ABSTRACT. Earlier meta-analyses of the economic impact of climate change are updated with more data, with three new results: (1) The central estimate of the economic impact of global warming is always negative. (2) The confidence interval about the estimates is much wider. (3) Elicitation methods are most pessimistic, econometric studies most optimistic. Two previous results remain: (4) The uncertainty about the impact is skewed towards negative surprises. (5) Poorer countries are much more vulnerable than richer ones. A meta-analysis of the impact of weather shocks reveals that studies, which relate economic growth to temperature levels, cannot agree on the sign of the impact whereas studies, which make economic growth a function of temperature change do agree on the sign but differ an order of magnitude in effect size. The former studies posit that climate change has a permanent effect on economic growth, the latter that the effect is transient. The impact on economic growth implied by studies of the impact of climate change is close to the growth impact estimated as a function of weather shocks. The social cost of carbon shows a similar pattern to the total impact estimates, but with more emphasis on the impacts of moderate warming in the near and medium term.

ABSTRACT. The concept of the circular economy is studied widely. Many governments have, or plan to create, circular economy policies. Citizens and schoolchildren alike recognise the logic of circularity as superior. Many companies also have circularity targets and public statements, with multiple reports explaining how circularity is profitable. Yet the circular economy is not happening at the speed and scale that the planet needs. It is reasonable to ask why.

This presentation will explore some of the well known and published challenges to circularity, and add in some novel causes of this under-performance by drawing upon direct observations of many circular economy projects across automotive, clothing, electrical equipment, furniture, etc. This will include challenges of measurement, of motivation, of co-ordination, of externalities, and of catalysis, among others.

ABSTRACT. This paper explores the discourse of circular economy, resource management and sustainability. Conceptually and based on an assessment of previous literature, the paper provides multi-level insights on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and new forms of circular entrepreneurialism with a focus on SDGs 9, 12 and 13. The analysis of circular economy includes (i) evaluation of the circular business model and industry system, (ii) the link between liner business models based on take-make-consume-throw away and sustainability, and (iii) interface between waste management, product innovation, and legislation. Also, the analysis of social and environmental- entrepreneurialism provides insights into the circular system that utilizes redesigning of the whole system from sourcing, production, use, reuse, after-use, and waste management without loss of economic value. Circular innovations can be a valuable, rare, and imitable resource to catalyze significant economic, social, and environmental (ESE) impact. This is significant given that the World is in times of ecological crisis and economic disruption requiring solutions through environmental and social governance (ESG).

ABSTRACT. The traditional water treatment plant includes the stages of coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Significant amounts of sludge or residues are produced during the treatment of raw water to ensure its suitability for drinking. The produced sludge at a standard water treatment plant represents approximately 1-3% in volume of the raw water used during the treatment process (Blakemore et al., 1998). These sludges typically consist of minerals and humic substances extracted and precipitated from the untreated water, along with remnants of treatment chemicals such as aluminum or iron salts used as coagulants, and organic polymers used as coagulant aids. In practical terms, alum sludge and ferric sludge refer to the residues produced when aluminum or iron salts are employed as coagulants, respectively (Ahmad et al., 2016). In Europe, millions of tons of waterworks sludge are generated annually, a figure that may potentially double within the next decade. This trend raises significant concerns regarding their disposal and the associated costs. Frequently, the expenses associated with managing the vast volumes of waterworks sludge constitute a substantial portion of the total operating costs of water treatment facilities (Babatunde and Zhao, 2007). In this perspective, waterworks sludge is perceived as a byproduct of the water treatment process. It should be addressed through innovative practices spanning the entire value chain to reduce waste generation, promote recycling, and ultimately eradicate the reliance on landfills. In the circular economy, efficient waste management holds paramount importance, with the 'zero waste' philosophy emerging as a cutting-edge concept. This ideology entails eliminating waste of energy, materials, and human resources, minimizing emissions or discharges into water, air, and soil, eschewing the use of toxic materials in both primary and ancillary processes, and striving for zero waste in production and administration. Within this framework, the implementation of sustainable resource management with water treatment sludge presents numerous potential social, economic, and environ1mental benefits, along with foreseeable barriers (Nguyen et al., 2022). The water treatment sludge industry is intricately tied to principles of recovery, reuse, and recycling, playing a pivotal role in advancing sustainability amidst escalating global water demands. Additionally, it is significant the 5Rs framework within the Circular Economy for material recovery and waste management in raw water treatment. Specifically, the 5Rs framework encompasses Reduce, Reprocess, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover (Tony, 2022). In Greece, waterworks sludge is classified as a waste product. Remarkably, there is scant information available internationally or nationally regarding the production and disposal of drinking water sludge in Greece. This study seeks to document and analyze both the quantity and characteristics of water treatment sludge produced in Greece, while assessing the strategies utilized for its management. Furthermore, it will classify the sludge in alignment with the European Waste List 2014/955/EU. Additionally, the study will explore various sustainable approaches to sludge management identified worldwide and propose potential methods for its reuse or reevaluation within the circular economy framework (Hidalgo et al., 2017).

