Expanding perceptions of the circular economy through design: Eight capitals as innovation lenses

Nogueira, André; Ashton, Weslynne; Teixeira, Carlos

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.06.021

Cited by 55 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…They address different features, as summarized in Table 5. Some approaches, such as waste hierarchy, MFA (Material Flow Analysis), KPI evaluation, design for X and digitalization, have been selected from literature since they are able to differently promote, enable and/or assess Circular Economy [13,98,[103][104][105] and they are combined with other methods for a proper visualization, such as supply chain structure and color code, which ensure an immediate communication about CE concepts [59,106]. Table 5.…”

Section: Tools and Methods To Overcome The Main Gaps Of The Current Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two methods are integrated to mainly address the necessity to quantify the circular initiatives (feature C4). MFA is a consolidated approach: its use is quite common to assess CBMs and some interesting examples exist demonstrating its validity for the topic [104,[120][121][122]. In practice, MFA is 'a systematic assessment of the flows and stocks of materials within a system defined in space and time' [123].…”

Section: Quantification Methods: Materials Flow Analysis Sankey Diagrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Design for X is an approach that aims to ensure specific requirements (within the "X" domain) for the product starting from the design phase. Design is a fundamental phase in the life-cycle of a product or service and the adoption of Design for X approaches and guidelines can really contribute to the implementation of CE [104,[133][134][135]. More precisely, the "X" domain represents a specific activity, feature or goal that must be considered in advance, during the design phase, to proactively manage the issues that may become problems in the subsequent production phases [136][137][138].…”

Section: Design For Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overcoming the Main Barriers of Circular Economy Implementation through a New Visualization Tool for Circular Business Models

2019

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There is a huge gap between the broad concept of circular economy (CE) and its practical implementation in the industrial sector due to several types of barriers, which shall be led back to the lack of consistent and precise information about resources, products, and processes. Without a proper information flow, it is impossible to quantify circular initiatives, both in comparison with the actual linear situation or with circular alternative opportunities. A proper quantification of circular initiatives allows the assessment of economic, environmental and social benefits and the preventative identification of potential barriers and relative solutions, monitoring the risk associated with circular investments and supporting the decision-making process. This paper describes a new tool to ensure the quantification of circular initiatives and the method to define it. It is a new Circular Business Model (CBM) visualization tool, which overcomes the main limitations of the existing models able to explain CE concepts but not to boost its practical implementation in industry. The new CBM visualization tool can be adopted in every industrial sector to highlight circular opportunities that are still hidden or unexploited or to select the best CE strategy. The proposed CBM visualization tool differs from the previous diagrams in two main characteristics: (i) the possibility to quantify resource flows and important indicators representing energy consumption, environmental and social impact, and (ii) the focus, which is not only on the product, but on the whole system, involving also the process, the company and the entire supply chain. The methodology to adopt and adapt the proposed model to different scales is described in detail. To provide a practical example, the model was qualitatively applied to a generic technical product to highlight its potential in the identification and quantification of circular activities.

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Section: Tools and Methods To Overcome The Main Gaps Of The Current Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantification Methods: Materials Flow Analysis Sankey Diagrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Design For Xmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overcoming the Main Barriers of Circular Economy Implementation through a New Visualization Tool for Circular Business Models

2019

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“…Interviews with participants alluded to the use of resources beyond the natural, manufactured, and financial resources, such as cultural norms and personal relationships, to actualize CE. To bridge the gap of what is typically considered in CE research, the team explored more expansive frameworks for assessing how different types of resources are utilized by organizations and identifying new leverage points for overcoming the observed barriers to CE adoption [54].…”

Section: Expanding Perception Of the Circular Economy At The Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The framework has been used to describe how different types of resources are used in existing SETS, and to generate interventions that embrace an expanded understanding of the dynamics shaping CE options. The application of the framework allowed participants to raise questions that reflected a systemic understanding of how different types of resources flow and are allocated based on the individual's activities and business practices within The Plant (see [54]). Participants explored alternative pathways to activate and mobilize available resources and assets for them to contribute to the CE within and beyond the facility's boundaries.…”

Section: Innovation Lenses Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infrastructuring the Circular Economy

et al. 2020

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The circular economy (CE), and its focus on the cycling and regeneration of resources, necessitates both a reconfiguration of existing infrastructures and the creation of new infrastructures to facilitate these flows. In urban settings, CE is being realized at multiple levels, from within individual organizations to across peri-urban landscapes. While most attention in CE research and practice focuses on organizations, the scale and impact of many such efforts are limited because they fail to account for the diversity of resources, needs, and power structures across cities, consequently missing opportunities for adopting a more effective and inclusive CE. Reconfiguring hard infrastructures is necessary for material resource cycling, but intervening in soft infrastructures is also needed to enable more inclusive decision-making processes to activate these flows. Utilizing participatory action research methods at the intersection of industrial ecology and design, we developed a new framework and a model for considering and allocating the variety of resources that organizations utilize when creating value for themselves, society, and the planet. We use design prototyping methods to synthesize distributed knowledge and co-create hard and soft infrastructures in a multi-level case study focused on urban food producers and farmers markets from the City of Chicago. We discuss generalized lessons for "infrastructuring" the circular economy to bridge niche-level successes with larger system-level changes in cities.

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Contested circular economy and mixed social implications from practice: A scoping review

Liu

2024

Sustainable Development

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Abstract‘Circular economy’ is a popular term used by various parties to refer to the necessary transition towards a sustainable future. Yet, there is still no consensus on its definition or application, the current discourse favours an approach that focuses on the technical improvement of material flows while neglects the social considerations. Consequently, despite circular economy's popularity, various social concerns have also been raised, including justice and equity. To better understand its social implications, this article reviews studies that reveal the social impacts of various practices that claim or are deemed to be circular economy. Using the scoping review method, the article finds that the categories most frequently reflected in these studies include livelihood, health, value, identity and community. However, the claimed impacts are often conditional and contradictory. These results suggest that circular economy still requires substantial theoretical and empirical development to better align it with the principle of sustainable development. Acknowledging the diversity of voices in the current circular economy field can be a starting point for stakeholders in terms of future research, policymaking and practice, while further transdisciplinary collaborations should also be explored.

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Expanding perceptions of the circular economy through design: Eight capitals as innovation lenses

Cited by 55 publications

References 31 publications

Overcoming the Main Barriers of Circular Economy Implementation through a New Visualization Tool for Circular Business Models

Overcoming the Main Barriers of Circular Economy Implementation through a New Visualization Tool for Circular Business Models

Infrastructuring the Circular Economy

Contested circular economy and mixed social implications from practice: A scoping review

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