Industry Circular

The circular economy is a policy approach and business strategy that aims to improve resource productivity, promote sustainable consumption and production and reduce environmental impacts. This book examines the relevance of the circular economy in the context of developing countries, something which to date is little understood. This volume highlights examples of circular economy practices in developing country contexts in relation to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), informal sector recycling and national policy approaches. It examines a broad range of case studies, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, and Thailand, and illustrates how the circular economy can be used as a new lens and possible solution to cross-cutting development issues of pollution and waste, employment, health, urbanisation and green industrialisation. In addition to more technical and policy oriented contributions, the book also critically discusses existing narratives and pathways of the circular economy in the global North and South, and how these differ or possibly even conflict with each other. Finally, the book critically examines under what conditions the circular economy will be able to reduce global inequalities and promote human development in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Presenting a unique social sciences perspective on the circular economy discourse, this book is relevant to students and scholars studying sustainability in economics, business studies, environmental politics and development studies.

How the marriage of Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can radically transform waste management—and our world Do we really have to make a choice between a wasteless and nonproductive world or a wasteful and ultimately self-destructive one? Futurist and world-renowned waste management scientist Antonis Mavropoulos and sustainable business developer and digital strategist Anders Nilsen respond with a ringing and optimistic “No!” They explore the Earth-changing potential of a happy (and wasteless) marriage between Industry 4.0 and a Circular Economy that could—with properly reshaped waste management practices—deliver transformative environmental, health, and societal benefits. This book is about the possibility of a brand-new world and the challenges to achieve it. The fourth industrial revolution has given us innovations including robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, and biotech. By using these technologies to advance the Circular Economy—where industry produces more durable materials and runs on its own byproducts—the waste management industry will become a central element of a more sustainable world and can ensure its own, but well beyond business as usual, future. Mavropoulos and Nilsen look at how this can be achieved—a wasteless world will require more waste management—and examine obstacles and opportunities such as demographics, urbanization, global warming, and the environmental strain caused by the rise of the global middle class. · Explore the new prevention, reduction, and elimination methods transforming waste management · Comprehend and capitalize on the business implications for the sector · Understand the theory via practical examples and case studies · Appreciate the social benefits of the new approach Waste-management has always been vital for the protection of health and the environment. Now it can become a crucial role model in showing how Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can converge to ensure flourishing, sustainable—and much brighter—future.

How the marriage of Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can radically transform waste management—and our world Do we really have to make a choice between a wasteless and nonproductive world or a wasteful and ultimately self-destructive one? Futurist and world-renowned waste management scientist Antonis Mavropoulos and sustainable business developer and digital strategist Anders Nilsen respond with a ringing and optimistic “No!” They explore the Earth-changing potential of a happy (and wasteless) marriage between Industry 4.0 and a Circular Economy that could—with properly reshaped waste management practices—deliver transformative environmental, health, and societal benefits. This book is about the possibility of a brand-new world and the challenges to achieve it. The fourth industrial revolution has given us innovations including robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, and biotech. By using these technologies to advance the Circular Economy—where industry produces more durable materials and runs on its own byproducts—the waste management industry will become a central element of a more sustainable world and can ensure its own, but well beyond business as usual, future. Mavropoulos and Nilsen look at how this can be achieved—a wasteless world will require more waste management—and examine obstacles and opportunities such as demographics, urbanization, global warming, and the environmental strain caused by the rise of the global middle class. · Explore the new prevention, reduction, and elimination methods transforming waste management · Comprehend and capitalize on the business implications for the sector · Understand the theory via practical examples and case studies · Appreciate the social benefits of the new approach Waste-management has always been vital for the protection of health and the environment. Now it can become a crucial role model in showing how Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can converge to ensure flourishing, sustainable—and much brighter—future.