ABSTRACT. Plastic production has grown exponentially worldwide in the last two decades. After a decline in the first half of 2020 due to Covid-19, the production of plastic recovered in the second half of the year and, with it, plastic waste. Under the EU Green Deal, 55% of plastic packaging will have to be recycled by 2030. That implies innovative design, cleaner production and recyclability initiatives build under the circular and neutral economy principles. In this frame, the present POSTER refers to the EDU4PlastiCircular project, co-funded by the European Union in the field of the Erasmus+ activities. Its full title is: “Education for Plastic in a Circular and Climate Neutral Economy- Preventing Waste Ending Up into the Environment” (Erasmus+ 2023-1-RO01-KA220-HED-000166242). The project is a unique & complex initiative developed by six partners in four countries supported by local/regional stakeholders committed to fill the existing gap in the sustainable development education, management and work practices. EDU4PlastiCircular project is aligned to the Council recommendation on learning for the green transition and this initiative will provide learners of all ages (Higher Education Institutions - HEIs trainers/educators, students and also managers and employees of organizations) with training opportunities about the plastic in circular and climate neutral economy and sustainability, thus making learning for the green transition a priority of HEIs via the green skills/competence development. The EDU4PlastiCircular initiative/training programme will enable behavioural changes for trainees/individual preferences, cultural values, awareness, responsible behaviour. More generally, it will support active engagement for EU climate neutrality till 2050 (started from community, organization, region and country levels). Thus, the project incorporates many green practices/approaches as: green management, green mobilities, online/e-learning solutions, e-books, green pedagogy that will contribute to the green skills/competence development, green awareness, green careers/jobs. The project has two joint objectives: a) education, for sustainable development in general and for plastic in circular economy and neutral economy, in particular; b) development of digital competences in the context of the training/education programme. The purpose is to develop and boost green skills of HEIs teachers and students, managers and employees, and green practices for plastic in circular economy and neutral economy. Also, it contributes to the EU’s digital transformation. The EDU4PlastiCircular innovative approach can be summarised as it follows: • The actions aim to respond to a stringent need for improved education methodologies by introducing topics related to circular and climate neutral economy, waste management, developing life cycle thinking related to product/process design in different university studies. • It supports modern pedagogy by e-learning, face to face (F2F) training, multimedia Open Educational Resources (OERs), guides as handbooks and a digital library. • It provides creative combinations for education and awareness of green skills, social responsibility and green ethics behaviours, together with digital skills development. Presently the activities are in progress (November 2023 – October 2026)

ABSTRACT. Food value chains are vital for ensuring health and social wellbeing. They also need to stress on the environment and the society at a time when business operations are being scrutinized for degrading environmental resilience, and over consuming resources. There is a need to shift to behaviors that call for collaboration and solutions that benefit environment and society. This article presents cases for businesses to view their operations through the lens of Environment, Social and Governance scenarios through systemic modeling.

ABSTRACT. The trend in the literature shows an increased focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Renewable energy communities (RECs) are not only able to assign greater responsibility to end-use customers in both urban and rural settings. RECs are a response to the electricity consumption required for daily routines. However, the literature points to some critical issues. RECs are mainly conceptualised as places, instead of participatory processes, may have implementation problems due to the lack of initiative of local members, the cost of some information technologies and the issue of trust. Furthermore, the analysis of individual case studies does not only show strengths (Musolino et al., 2023). The willingness to join energy communities is strongly and positively influenced by environmental concerns and social trust. The social contexts that support the development of RECs are structural interactions with neighbours and civic norms with family members. The topic of participation in RECs is also proposed in other studies. Economic benefits, achievement of renewable energy goals and participation in social activities based on energy improvement support such initiatives. The economic theme prevails over social or political objectives, however, the most correct scope of analysis is to take a holistic view of the different dimensions. The development of RECs is linked to policy choices, which are considered more relevant than market factors (Petrovich et al., 2021), and it is evident that renewable energies result in more significant savings as electricity prices rise and as more conscious behaviour increases the percentage of self-consumption (D’Adamo et al., 2022). When the marginal price is higher than the levelised cost of electricity, any additional investment makes the project more profitable and, beyond the environmental benefits, such initiatives promote energy poverty reduction when low-income households are involved. Therefore, tools that can support the components of a REC during the planning and operational phases are also useful. Once the limitations and potential of RECs have been highlighted, it must be emphasised that within future strategies for their implementation, a key role is played by risk-benefit sharing. In this regard, economic analyses highlight how the issue of political incentives is crucial for assessing the profitability of such investments. This is where the gap in the literature emerges. Each country is developing new incentive decrees, replacing previous ones, or completely new ones. Therefore, the objective of economic analyses is to provide up-to-date profitability. This study considers the Italian context, as an example of a mature photovoltaic market, in which the new incentives envisaged by the REC Decree 2023 are applied and evaluates how profitability varies as a function of several critical variables such as the percentage of self-consumption, the avoided energy cost in the bill, the energy selling price and the investment cost beyond the value of the incentive. In addition, prosumer benefit-sharing scenarios are proposed in which the energy consumption of individual prosumers is considered (D’Adamo et al., 2023), to which new scenarios involving consumers are added in order to increase the real cases.

ABSTRACT. Improving sustainability performance and adapting to circular economy principles in operational business strategies are becoming increasingly prioritized. In this pursuit, the concept of industrial symbiosis (IS) has become increasingly relevant. IS represents a collaborative approach where the interplay of material, residual waste, energy, and infrastructure exchanges aims to yield not only economic and environmental advantages for the participating companies but also substantial societal benefits by using resources more efficiently. Biogas production is such an example, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions since it can produce heat and electricity, replace renewable fuel for vehicles, or be used as input material for industrial use. The digestate from biogas production can also be used as an effective agricultural fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizers which are produced using fossil energy.

Digital tools and platforms in IS can be used to different extent depending on businesses levels of digital maturity (the extent to which businesses adapt to ongoing digital change and integrate digitalization). Digital tools and platforms hold a central role for developing various advantages in biogas-based IS, but since the digital maturity for IS focusing on biogas production is uncertain, the current efficiency obtained by tools and platforms is unknown. Therefore, through semi-structured interviews and study visits, this study assesses stakeholder collaboration and use of digital tools at five IS sites with biogas production in Sweden. It explores (i) current digital maturity and collaboration characteristics amongst established biogas-based IS, and (ii) needs amongst stakeholders for development of digital tools and platforms to promote digital maturity, monitoring, collaboration, and knowledge exchange in current and future IS structures.

