Can economic instruments promote a circular economy?


Book Description

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2024-505/ The report analyses the potential of developing new economic instruments or modifying existing ones to promote the transition towards a circular economy, with examples from the textile- and construction sector. The results are similar for the two sectors. Economic instruments that could promote circularity include environmental taxes, such as natural resource taxes, import taxes, waste taxes, as well as Extended Producer Responsibility, VAT, and subsidies. A more in-depth analysis of the implementation of environmental taxes in the respective sectors show that taxes can be used to affect the market and consumer behaviour. However, the results indicate that the tax level needs to be relatively high to boost a shift towards circular economy. The results also show the difficulty in anticipating environmental and socio-economic impacts of a tax.




An Introduction to Circular Economy


Book Description

This book is purposefully styled as an introductory textbook on circular economy (CE) for the benefit of educators and students of universities. It provides comprehensive knowledge exemplified by practices from policy, education, R&D, innovation, design, production, waste management, business and financing around the world. The book covers sectors such as agriculture/food, packaging materials, build environment, textile, energy, and mobility to inspire the growth of circular business transformation. It aims to stimulate action among different stakeholders to drive CE transformation. It elaborates critical driving forces of CE including digital technologies; restorative innovations; business opportunities & sustainable business model; financing instruments, regulation & assessment and experiential education programs. It connects a CE transformation for reaching the SDGs2030 and highlights youth leadership and entrepreneurship at all levels in driving the sustainability transformation.




Practicing Circular Economy


Book Description

Circular Economy (CE) is considered as one of the important strategies in addressing Sustainable Development Goals. Practicing Circular Economy provides an overview of CE, covering its evolution, describing the key concepts, programs, policies, and regulations. It illustrates several business opportunities over a hundred hand-picked case studies that encompass numerous sectors, various scales of operations and geographies. Another unique feature of the book is the activities listed in each chapter to invoke thoughts, frame assignments, and generate discussions. Each chapter lists key additional reading materials and takeaways. Aimed at mid- and senior-level managers, policy makers, investors, entrepreneurs, consultants, researchers, professors, and academic students involved in the subject of environmental management and sustainability, this book: Introduces the evolution of CE to clarify the key concepts and introduce some of the important global programs and initiatives CE economy with case studies Gives a global overview of adoption of CE covering countries such as India, Japan, Korea, China, EU, North America, Australia, and several more Includes information on methodologies followed, tools, and knowledge resources for practicing CE Provides insight to the business models with numerous case studies covering product design, manufacturing, and services and the role of innovation and financing Presents a comprehensive overview of opportunities in CE in sectors such as textile, steel, agriculture, and food Covers newly emerging paradigms of CE such as regional circular economy, circular supply chains, and sustainable procurement and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CE Practicing Circular Economy is thus an important resource for every circular economy practitioner and especially to those who aspire to make a career in circular economy.




OECD Environmental Performance Reviews Waste Management and the Circular Economy in Selected OECD Countries Evidence from Environmental Performance Reviews


Book Description

This report provides a cross-country review of waste, materials management and circular economy policies in selected OECD countries, drawing on OECD’s Environmental Performance Reviews during the period 2010-17. It presents the main achievements in the countries reviewed, along with common ...




Economic Policy Instruments for Plastic Waste


Book Description

Achieving a high quality of waste plastic materials and recycling processes is a key challenge in closing the resource loops for plastics. This report reviews the status and trends for plastic waste flows and treatment in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Furthermore, it gives an overview of existing policy instruments and the main challenges for designing policy instruments for improved recycling of plastic waste in these Nordic countries. The report identifies potential market failures associated with closing the resource loops for plastics. It reviews the economics research literature on policy instrument design for achieving optimal recycling rates and makes policy recommendations from the Nordic perspective. Finally, it presents results from a survey on market conditions to managers in the recycling and plastic manufacturing industry in Sweden.




Economic Instruments for a Low-carbon Future


Book Description

Critically assessing recent developments in environmental and tax legislation, and in particular low-carbon strategies, this timely book analyses the implementation of market-based instruments for achieving climate stabilisation objectives around the world.




Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption


Book Description

This book provides scholars working in the many disciplines that relate to the concept of the Circular Economy with a cross-disciplinary forum, looking at areas such as: Theory, Policy and Contexts; Improving Resource Efficiency and Reducing Waste; Changing Consumption and Behaviour by Design; and Transforming Technologies of Production.




Handbook of the Circular Economy


Book Description

This crucial Handbook brings together the latest thinking on the circular economy, an area that has increasingly caught global attention. Contributors explore a broad range of themes such as recycling systems and new business models, as well as consolidating the many ways in which the topic has been dealt with in research, business and policy-making. The Handbook of the Circular Economy is not only relevant, but also essential for students, academics, and policy-makers trying to make sense of the plethora of ways in which the term has been applied and interpreted.




Resource Recovery from Wastes


Book Description

The concept of a circular economy has been gaining increasing attention in recent years. Many of the sources of chemicals we have become reliant on are dwindling and the accumulation of waste products poses a serious environmental problem. By recovering resources from these waste materials, we can reduce our dependence on virgin feedstocks that may not be sustainable as well as reducing the quantity of material going to landfill sites. Incorporating different perspectives from a global authorship, this book aims to introduce systems thinking to the field of waste and resource management. The topics covered range from the use of biogeochemical processes in resource recovery to the application of engineered nanomaterials, with information relevant to both academia and industry. The broad range and cross-disciplinary nature of the topics in this book make it a valuable resource for those working in circular economy research, green chemistry and waste and resource management.




Natural Resource Management and the Circular Economy


Book Description

This book provides insight into how governments are using a variety of innovative fiscal and non-fiscal instruments to develop circular economies with significant economic and environmental benefits. It emphasises the urgent need for these circular economies and to move away from our current, linear model that has led to environmental degradation, volatility of resource prices and supply risks from uneven distribution of natural resources. Natural Resource Management and the Circular Economy illustrates how governments have promoted the development of an economy that can provide substantial net material savings; mitigate price volatility and supply risks; and improve ecosystem health and long-term resilience of the economy. Through a series of case studies, it details the various innovative policy instruments which can be utilised, including regulations; market-based instruments; incentives; research and innovation support; information exchanges; and support for voluntary approaches. The book also proposes a series of best practices for different countries, both developed and developing, who are implementing their circular economy.