Tag «circular economy»

A practical methodology for implementing circular solutions

The European Commission’s report, A practical methodology for implementing circular solutions, offers a concrete, operational framework for turning circular economy ambitions into implementable projects at the city and regional levels. Developed within the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), the methodology directly addresses a recurring challenge in logistics and urban systems: while circular strategies are widely adopted …

Rethinking Plastics: A New Workbook to Transform University Teaching on Sustainability and Circularity

Universities across Europe face a growing challenge: how do we equip students, engineers, designers, economists, social scientists with the skills to navigate the environmental, economic, and social complexities of the plastics transition? As plastic production is expected to more than double by 2050, and recycling systems lag far behind, the need for systemic thinking has …

Closing the Loop: Circular Foam Shows the Future of PU Recycling

Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams are everywhere: they keep our homes warm and our refrigerators cool. Yet, until now, their end-of-life options have been limited to landfill or incineration — wasting valuable raw materials and contributing to climate burdens. The European research project CIRCULAR FOAM – Systemic Expansion of Territorial Circular Ecosystems for End-of-Life Foam set …

Circular Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities Through the Eyes of Logistics Providers

How can logistics providers help shape the transition towards circular supply chains (CSCs)? To find out, a recent study focused on a single logistics service provider (LSP) through a detailed case study. By focusing on the provider’s own perspective, the research sheds light on both the hurdles and the opportunities that come with making supply …

Success factors for scaling urban circular businesses in the food sector

As cities worldwide strive to transition to more sustainable food systems, small and niche circular food businesses are increasingly recognized as innovation leaders. However, scaling such initiatives beyond the experimental phase remains a significant challenge. A recent study based on eleven circular food ventures in Toronto, Canada, provides critical insights into what helps or hinders these …

Towards Circular Transformation in High-Performance Plastics Waste Management

The CIRCULAR FOAM project’s Deliverable 1.5 outlines a conceptual and dialogue-based framework to advance collaboration and transformation in the recycling of high-performance plastics, with a focus on rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. This report synthesizes insights from earlier project tasks, regional workshops, and a consumer survey across Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland to build a common …

Online retailers should take action on circular shopping

We need to do more with fewer resources. However, nearly 90% of our clothing still ends up as waste, less than half of electronic products are recycled, and furniture is discarded as bulky waste. Our old toys gather dust in attics, basements, and garages. That is not a good story. Valuable product flows must get …

Managing circular flows requires more than just a digital materials passport

During a consortium meeting of the Circular Foam research project, there was a vigorous debate about digitalization in the circular supply chain. Participants view digitalization as a critical factor for success (alongside other crucial aspects such as regulation and technology). But what exactly does digitalization mean for circularity? There are barriers to digitalization for large-scale, …

Spatial planning: making room for the circular economy

The circular economy (CE) brings many opportunities but also many challenges for ports, cities, and their hinterland. The goal of a new paper is twofold. First, the researchers embrace the inherent uncertainty of the spatial impact of the CE on ports and cities. They employ scenario methodology to guide them in steering this uncertainty by …

Waste statistics data for urban circular logistics

As appointed in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, cities and regions in EU member countries start accompanying their circular economy strategies by monitoring frameworks, often called Circular Economy Monitors (CEM). CEMs need to rely on many statistics and datasets to assess performance towards achieving set targets and steer decision-making. Waste statistics play an essential role in …