Preliminary results of the on-going study show that the use of digital tools varies depending on the character and size of resource flows that are included in the collaboration, and due to the internal digital maturity of the involved companies. In general, the use of digital tools for stakeholder interaction is on low or medium level, in which manual handling is required and little is automated. This complies with the sites being relatively small, and the number of stakeholders involved are relatively few. Moreover, the preliminary results show that the interest of future development of digital tools is found to be related to business development and expanded market opportunities through diversified raw material use, increased production, and new distribution channels. In addition, a demand of digital platforms for exchange of experience and competence supply has been identified.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the impact of SMEs’ risk perceptions, risk attitudes, market orientation, level of understanding, and characteristics on their willingness to switch to/invest in SPSs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study that focuses on the impact of latent factors of SMEs’ strategic decision making with respect to the adoption of SPSs. With data from 57 in-depth interviews and 355 personal (computer-guided interviews) with SMEs in agri-food and hospitality markets in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands, we find that the risk perception of SMEs has a negative impact on their decision to switch to/invest in SPSs, while innovativeness, market-orientation, education, age, and turnover of SMEs increase the likelihood of switching to/investing in SPSs. Yet, the importance and the magnitude of the impact of these factors differ among the SMEs in the agri-food and the hospitality markets. SMEs such a hotels and restaurants seem to be more prone to take risks and engage in SPSs rather than SMEs (e.g., farmers) in the agri-food industry. Understanding the factors that play a crucial role in the willingness of SMEs to switch/invest in SPSs may reveal insights for policymakers and managers in the agri-food and hospitality markets, who wish to increase the likelihood of SMEs’ switching to SPSs. Hence, more informed decisions regarding the design of policies and strategies to increase the adoption of sustainable production systems can be made. For example, our results indicate that the risk perception of SMEs seems to be a barrier to the adoption organic practices. Such a barrier may be removed when SMEs receive education and training on how to evaluate, manage and mitigate the potential risks when they may opt to change their production practices. In addition, governmental agencies and public policy initiatives may facilitate SMEs by providing them with a minimum return (e.g., tax allowances) for their investment in sustainable practices during a specific time window and by doing so temporarily reduce the risk adjusted cost of capital for SMEs that make the switch to SPSs.

ABSTRACT. Prior research has shown contrasting consumer behaviours across generations, with younger demographics like Generations Y and Z increasingly conscious of the negative impacts of linear fashion systems. Building upon this foundation, this study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the variables influencing consumers' circular fashion behaviour between Generation Y and Generation Z. This offers deeper insights into the differences in their attitudes, behaviours, and motivations towards circular fashion practices. Data were collected through online surveys, resulting in 408 responses, with 52% from Generation Z and 48% from Generation Y. Utilising SPSS, an independent-sample t-test was employed to explore potential variances in survey responses. Interestingly, the analysis revealed that for 22 out of 25 variables, equal variance could be assumed. This implies less variability in circular fashion behaviour between the two generations. However, the findings indicate that Generation Z participants exhibit higher familiarity with recycling practices (Figure 1) and greater engagement in implementing them (Figure 2) compared to Generation Y. Additionally, Generation Z individuals demonstrate a greater preference for marketing and social media as influential factors in their purchasing decisions compared to Generation Y (Figure 3). Understanding these differences enables businesses, policymakers, and environmental advocates to tailor strategies and initiatives that effectively resonate with the preferences and values of each generational cohort, ultimately facilitating the adoption of more sustainable production and consumption practices within the fashion industry.

ABSTRACT. A popular and widely accepted methodology for analyzing sustainability contexts is strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, which provides a clear framework for organizing and assessing the data that has been gathered (Igliński et al., 2022; Schmidt and Leitner, 2021). However, since we were unable to come up with a consolidated SWOT to consult, factors were determined using existing and upcoming research projects as well as literature (Caferra et al., 2023; D’Adamo et al., 2023). The first research objective (RO1) of this paper is to compare consumer perceptions with the judgments provided by different categories of experts (RO2), from which policymakers, industrialists, consultants, and academics are selected. RO1 is obtained through an online survey in which respondents are paid for support. RO2 is developed through an Analytic Hierarchy Process based on a local-global approach. Figure 1 compares the ranking between the two ROs and differences are shown. Energy communities are based on the integration of different perspectives.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in multiple European Union countries. More precisely, the article studies the environmental objectives targeted by the member states according to the responsibilities allocated to the different stakeholders in the sector. We constructed an original database for this study by codifying all regulatory texts that transpose the WEEE Directive across European countries. The use of multiple factor analysis (MFA) and principal component regression (PCR) makes it possible to identify distinct patterns in the distribution of responsibilities, highlighting the strategic choices made by countries. Furthermore, the analysis examines the influence of these choices on the achievement of the environmental objectives set by the WEEE directive.

ABSTRACT. This study addresses the need for comprehensive circular strategies in enterprise ecosystems from a circular economy perspective, that focuses on developing a product-service system for reuse/recycling glass fibre materials. Existing literature primarily explores circular economy, business models, and recyclability of composite waste materials separately. This highlights a gap in academic research concerning the interplay of combinatorial effects and emerging trends, particularly in relation to the business model architectures of the circular economy and the reusability/recyclability of residue glass fibre materials. Analysing the existing literature together with approaches in utilizing business innovation and engineering product and services development to accommodate the separate academia topics and link them to circular business models in ecosystems level, a methodology is developed. The value creation shifts from core business to product-service system. This is done by integrating circular principles and objectives within the business value network to orchestrate a circular and recycle service to customers. This value creation forces customers to reflect on their traditional business models and their assessment of future viability within the business value network. A case study using rapid digital 3D additive manufacturing for compression moulding of small-scale aeronautical components reusing scrap glassfiber material is used to demonstrate the methods effectiveness in generating and transforming residue glass fibre material into circular products and extending product lifecycle.

