Transitioning to a Circular Economy

This chapter argues that the usage of the happiness framework is a way to overcome some of the dilemmas of the green transition. It explains how society’s focus on GDP as the metric of progress can be challenged by the science of happiness, which stresses the importance of non-material elements of life such as social and relational capital, work–life balance, mental health, and distributive justice. The happiness framework offers a new perspective on the green transition, showing that cutting on certain types of production and consumption that cause greenhouse gas emissions and unhappiness would generate benefit instead of harm. Additionally, cuts on certain segments of production and consumption would cause fewer welfare losses than what is predicted when GDP is considered as the metric of progress. Lastly, preserving nature can have a direct positive impact on the enjoyment of life, something that is not counted in GDP. This chapter suggests that the relevance of non-material dimensions for happiness is an opportunity for the green transition, because investing in such dimensions might compensate for some consumption losses imposed by the green transition, even if those losses are minimized by entrepreneurship focused on environmentally friendly technological change and circular economy mechanisms. Finally, this chapter emphasizes that the green transition is a global project that can only be successful if a large part of society is involved and engaged, with a focus on sustainability, equity, and well-being.

Globalization and digital technologies have facilitated the rise of neo-nomads. During the pandemic, companies increased the possibilities to work from home and made working conditions more flexible, as a mechanism to continue their activities. Territories also saw the opportunity to take advantage of neo-nomadism to reduce the economic impact generated by immobilization during the crisis. However, this way of life may have implications for the sustainability of the territories. This study aims to explore neo-nomadism and its sustainability, as well as to review how countries have regulated this phenomenon and its associated practices. This study uses the Scopus and Web of Science databases to conduct a literature review on socioeconomic and environmental sustainability linked to neo-nomadism and the regulations enacted by countries. The main conclusions revolve around the scarce examination of the sustainability of neo-nomadic practices and the implications it has for territories. Furthermore, this review reveals that studies on the regulations enacted by countries do not cover the issue of sustainability.

Strategical documents on circular economy increasingly mention aspects of social justice, inclusion, and multistakeholder engagement. However, defining the social aspects of the circular economy has been a difficult task. Therefore, circular economy and social enterprise need to be combined, leading to the emergence of a new term: ‘social circular economy’. The fundamental premise of the social circular economy is that enhancing personal well-being can go hand in hand with improving society and the environment. First, this chapter gives an overview of different views on the social circular economy, including their strong points and weaknesses. Second, this chapter explores the skills needed for the green transition. Given the increasing focus on systemic approaches to the green transition, specific skills are required from all stakeholders to adequately value our planet and take appropriate action to protect it. The third part of this chapter focuses on the ability to tolerate climate change anxiety and still being able to undertake action. Since a circular economy transition can only be accomplished by combining the material, strategic, and consumer perspectives, this chapter ends with a discussion of research results on consumer perspectives on the circular economy.

Circular economy and social innovation are becoming increasingly important concepts in addressing the environmental and social challenges faced by modern society. This chapter presents an exploratory study that examines the relationship between circular economy, sustainability, and social innovation, using qualitative data from an Intentional Sustainable Community—PPAUW. The study analyzes how circular economy practices developed at the micro-scale by this community can be understood as social innovation and their importance for sustainable development. The findings provide insights into the role of social innovation in promoting circular economy practices and sustainable development. The practices analyzed have a strong DIY—Do It Yourself—component that comes from the creativity of the members of this community. Creativity is an essential dimension that is directly related to the representation of innovation that the interviewed members reveal to have. The study highlights the challenges faced by circular economy practices, such as producing aesthetically pleasing items and making the practice more widespread. The conclusions on the multifaceted nature of innovation and its relationship to social needs, creativity, and sustainability provide valuable insights for the field of circular economy. The study underlines relevant aspects for a valuable framework for understanding how circular economy practices can promote sustainability, creativity, and social well-being.

This chapter establishes that support for the group of People with Intellectual Disabilities (PwID) can and must be an element of social cohesion and economic development of the territories. We describe the experience we have developed and demonstrate that we have been able to promote employment with training that has put PwID in contact with the real world of work.

