Regenerative economics at the service of islands: Assessing the socio-economic metabolism of Samothraki in Greece

For many islands, the answer to the question “why a locally, self-sustaining, and regenerative economy is needed?” is clear. The struggle often lies in the “how”. Here, we argue that tools from regenerative economics, which follow an island economy-as-an-organism analogy, offer valuable and complementary insights to socio-metabolic research....

Unlocking system transitions for municipal solid waste infrastructure: A model for mapping interdependencies in a local context

Rapid global urbanization, urban renewal and changes in people's lifestyles have led to both an increase in waste generation and more complex waste types. In response to these changes, many local governments have invested in municipal solid waste infrastructure (MSWI) to implement circular strategies. However, matching and bridging the costly...

Does PSS help to increase circularity? A framework for the circular design process and case study of five pilots in the Dutch infrastructure sector

The circular economy (CE) has been established as one of the leading strategies to achieve a more sustainable system leading to national and global goals. One of the models coupled with CE is Product-Service Systems (PSS), with service integrated into products to various degree. PSS implementation in the infrastructure sector has been studied...

How robust is the circular economy in Europe? An ascendency analysis with Eurostat data between 2010 and 2018

Considering its relatively low circularity rate (11.8% in 2019), the EU set several waste management targets as part of its roadmap to a circular economy yet the decision about which transition pathway to follow is not trivial. The maximization of circularity in human made systems is intended to function as a catalyst for this transition albeit...

The battle of the buzzwords: A comparative review of the circular economy and the sharing economy concepts

Circular economy (CE) and sharing economy (SE) are much discussed concepts but potential links between them have not been examined systematically so far. The concepts’ popularity coupled with a lack of definitional consensus may hinder their potential to advance sustainability transitions. Hence, the first comparative bibliometric study of these...

Circular transition: Changes and responsibilities in the Dutch stony material supply chain

Recent literature has recognized the difficulty of implementing Circular Economy (CE) in supply chains. This has not yet led to a clear understanding of the reasons. This is critical to address, because the difficulty stalls the CE transition and suspends its benefits. Therefore, this paper investigates the reasons for the difficulty of...