ABSTRACT. Introductory Background and Objectives of the study: A growing global awareness of environmental issues has made the concept of the circular economy (CE) more and more popular in recent years among academics, business audiences, and policy leaders. It's a tactic that encourages steady economic growth by addressing issues with resources and the environment. Industrial trash is converted into economical waste management techniques that include recycling, repairing, and reusing important materials. As a result, more valuable eco-efficient products and processes are produced (Crowther and Gilman, 2014). The application of the CE is especially important for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), since these businesses are always facing resource limitations, including infrastructure, financial, and human. Therefore, examining the circular economy's point of view is essential, especially in light of its application to the MSME sector. Our study aims to determine the key factors that facilitate or hinder the adoption of a CE in the MSME sector.

Method: The study undertakes a systematic literature review (SLR), a rigorous and impartial academic procedure for obtaining relevant material, to achieve the study's goal. Scopus and Web of Science were used to review the material extensively. The selected papers were reviewed for content. This study examined 31 papers to determine what influences MSMEs' CE adoption and adoption barriers. The global interest in the CE is increasing the number of publications on the issue. Post-2020 publications reveal a significant increase in interest in the circular economy, notably in the MSME sector. Findings: The study has identified 19 elements that promote the adoption of CE practices among MSMEs, with the green economic incentive being the most frequently emphasized component in the articles. Green economic incentives refer to the benefits provided by governmental and non-governmental organizations for the adoption of green management approaches (Moorthy et al., 2012). Singh et al. (2018) suggested that government subsidies and tax benefits (GSTB), premium prices for green products (PP), and the utilization of lower-cost recycled raw materials (CP) can act as financial incentives to encourage the successful implementation of a circular economy. Further, the study identified a total of 16 barriers, with the most commonly reported constraints in literature being financial constraints and lack of technical resources. MSMEs often face difficulties in effectively managing their cash flow and working capital. In addition to limited access to technology, the lack of it also obstructs environmentally responsible business reorganization and the implementation of eco-design for developing a circular economy. Conclusion and Implication: Our findings recommend implementation of different types of green incentives such as government subsidies and tax advantages for the adoption of environmentally friendly practices, the availability of recycled raw materials at a lower cost compared to virgin raw materials, validation through medals, awards, or preferential treatment during government project bidding processes also encourage firms to opt for an environmentally friendly production strategy along with financing packages specifically designed to assist MSMEs that are adopting sustainable manufacturing technology.

ABSTRACT. The critical necessity to address climate change and decrease carbon emissions has driven the adoption of sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches in different industries (Nyangchak et al., 2022; Singh et al., 2023). As the world strives toward a future without net greenhouse gas emissions, the role of emerging economies becomes increasingly significant in determining the pathway of this stimulating transition (Bonsu et al., 2020). This article discovers the importance of circular economy (CE) principles as key factors in accelerating the progress towards reaching net zero emissions in emerging economies. Emerging economies, known for their quick industrialization, have a critical impact on the global economic environment (Kumar et al., 2023). However, the difficulties related to higher utilization of resources, increased waste, and damage to the environment need a fundamental transformation in thinking toward more sustainable and circular approaches (Okorie et al., 2022). An extensive examination of how the principles of a CE can significantly contribute to achieving the transition towards attaining net zero emissions in developing economies. This article intends to analyze the relationship between factors for the accelerating net zero emissions considering CE principles to understand better the opportunities these emerging economies face in aligning their net zero emission target (Kumar et al., 2023). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the main factors that determine the accelerating net zero emissions: CE principles as key drivers in emerging economies and analyze the linkages of these factors to achieve net zero emission targets. Ten different success factors are determined using a literature review. These factors are presented in Table 1. Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology analyzes the relationships between proposed success factors. Assessing and prioritizing the interactions among these factors is critical for developing and encouraging businesses to reach net-zero emission targets, especially for emerging economies.

ABSTRACT. Climate change and technological advances fuel the rise of electric vehicles (EV). At the core of EVs lies the battery, influencing cost, range, charging time, and lifespan. As sustainable EV battery development is vital for widespread adoption, investigating innovation in this field allows us to assess the landscape of battery-related inventions. From a circular economy standpoint, the transition to EVs represents a paradigm shift in the automotive industry. By focusing on the circularity of resources, advocating for extending product lifespan, minimizing waste generation, and promoting resource efficiency, EV batteries can play an important role in mitigating environmental impact and transforming the mobility ecosystem into a more sustainable one. This study uses a two-fold approach: (1) patent analysis (technological assessment) and (2) scientific landscape characterization (papers assessment). These techniques combined aim to explore the trajectory of battery developments from 2000 to 2022. This article contributes to the literature by providing valuable insights into emerging technologies and research trends within this area and by comparing two different approaches to innovation: to patent it and protect it or to publish it and disseminate it. The patent analysis used data from the PATSTAT database, yielding insights from around 30000 patents. International patent families were chosen as the units of measurement since patents protected in multiple countries are often deemed more valuable. The most productive countries can be categorised into two groups: established economies, including the United States or Japan, and emerging economies, exemplified by China or South Korea. Consequently, the EV battery market is predominantly influenced by Asian nations, contributing to over 2000 patents filed in 2022. An institutional assessment will be conducted, analysing the distinct roles played by academic and industrial entities and an examination of patent citations to uncover the patent quality and the flow of innovation between different agents. For the bibliometric approach, more than 22000 data observations from Web of Science were retrieved and complemented by information from Scopus and SJR. First, a set of stylised facts was obtained. In 2022, almost 100 countries actively contributed to the field publishing in almost 800 journals. A trend toward increased collaboration in research was found (see Table 1), indicating that innovative projects increasingly require interdisciplinary expertise. Second, using co-authorship and co-citation techniques, the analysis will explore patterns in countries, affiliations, journals, and researchers. The main topics of the publications relate to model, optimisation, system, and lithium-ion batteries, suggesting that the research focus is on the efficiency, effectiveness, and overall performance of EV batteries. We will present expectations for the field's future directions, aiming to guide key players in the market, researchers, and policymakers in adjusting their approaches to promote the widespread adoption of EVs.