This chapter describes how nine peripheral universities located far away from the center of their countries launched a consortium that focused on a particular set of sustainability-related practices. The consortium has been one of the four alliances funded in the European Union Call for European Universities in 2022. This alliance was built out of the conviction that these universities can serve their communities, students, territories, and planet by working together to scale up and promote our sustainability and SDG-related activity. The name of the alliance is EU GREEN: University Alliance for Sustainability: Responsible GRowth, Inclusive Education and Environment. “GREEN” is a term that covers sustainability and reflects their mission to contribute to a more rightful society, equalized economy, and sustainable environment. This chapter will describe the method and tools used to relate the different stages and spheres of the creation process of the alliance that will be based on sustainability and address the major societal challenges identified in the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda. The results will suggest recommendations for potential new networks that will navigate the challenging journey to becoming a European University Alliance.

The circular economy and sustainable business have been gaining ground as significant pathways to facing the challenges of the green transition. Despite an increased interest in those concepts, many concerns about disseminating them as a new business paradigm still need to be addressed. Higher education institutions are fundamental in this endeavor and can play an important role as enablers of multi-stakeholder engagement. In this way, this chapter addresses the problem of how to design a business education course that focuses on the circular economy through co-creation. This experience report takes place in Macaé/RJ, Brazil’s oil capital and deeply dependent on productive activities linked to fossil fuels. The prototype course occurred in November 2022 as an extension course, and stakeholders’ engagement was essential from the project’s conception and implementation to its closure and evaluation. The Lawshe content validity method was applied to evaluate students’ perceptions of the teaching topics. The results showed that the introduction module for circularity had higher scores regarding essentiality, highlighting the relevance of the fundamentals of circular economy and sustainability. Finally, adopting the co-creation approach for designing an executive education course proved to be a powerful way to strengthen the engagement of participants and insert content aligned with the region’s needs. Some final recommendations to practitioners were mentioned.

The teaching of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in universities serves as a foundation for theoretical knowledge, yet often lacks practical application. Our study employed a methodology centered around graph theory and in-depth interviews with instructors from four universities (two private and two public) during the first semester of 2022. The findings revealed that instructors predominantly approach the teaching of SDGs from a theoretical standpoint, emphasizing the need to raise awareness about the pressing real-world challenges our planet faces in the absence of intervention. While the SDGs are integrated into various subjects’ curricula, little effort is made to actively contribute to sustainability. In conclusion, instructors primarily teach the SDGs within their respective courses but fail to adopt a cross-disciplinary approach to foster widespread awareness. While teaching the SDGs is crucial in understanding the limitations of our resources, it is equally essential to do so in a practical manner, employing real-life examples from society to facilitate effective learning and application.

Environmental sustainability presents a new challenge for organizations due to the scarcity of resources, and entrepreneurs recognize the need for action. This research aims to determine the characteristics of entrepreneurial students with regard to environmental sustainability. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional positivist paradigm and administered a questionnaire to 181 university students that focused on 6 variables related to environmental criteria. The hypothesis proposed that working students have a greater concern for environmental issues. The main finding was that students in training demonstrated a critical and positive awareness of environmental sustainability. Additionally, those who work exhibited a greater acceptance of engaging in activities that promote environmental sustainability. In conclusion, the research demonstrates that students who work recognize the importance of environmental sustainability in business processes and the conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources necessary for ensuring the continuity of organizations. These students also acknowledge the impact of undergraduate training on decision-making across various areas of entrepreneurship.

Sustainability, construction, environment, materials, recycling, demolition, reuse, waste management, life cycle, and renewal are keywords that have become part of the architectural project. All of them reflect the process of transition in the construction industry from a concept of linear economy to a circular one.

The demolition process usually has a direct correlation with the construction sector. This circumstance has gained relevance in recent decades, in which the development of new infrastructure and the construction of new housing implied a significant increase in construction and demolition waste. While there are still barriers to overcome in design for the deconstruction and reuse of reclaimed materials and products, there are sound economic reasons for using demolition as an economic resource. Deconstruction as a methodological approach can bring benefit from the point of view of public policies, namely those that may be related to climate change mitigation by enhancing minimize construction waste, aiding the local economy, avoiding new materials and retaining the cultural value of existing materials, reduce transport cost, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce demand on natural and virgin resources.