The book is designed to help public and private decision-makers and academics deepen their knowledge and understanding of the contexts, obstacles and challenges of a variety of business types involved in Industrial Symbiosis and Circular Economy practices. Industrial Symbiosis is reported in the Action Plan on the Circular Economy developed by the European Commission in 2015 (COM / 2015/0614 final) and in its revision of 14 March 2017, but relatively little is known of how these practices start, develop or fail, and mutate in a rapidly changing context. Including selected contributions presented at the 24th ISDRS 2018 Conference, “Actions for a Sustainable World: from theory to practice” in the two theme tracks “5c. Circular economy, zero waste & innovation” and “5g. Industrial symbiosis, networking and cooperation as part of industrial ecology”, this book offers a transdisciplinary perspective on real experiences of industrial symbiosis, performed both by industries and the scientific community, best practices, success and unsuccessful cases (implemented or under implementation), with the final aim to promote the adoption of Industrial Symbiosis as an operational and systematic tool for the Circular Economy. In particular, a focus on the environmental, social, and economic impact of Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis practices, and how those impacts may be context and/or scale dependent is given.

Global population by 2050 is predicted to be over 9 billion and accordingly, the production systems will demolish about 140 billion tons per year of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass, i.e., thrice of the current need, and the food production itself has to be doubled. Optimized resource usage, lifecycle management, and reduced carbon emission have become a priority for agri-food businesses today, and circular economy (CE) helps for a sustainable and flexible way to grow without exhausting primary materials, and it thinks beyond recycling and resource usage. The word CE best relates to the resource and efficiency management, 6Rs, closed-loop production systems, zero waste and lifecycle engineering, reduced overconsumption of resources and waste generation, enriched system redesign and business model innovation, thereby leading to sustainable development goals. In this light, the book calls for theoretical and empirically sound contributions that are focused on the different aspects of the circular economy, 6R’s, sustainable production and consumption, closed-loop systems, etc. in the agri-food sector.

At heart, this book aims to inspire fearless innovators committed to spearheading the future of fashion. It is for all of us looking to make a positive impact in an industry that we love and care about. It is increasingly acknowledged that the practice of design is not exclusive to designers, nor is it found only in studios. The materials, garments, services, shows, supply chains and stores that make up the fashion industry all work the way they do because of innumerable design decisions, made by creatives all over the world. Circular design goes far beyond rethinking single products or services, it has the potential to redefine how the entire fashion system operates. It's a chance for anyone in the fashion industry - regardless of job title - to support the shift to a circular economy where, by design, waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are circulated, and nature is regenerated. Circular design is a pioneering practice of design. It is the creative opportunity of the coming decade for the creatives, innovators, and pioneers who seek to reshape the fashion industry.

The concept of a circular economy in the construction sector captures global material flow through product design, inverse logistics, innovation and collaborations. The circulation of the economy takes into consideration global population influence, which affects the economy through a variety of construction product flows in particular. The increase in consumers means increasing product and services which participate in different waste streams. The emerging sustainable development in the construction industry requires the recycling of waste materials to reduce the negative environmental impact of construction activities. Accumulation and management of construction wastes is also becoming a major environmental and economical concern in many developing countries. Huge volumes of waste generated end up piled on landfill sites or illegally dumped, posing serious health and ecological problems. In the construction industry, recycling of waste concrete, masonry, cement, gypsum, to mention but a few, has become an important aspect due to the continued increase of construction wastes and depletion of natural aggregates. Why not establish a business system that is specifically designed to do much more value addition to the construction wastes and develop products which are not only in demand locally but internationally, to encourage exports for maximum financial gain. This book aims to analyze the current business model in the construction sector and the current legislation concerning waste management. It also highlights efforts required in order to refine the recycling methods in favor of a circular economy in the constuction industry. In support of a transition to a low carbon economy, different types of materials which can be produced from the construction wastes are indicated including processes which are used to obtain the final products. The market demand including penetration of the resulting products are given extensively. Policies and regulations to govern these undertakings are highlighted also. The municipalities will learn to redirect the local construction industries on how to avoid dumping at landfill sites as the space has currently become an issue. Researchers globally will learn how to go up through the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) from basic research through prototype development and finally up to commercialization in projects related to the construction.