ABSTRACT. The construction sector is a major contributor to environmental degradation, prompting the need for sustainability integration in its practices. This integration has led to the development of sustainability assessment methods across various scales within the built environment. However, the recent focus on Circular Economy (CE) principles poses a challenge in translating these principles into measurable terms within the construction sector. This study, conducted within the framework of the COST Action CircularB, aims to investigate the extent to which circularity principles are integrated into existing sustainability assessment methods for new buildings. The study first delved into the interrelationships and distinctions between circularity and sustainability, establishing the basis for the analysis. Five internationally recognized sustainability assessment methods for new buildings (BREEAM, DGNB, LEED, Level(s), and SBTool) were then examined to trace the coverage of circularity aspects within their frameworks. Using the well-established 10R framework encompassing ten circular strategies, each component of the assessed methods was scrutinized for its alignment with these strategies. Expert groups, consisting of CircularB members, independently assessed the methods and provided opinions on the direct or indirect associations between the assessed components and the 10R principles. Disagreements were resolved through group discussions, and a synthesis of opinions was conducted to derive analytical results. The analysis revealed varying degrees of integration of circularity principles across the assessed sustainability assessment methods. Some methods exhibited a more explicit consideration of circularity concerns. The study also highlighted the subjectivity involved in detecting correlations and the challenges in associating certain concepts related to circularity (e.g., resilience, adaptability) with the 10R strategies. The findings emphasize the need for a deeper analysis before directly comparing the integration of circularity principles among different sustainability assessment methods, given their methodological differences. The study is ongoing, with more experts joining the analysis to conduct further in-depth assessments and refine the understanding of circularity integration in sustainability assessments for the built environment.

ABSTRACT. Join us for an enlightening presentation where we unveil our latest breakthroughs in circular economy technology. We are excited to introduce our suite of innovative solutions, including the Pedestrian Avoidance Intelligent Control System for Watering Trucks, the Intelligent Garbage Recognition Detection System, the Smart Cloud Platform (City Road Sanitation Inspection Platform), and the Intelligent Garbage Classification and Weighing Control System.

Throughout the session, we will delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in enhancing urban sustainability. Our discussion will highlight how these advancements contribute to reducing emissions and fostering a greener future. Drawing from our rich commercialization experience within the industry, we will share valuable insights into the practical application of these solutions.

Furthermore, we invite attendees to explore the potential for our programs to support the circular economy in Australia. Engage with us as we seek to understand the pressing issues facing Australia in this domain and discuss how our research and development initiatives can offer impactful solutions. Together, let's chart a course towards a more sustainable future.

We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to connect with fellow industry professionals and collaborate for mutual growth. Through our presentation, we aim to offer Australian participants fresh perspectives and inspire collective action towards building resilient, eco-friendly communities.

Join us as we pave the way for a brighter tomorrow!

ABSTRACT. According to Deschermeier et al. (2023), parking space regulation for new buildings in most German cities seem to be often above the need and local government show a lack of flexibility. This leads to disadvantageous economic, ecological and social consequences, because if parking space requirements are too high, construction will be more expensive and space intensive then necessary. Based on publicly available apartment offers, the authors estimate in a hedonic price model a price premium of 10 % for apartments in new buildings that include an underground parking space. For existing properties outside metropolitan areas, the results indicate an larger premium of 23 to 47 %. The median listed parking space rent in these apartment offers for underground parking spaces in the ordinary urban areas (not in downtown or at city fringe) show a price range for 70 major German cities from 40 to 120 euros per month. In the present study, we compare this supply information with an estimated demand. Therefore, both housing preferences and parking space demand are estimated using a choice experiment The performed analysis is based on data from an online survey conducted in January/February 2024, with 1,630 participants (completed interviews). The survey's incidence rate, indicating the proportion of qualified interviews to the total number of invited respondents, was 70 percent (a typical value for the target audience). The included discrete choice experiment, in which respondents were presented with two housing options to choose from, requiring them to select one option. The options were described by seven attributes (see table 1): living space (variation to normal area), number of rooms, storage space, parking space, public parking availability, public transportation connections, and purchase price/ rent p. m². Also, three conditional relationships (CR) were shown, ling space (20 + 20 x rooms + variation), total purchase price and estimated monthly rate (only for purchase). The CR on living space replaces in the choice task the living space variation to the norm area. From the choice decisions, we estimate housing and parking space preferences in relation to each other and other characteristics. Additionally, the results are differentiated by various groups using latent class regression model. It is evident that both the motivation and considered housing market segment influence the choice decision and preferences. Early results indicate that stated that willingness to pay for a parking spot is higher than the price premium from apartment offers indicate. The conclusion is that parking is to cheap.

ABSTRACT. The European Union's urgent objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 necessitates targeted interventions in existing buildings, which contribute to approximately 36% of total CO2 emissions. Hence, there's a critical need to prioritize innovative materials and methods for decarbonizing building stock, mitigating the heat island effect, improving circular renovation processes, and enhancing social appeal for end-users. This work examines these processes within the built environment context, specifically focusing on the cooling efficacy and energy savings afforded by Passive Radiative Cooling materials. Leveraging their customized optical and infrared photonic properties, these materials can dissipate heat via the infrared transparency window without relying on electricity, utilizing outer space as a cold, renewable thermal energy sink. This allows them to achieve sub-ambient temperatures even under direct sunlight. The PaRaMetriC project, an initiative under EURAMET, in collaboration with the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, is spearheading the development of a comprehensive metrological framework. This framework includes standardized performance indicators and testing protocols to facilitate the consistent evaluation of cooling performance across different applications.

ABSTRACT. The transition towards a circular economy is pivotal to achieve our sustainability and climate-neutrality ambitions. The construction sector is on the forefront of this transition, as it uses a significant amount of raw materials and generates various waste streams. Collaboration and solidarity throughout the construction value chain is one of the biggest enablers of circular practices in construction. Unfortunately, cooperation in construction considering the whole life cycle is limited. A cause for this can be found in the predominantly individualistic attitude that is present in modern West-European societies.

