruptions.

Single Use Personal Protective Equipment Reinforced Asphalt.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global personal protective equipment (PPE) volume production and demand increased by 300-400% between 2019 and 2021. In this scenario, the present study aims to propose and validate an innovative circular economy scenario for end of life (EoL) PPEs, reusing them to produce reinforced bituminous mixtures. Despite that several studies confirmed the possibility of reusing plastic in the asphalt mixtures, none of them investigated the potential of PPEs, highlighting the innovativeness in the scientific panorama. Five different alternatives of EoL PPE mixtures (different products, materials, dosages, etc.) were tested at laboratory scale to verify the technical feasibility of the proposed scenario. The most promising solution resulted to be the mix of gloves and face masks composed by polypropylene, polyethylene, nitrile and lattice at a dosage of 0,5% weight/weight that allowed to produce bituminous mixtures with acceptable performances in terms of relevant mechanical parameters while recycling waste PPEs. This leads to environmental benefits, since more than 3kg of EoL PPEs per square meter of road pavement can be reused instead of disposed (about 1,5 million tons/year considering the bituminous mixtures produced at European level), as well as economic benefits for public administrations and the collectivity, due to the reduced landfilling of solid wastes.