The chapter provides a holistic view of the construction waste problem, revealing the lack of a unified approach toward waste sorting and further reuse possibilities. The goal of the study is to investigate the principles of circular economy in building construction and demolition waste management and to find possible solutions for their development in household-generated waste management for green transition in Latvia.

The current research presents the study of principles of circularity of household-generated waste based on a systematic literature review; data analysis gained out of the survey to draw practical suggestions for professionals towards sustainable development in the short-term and long-term future. The above-mentioned systematic analysis of the literature is grounded in text analytics; the best practices from Austria and Scandinavia were explored. The collected data on construction waste in Latvia were analyzed by applying statistical methods. The research results revealed a significant increase in building construction and demolition waste and the lack of circularity of them. The authors conclude that it is necessary to use best practices on how to apply circularity in building construction and demolition waste management and how to develop the cooperation links between local building authorities and householders using digital solutions for the green transition.

The real estate sector is one of the economic sectors which, from the initial production phase to the consumption of the products and services it offers, makes a negative contribution to climate change. In particular, the housing market in Spain presents multiple opportunities to improve in terms of energy efficiency and shape a path towards a green and circular economy. The energy efficiency certificate is one of the instruments that allow improvements in this regard. The purpose of this chapter is to assess students’ preferences about the rental housing market and energy efficiency certificate. For this purpose, we propose the use of choice experiments as a tool to quantify these preferences. The study sample consists of a set of 254 students from the region of Extremadura, obtained from a simple random sample of students who rented a flat during their university studies. The main results show that the energy certificate is a relevant attribute in the choice of the apartment to rent; however, when the market segmentation is carried out, different groups are observed.

The need for comfort in society demands more energy every day; various industries were created recently to supply energy, including that associated with photovoltaic technology. The usable life of photovoltaic modules is 20 to 30 years; the disposal of materials at the end of their use constitutes a source of contamination and value if treated correctly. With the intention of reducing the environmental impact, researchers and technologists have focused on studying and developing treatment alternatives. The aim of the present chapter was to explore the technologies associated with the disposal of photovoltaic module waste and its relationship with the circular economy. In addition, it is proposed to explain the evolution of scientific publications associated with the field of study through bibliometric indicators such as Publications and citations, countries, characteristics of the main authors, sources, network analysis of keywords in the previous 10 years using the database of Scopus. The main technologies associated with the treatment of photovoltaic panel waste will be described based on the profile of keywords in recent years. From 2018 to 2022 there is an exponential growth in publications related to the topic of PVm waste. The scientific community is busy establishing mechanisms to treat PVm that reach the end of their useful life, which is caused by the environmental impact represented by the projections of panels that will go into disuse. Technologists, researchers, students and companies will benefit from the content of this chapter, and it constitutes a decision-making tool to establish policies and laws to address the described problems.

Global environmental concerns, depletion of fossil energy resources and the recent energy crisis and security, especially due to the Russia-Ukraine war, are among the main reasons for promoting a shift from fossil fuels to sustainable renewable energy. However, today, to support the sustainable market position of renewable energies, it is necessary to encourage the transition from the traditional linear model to the circular one. In this scenario, the use of waste shows a huge potential to enhance this change. While the implementation of circular principles represents an opportunity for companies, this entails several barriers. Therefore, this chapter aims at identifying and analyzing the main barriers and opportunities to circular economy adoption in European and Brazilian agroindustry based on case studies. In detail, the chapter focuses on the Brazilian case of sugarcane ethanol and on an Italian frozen vegetable company because they are strategic sectors, they produce considerable quantities of waste, and both produce renewable energy from waste. The implementation of circular practices in companies could represent a business opportunity and a source of value creation. However, policymakers need to first better understand the complex challenges faced by small and medium enterprises to develop appropriate policies to encourage a sustainable transition.