Social scientist Emile Durkheim argued in his work on social solidarity that modern societies are characterized by a so-called ‘organic’ type of solidarity. Due to specialization and the division of labor, cooperation grows organically as people are more dependent on each other. Nevertheless, Durkheim argued that even modern societies with an organic type of solidarity have a need for a common goal, objective, etc. We argue that ‘human flourishing’ might be the framework we are looking for to enable cooperation throughout the value chain, make construction actors, house owners and other people in society share a common goal and facilitate the idea of circularity within the fabric of our society. ‘Human flourishing’ could be the perfect intermediary between our individualistic nature and the collective (circular) mindset we so desperately need.

Establishing ‘human flourishing’ as a theory for our circularity ambitions is one thing, making sure that it gets incorporated into circular construction practices another. To tackle this issue, we will take a look at important legislative frameworks in order to find out how we can incorporate the idea of ‘human flourishing’ into legislation to promote the social dimension of circular economy, enhance cooperation throughout the value chain and reach our sustainability and climate-neutrality goals.

ABSTRACT. Circular economy (CE) is the most recommended direction for the development of various companies, including those operating in water sector. The wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have several opportunities for CE implementation which are defined in three areas - water, energy and raw materials management. The circular WWTPs also indicated as “resources hubs” or “WWTPs of the future” are important units in the transformation process towards CE. Paper presents an analysis of barriers and driving forces for CE in WWTPs in Poland. The PESTLE analysis was used, which takes into account the following aspects: P - political, E - economic, S – social, T – technological, E – environmental and L – legal. This analysis is a business analysis tool that is a strategic planning of enterprises that could allow WWTPs to better adaptat the CE action plans to market requirements and recipient needs in the context of CE implementation. The water and wastewater management sector in Poland was a case study for further analysis. It includes the segments, classified into three divisions of the Polish Classification of Activities (PKD) from section E (water supply; sewage and waste management and reclamation activities): E36 and E37. The analysis has shown that there are several driving forces to actively introduce CE solutions (such as favorable European policy, legal solutions in the area of water, raw materials and energy recovery, society's pressure on resource protection, incentives in the form of financial support for CE solutions). There are also some critical barriers that could slow down the green and circular transformation, as lack of clearly stated regulations adopted by Polish government regarding obligatory CE implementation in WWTPs or and regulatory risk mainly associated with unstable often local regulations that generate fear of changes in regulations for WWTP’s operators. Therefore, a development of CBMs for these units is strongly recommended, that would take into account both the core business (water and wastewater management) as well as possibilities of further implementation of CE activities, such as recovery of water, energy and nutrients. The presented findings could be successfully utilized by WWTPs for strategic management process as management staff is the main force for accelerating the CE implementation in companies. The CE solutions could be financially supported in the following years from national and European sources, which may have a positive impact on the acceleration to the CE model in the country and Europe.

Acknowledgement Paper prepared as a part of Subvention of Division of Biogenic Raw Materials in MEERI PAS. Part of research conducted under project “Closing local water circuits by recirculation nutrients and water and using them in nature” (ReNutriWater) financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), project no. #C016 (Interreg Baltic Sea Region).

ABSTRACT. Olive oil is one of the most important agricultural products of the Mediterranean countries. However, its production results in the subsequent production of olive mill wastewater (OMW) and solid waste-olive pomace that, due to their distinct and severe properties, require further and special treatment. For instance, the organic load produced by the processing of the olive fruit of one olive tree is equal to the organic load produced by approximately 40-50 inhabitants per day. However, an EU Directive or Regulation providing specific provision for the management of these by-products has yet to be established (Inglezakis et al., 2012; Halalsheh et al., 2021), apparently due to the spatial nature of the problem which is limited to the Mediterranean EU countries. Consequently, the enforced national laws are often very different compared to those of other EU countries (Marks et al., 2020; Galloni et al., 2022). Greece, as an EU Member State, has to transpose the EU Directives into its national laws and comply with the EU Regulations. The national legal framework of olive mill wastewater management is determined by Laws, Ministerial Decisions (MDs) and Joint Ministerial Decisions (JMDs), as published in Official Government Gazettes (OGGs), Bulletins and Circulars that have an explanatory role of the aforementioned provisions, and Prefectural Decisions. Initially the imposed national legal framework did not focus on OMW, due to the limited extent of the problem and the lack of environmental sensitivity. The adoption of 3-phase centrifuge systems (Olive oil-OMW-olive pomace) and the intensification of olive cultivation are the two main reasons that olive oil production has increased significantly in recent decades and led to the specialization of previous legislative documents referring generally to wastewater to deal with OMW. The aim of this study is to determine the degree of adoption of the principles of circular economy and the flexibility of recycling opportunities in the diachronic evolution of the legal framework. As the legislation, which consists of innumerable provisions, is complex, labyrinthine and sometimes contradictory (Fig. 1), the main national legislative provisions are presented and discussed in a chronological order.

