No abstract

Circular economy is not the first, and probably not the last “movement” in the arena of sustainability macroeconomic and business solutions. In this article we produce a—not full—list of similar movements from the 1990s, publish a comparative table and propose a simple framework to decide the significant points of the life cycle of such a kind of movement. For significant points and statistics, we use simplified content analysis from normal and scientific research engines. Finally, we use this framework to make a forecast about time for the circular economy approach “to stay on the top” and conclude if these movements are “Much Ado about Nothing” or they help us on our way to a sustainable planetary, social and economic system.

No abstract

Copper-based fungicides (Cu f ) are used in European (EU) vineyards to prevent fungal diseases. Soil physicochemical properties govern locally the variation of total copper content (Cu t ) in EU vineyards. However, variables controlling Cu t distribution at larger scale are poorly known. Here machine learning techniques were used to identify governing variables and to predict the Cu t distribution in EU vineyards. Precipitation, aridity and soil organic carbon are key variables explaining together 45% of Cu t distribution across EU vineyards. This underlines the effect of both climate and soil properties on Cu t distribution. The average net export of Cu at the EU scale is 0.29 kg Cu ha -1 which is two orders of magnitude less than the net accumulation of Cu (24.8 kg Cu ha -1 ). Four scenarios of Cu f application were compared. The current EU regulation with a maximum of 4 kg Cu ha -1 year -1 may increase by 2% the EU vineyard area exceeding the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) in soil in the next 100 years.Overall, our results highlight vineyard areas requiring specific remediation measures and strategies of Cu f use to manage a trade-off between pest control and soil and water contamination.

The Ecological Footprint (EF) has become a very popular alternative indicator of development in the last three decades. It can be widely used to show the unsustainability of total and individual levels of consumption in countries. But can EF be a meaningful indicator at the micro level as well? This paper presents an argument on this issue. Based on a literature review including our own analysis and the correlation of EF with GDP and other alternative indicators, EF is evaluated at the macro level. Then, an original case study is presented, underpinning the applicability of EF on the company level, linking the ordinary corporate carbon footprinting with the EF method. Based on the findings, micro level EF calculations can help organizations in finding fields of intervention (inefficiencies and emission hotspots). EF accounting can also be used to evaluate the economic benefits of such measures after their realization.