ABSTRACT. In the face of escalating environmental concerns and rapid urbanization, the symbiotic relationship between circular economy principles and smart city initiatives emerges as a promising avenue for sustainable urban development. This paper presents an extensive exploration of the theoretical foundations and practical applications of integrating circular economy strategies with smart city frameworks. Beginning with an in-depth examination of the circular economy, the paper delineates its core tenets, emphasizing the imperative shift from the traditional linear model of resource consumption to one that prioritizes resource efficiency, waste reduction, and the regeneration of natural systems. It elaborates on the strategies encompassed within the circular economy paradigm, including but not limited to material recycling, product longevity, remanufacturing, and eco-design. Subsequently, the paper delves into the concept of smart cities, elucidating their multifaceted approach towards leveraging technology and data-driven solutions to optimize urban systems, enhance quality of life, and mitigate environmental impacts. It explores the various domains of smart city interventions, ranging from energy management, transportation optimization, and infrastructure monitoring to citizen engagement, governance, and service delivery. Building upon the convergence of circular economy principles and smart city strategies, the paper proposes a comprehensive framework for integrating these concepts within the urban context. It outlines the synergistic opportunities arising from the amalgamation of circularity with smart technologies, such as real-time monitoring of resource flows, predictive analytics for waste management, and the facilitation of circular business models through digital platforms. Furthermore, the paper elucidates how circular economy principles can inform the design and implementation of smart city projects, ensuring that technological innovations contribute to long-term sustainability rather than exacerbating resource depletion and environmental degradation. It underscores the importance of a systemic approach that considers the entire lifecycle of products and services, from design and production to consumption and disposal. Drawing upon case studies and best practices from diverse urban contexts globally, the paper illustrates the real-world applications of the circular economy-smart city framework. It showcases exemplary initiatives, including circular supply chains, closed-loop manufacturing processes, urban agriculture initiatives, and collaborative consumption platforms, demonstrating their efficacy in fostering sustainability, resilience, and innovation within cities. In conclusion, the paper underscores the transformative potential of integrating circular economy principles with smart city strategies to address pressing urban challenges. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative approaches that transcend sectoral boundaries, harness technological innovation, and engage diverse stakeholders. However, it also acknowledges the inherent complexities and challenges involved, highlighting the need for policy support, institutional capacity building, and community participation to drive meaningful change towards circular and smart urban development. Conventional wisdom is to provide useful insights into the integration of the concepts of smart cities, the circular economy, and the utilization of intelligent data management platforms, through which, cities can cultivate sustainable development practices that optimize resource utilization, reduce waste generation, and elevate the overall well-being and satisfaction of urban inhabitants. This integration is perceived as essential for navigating the complexities of urbanization while addressing pressing environmental concerns, promoting economic prosperity, and fostering social equity within urban communities

ABSTRACT. Universal access to energy services, as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 7, includes the provision ofclean, reliable and affordable energy for all. In the European Union (EU), affordability issues are at the heartof the energy poverty problems, which is an obstacle to ensuring a fair energy transition and to building anenergy-sustainable society.

The importance of ensuring the affordability of energy services is undeniable, not least because energy povertycan never be eradicated without first addressing affordability issues. If energy is not affordable, householdsmay not only have to reduce their energy consumption to a level that is detrimental to the health and wellbeingof the occupants, i.e. become energy poor, but may also fall into income poverty. Although energyaffordability problems do not necessarily imply income poverty, and vice versa, low-income households areparticularly exposed to affordability issues. It is therefore worth assessing the extent to which households’energy bills are a cause of household impoverishment, which may ultimately jeopardise universal access toservices and expose the need to adopt policies to address inequalities in access to energy, particularly for themost vulnerable groups.

Following the taxonomy proposed by Antunes et al., 2023, this paper proposes an innovative framework thatreconciles two types of approaches to affordability: an ‘energy-burden approach’ and a ‘falling into-povertyapproach’ to uncover affordability problems that would go unnoticed under a single approach. The ‘energy burden approach’ is broadly based on the computation of energy affordability ratios (EAR) between energy expenditure and income which are compared to a reference threshold beyond which households are deemedto face affordability issues. This approach provides information on the burden of energy services onhouseholds, but overlooks whether expenditures on utilities push households into poverty. In fact, a low ratiomay not seem so problematic according to the burden approach and still lead to poverty, just as a high ratiomay seem problematic but it is not because the amount of income left over is sufficient to cover other expenses.The ‘falling into-poverty approach’, relying on the idea that households must face essential expenses beyondthose in utilities, compare the residual income after deduction of energy expenditure with a poverty line tomeasure whether the payment of energy bills puts households into difficulty in making ends meet. Although this approach is very clear regarding the hardship caused by expenditures on utilities, it disregards the burdenthat energy services place on households.

The objective of this paper is threefold. First, to distinguish, within households with high/low energy EAR,between those who fall into poverty due to energy expenses and those who do not, and to assess the prevalenceof each of these possibilities. Second, to assess the extent to which energy expenditure pushes families alreadybelow the poverty line further into poverty. Third, to analyse the intensity of the impoverishing effect.

Micro data, at the household level, are taken from the 2021 wave of the European Household Budget Survey(EHBS), released in 2023 (access granted under the Eurostat research project RPP 60/2020-HBS). Energyaffordability ratios are computed for each household of a sample composed of 187,384 observations for 21European countries (AT-Austria, BE-Belgium, BG-Bulgaria, CY-Cyprus, CZ-Czechia, DE-Germany, DKDenmark,EE-Estonia, EL-Greece, ES-Spain, FR-France, HR-Croatia, HU-Hungary, IY-Italy, LT-Lithuania, LU-Luxemburg, LV-Latvia, MT-Malta, NL-The Netherlands, SI-Slovenia, SK-Slovakia). The poverty line iscomputed per country, considering 60% of the median equivalised net income.

The EU21 average EAR is 5.51%, ranging from 2.41% in LU to 12.26% in CZ. In 15 countries, more thanhalf of burdened families are simultaneously poor or impoverished after paying energy bills. The results alsounveil problems hidden by a single approach. Using only the burden approach leaves out those withpresumably unproblematic EAR (< 10%), although their energy burden may still deepen or cause poverty.This approach disregards between 1% (LU) and 11% (CZ) of households with impoverishing energyexpenditures. Those who are impoverished due to energy expenditure, despite being non-burdened, reachalmost 3% of families in NL, HU and CY (2% of households in the EU21). On the contrary, households witha problematic EAR (> 10%) are included among those with affordability problems, even though the incomeremaining after payments is plenty enough to meet other expenditures. The proportion of households that areburdened but not impoverished varies widely between countries, from almost 0% in LU to 31% in CZ. In theEU25 this figure is close to 8%.

The analysis carried out in this study provides a basis for monitoring and/or targeting policy interventionstailored to help those most in need. For those who are impoverished due to energy costs, measures should beaimed at supporting the payment of these services. For those who are already below the poverty line andwhose situation is worsened by paying for energy services, policies should not be limited to supporting energyconsumption.

ABSTRACT. An empirical analysis was focused on managing overlapping market-based tools within circular economy policy frameworks, specifically in municipal solid waste management. A panel data analysis is used as an econometric approach based on a sample of 4224 Italian municipalities from 2016 to 2022. As the number of municipalities exceeds the periods, the analysis is based on the GMM-sys approach, which addresses endogeneity and heterogeneity issues. The paper evaluates modern municipal solid waste tariff schemes that align with the polluter-pays principle, investigating the effects of pay-as-you-throw systems on waste management's economic efficiency when implemented along with other incentivizing tools. Although PAYT systems positively impact cost efficiency by incentivizing recycling and thus increasing revenue from material sales, overlapping with similar, less complex approaches may lead to inefficiencies. Indeed, the complexity of integrating various regulatory tools and their interactions with local economic and regulatory environments suggests the necessity for a context-dependent approach to optimize the economic outcomes of waste management. The research contributes significantly to the implementation of circular economy policy and the ongoing discussion. It underscores the importance of designing regulatory frameworks that account for local conditions, aiming to reduce waste generation and enhance the efficiency of waste management systems in pursuit of circular economy goals.

ABSTRACT. In policy discussions, it has frequently been claimed that migrants’ remittances could be a ‘catalyst’ for access to financial services for receiving households. This study examines empirically the role of migrant remittances as a potential determinant of financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries using panel data over the period 2004 to 2019. This is an important issue considering the literature that has documented the effects of financial inclusion on inclusive growth and poverty reduction. Eight different indicators of financial inclusion were used: Bank branches and Automatic teller machines (ATMs) per 100 000 adults, the aggregate level of deposits and credits provided by banks, the number of microfinance institutions (MFIs), the value of deposits and loans provided by MFIs, and the number of active borrowers per MFI. Results using the dynamic Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to address endogenous issues show a positive effect of remittances on the level of financial inclusion. These effects are more significant for microfinance institutions indicators than for those of traditional banks. This suggests that remittances provide recipients the opportunity to open bank accounts, increase their savings, and access the financial system while allowing also the unbanked to access existing and new financial products such as those from microfinance institutions. As a result, remittances are emerging as a determinant of financial inclusion in SSA. They can potentially help to expand microfinance institutions since the profile of the recipients of remittances often matches those of their clients. Our findings provide insights into the potential for capitalizing on the benefits of African migration through remittances by implementing and promoting financial inclusion policies that focus on financial institutions appropriate to the Sub-Saharan context.

ABSTRACT. Sustainable business practices are essential for companies to enhance their performance in the long term and to meet the social challenges of the 2030 and 2050 European agendas. Particularly, how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) deal with sustainable development will be decisive for the transformation of the Netherlands as a sustainable business location, because SMEs contribute to half of the employment and half of the gross domestic product (Mares, 2024).

In order to enhance and embed sustainability in business practices at the operational, tactical and strategic decision-making level, SMEs’ owners and managers, may need to be incentivized and motivated to opt for sustainable behavior (e.g., switch to a sustainable production system) and to invest in sustainable marketing, financial, and supply chain management tangible and market-based assets that improve their sustainable development (e.g., sustainability-related and digital-related literacy, competences, and skills).

We study the perceptions of SMEs that are established and operating in the Southern province/region of the Netherlands (Limburg), which is a cross-border area for Germany and Belgium.

We conducted in-depth, semi-structured, interviews, on an individual basis with 108 owners/managers of SMEs in the Dutch region of Limburg, who we considered to be the key-informants in the decision context of our study. The topics’ list method was adopted for preparing the qualitative data gathering instrument. The themes (topics) of this instrument revolved around owners/managers perceptions and motivations for sustainable development, implementation of environmental-related innovations, and the needs for SMEs’ personnel development and training.

Based on these preliminary findings some managerial implications for the SMEs in Limburg (NL) are drawn. Work is in progress for examining the type of motivations and incentives of SMEs clusters (e.g., based on their market settings, product/service market, sector, among others) to opt for specific sustainable practices and the factors influencing SMEs’ perceptions about specific sustainable initiatives and adoption of circular mechanisms. Therefore, a more elaborated research framework rooted in behavioral economics will be presented and discussed in the conference.

ABSTRACT. Efforts on a global scale are being made to align and coordinate the sustainable development goals with a particular focus on understanding the relationship between factors shaping the socio-governance landscape of a country, influencing its political stability, economic prosperity, social cohesion, overall development and the circular economy (CE). The global fight against climate change has become a paramount concern for governments worldwide, leading to the establishment of international agreements like the Paris Agreement (UN, 2015) and regional initiatives such as the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2023). These agreements are part of a broader global context in which numerous countries are actively pursuing transitions to economies that are less dependent on fossil fuels, commonly known as the ecological or green transition. In these transition plans, particular attention should be given to socio-governance drivers, which hold significant importance in transition-related discourse as they greatly impact the substitution of inputs with externalities, such as fossil resources, and the reuse of production inputs in subsequent cycles. In our study, the 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets divergence criterion is utilized to identify the EU countries with the poorest performance. This classification enables us to analyze countries that have either exceeded their 2020 targets or were on the verge of surpassing them, facilitating the development of tailored policies for this group of countries. Additionally, quantile regression analysis is employed to estimate the effect of socio-governance environment on CE across the quantile distribution, with a greater emphasis on the extreme ends of the distribution. The results of the aggregate quantile regression analysis indicate that countries characterized by transparent and accountable decision-making processes, well-designed regulations, protection of property rights, and higher levels of social cohesion create an advantageous environment for the CE transition.