User:Dvecheve/sandbox

Peer review by KristenTomberlin
Circular economy: This article already has some great content! I would start with fixing the [Citation needed] tags, there's only 2 or 3. This article could also benefit from some reorganization, I think topics like scope and management should go earlier in the article since it applies to any industry and more specific examples should go later. A bioeconomy section could also be beneficial to this page. KristenTomberlin (talk) 15:02, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

Comments by Rodrigo Buitrago
The article structure is a good start, but it can be improved. The scope should be one of the first topics in the document, and the origin section I do not find it relevant; it can be included in the scope section. The article includes some application of the circular economy concept in the textile, construction industry, and business sector; these applications can be included in a section called “examples” or applications of circular economy in different sectors”. Finally, the article only includes the impact of circular economy in Europe, it should include more regions of relevance.

Peer Review Responses
Kristin Peer Review: I totally agree with the comments related to change and improving the organization of the article, for example, I have changed Origins to Scope improving the content for this title, moreover I have added a transition to keep the information that was posted as "Origins" were the "circular economy" concepts brought up by Kenneth Boulding. On the other hand, I did not understand the comment regarding "fixing citations, there's only 2 or 3", however, I did incorporate new references to the lines I have added in the scope, I am still in the process of double checking the rest of the references to have reliable sources. Once I organize more the article I agree with incorporating the term Bioeconomy into the section of Related concepts.

Rodrigo Buitrago Review: I have made the changes for the scope as suggested. I also agree with adding a section that talks about the different industries that have/ or are trying to adopt a circular economy, which, for now, I have called "Industries adopting a Circular Economy". I am also doing research that includes information related to adopting a circular economy in the US.

Scope
The Circular Economy (CE) is a concept introduced in the 70s aiming to change the way service goods close to the end of their life cycle could be transformed into other resources, therefore, reducing waste to landfills, the idea is to transform products into new goods, reused them and recycle if they can not be used again. Among the different products the CE also includes the reuse or transformation of infrastructure, equipment and services, and can be applied to many industry sectors. It includes 'technical' resources (metals, minerals, fossil resources) and 'biological' resources (food, fibres, timber, etc). Most schools of thought advocate a shift from fossil fuels to the use of renewable energ y and emphasize the role of diversity as a characteristic of resilient and sustainable systems. It includes discussion of the role of money and finance as part of the wider debate, and some of its pioneers have called for a revamp of economic performance measurement tools. It was in 1966 when Kenneth Boulding raised awareness of an "open economy" with unlimited input resources and output sinks, in contrast with a "closed economy", in which resources and sinks are tied and remain as long as possible a part of the economy. Boulding's essay "The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth" is often cited as the first expression of the "circular economy", although there is no record of Boulding using that phrase.

Darlene Echeverria 17:24, 26 February 2019 (UTC)

From wikipedia page: Scope
The circular economy includes products, infrastructure, equipment and services, and applies to every industry sector. It includes 'technical' resources (metals, minerals, fossil resources) and 'biological' resources (food, fibres, timber, etc). Most schools of thought advocate a shift from fossil fuels to the use of renewable energ y, and emphasize the role of diversity as a characteristic of resilient and sustainable systems. It includes discussion of the role of money and finance as part of the wider debate, and some of its pioneers have called for a revamp of economic performance measurement tools.

One example of a circular economy model is the implementation of renting models in traditional ownership areas (e.g. electronics, clothes, furniture, transportation). Through renting the same product to several clients, manufacturers can increase revenues per unit, thus decreasing the need to produce more to increase revenues. Recycling initiatives are often described as a circular economy and are likely to be the most widespread models.

Note: The previous two paragraphs are exactly written in https://www.chinadenmark.com/shared-economy-shared-happiness/

Scope (for wikipedia article)
The circular economy can cover a broad scope, findings from the literature show that researchers have being focusing in different areas such as industrial applications with both product-oriented and services, practice and policies to better understand the limitations that the CE currently faces, strategic management for details of the circular economy and different outcomes such as potential re-use applications and waste management.

Textile industry
A circular economy within the textiles industry refers to the practice of clothes and fibers continually being recycled, to re-enter the economy as much as possible rather than ending up as waste.

A circular textiles economy is in response to the current linear model of the fashion industry, “in which raw materials are extracted, manufactured into commercial goods and then bought, used and eventually discarded by consumers” (Business of Fashion, 2017). 'Fast fashion 'companies have fueled the high rates of consumption which further magnify the issues of a linear system. “The take-make-dispose model not only leads to an economic value loss of over $500 billion per year, but also has numerous negative environmental and societal impacts” (Business of Fashion, 2018). Such environmental effects include tons of clothing ending up in landfills and incineration, while the societal effects put human rights at risk. A revolutionary documentary about the world of fashion, “The True Cost” (2015), explained that in fast fashion, “wages, unsafe conditions, and factory disasters are all excused because of the needed jobs they create for people with no alternatives.” This shows that fast fashion is harming the planet in more ways than one by running on a linear system.

It is argued that by following a circular economy, the textiles industry can be transformed into a sustainable business. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is at the top of the list as it focuses on the benefits of a circular economy. Their 2017 report, “A New Textiles Economy”, states the four key ambitions needed to establish a circular economy: “phasing out substances of concern and microfiber release; transforming the way clothes are designed, sold and used to break free from their increasingly disposable nature; radically improving recycling by transforming clothing design, collection, and reprocessing; and making effective use of resources and moving to renewable input.” While it sounds like a simple task, only a handful of designers in the fashion industry have taken charge, including Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and Stella McCartney. An example of a circular economy within a fashion brand is Eileen Fisher’s Tiny Factory, in which customers are encouraged to bring their worn clothing to be manufactured and resold. In an interview on The Glossy Podcast (2018), Fisher explains, “A big part of the problem with fashion is overconsumption. We need to make less and sell less…you get to use your creativity but you also get to sell more but not create more stuff.” The Tiny Factory proves that it is possible to practice a circular economy in the textiles industry. Both China and Europe have taken the lead in pushing a circular economy. The Journal of Industrial Ecology (2017) states, the “Chinese perspective on the circular economy is broad, incorporating pollution and other issues alongside waste and resource concerns, [while] Europe’s conception of the circular economy has a narrower environmental scope, focusing on waste and resources and opportunities for business.” These practices are important for citizens to understand and realize the opportunity and benefits of a circular economy in the textiles industry.

The textiles industry has a long way to go to reach a sustainable future. A circular economy could be the answer to the social and environmental issues that the current linear, fast fashion model has created.

Construction industry
A construction sector is one of the world’s largest waste generators. The Circular Economy appears as a helpful solution to Darlene Echeverria 18:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC)diminish an environmental impact of the industry.

Construction is very important to the economy of the European Union and its state members. It provides 18 million direct jobs and contributes to about 9% of the EU's GDP. The main causes of the construction's environmental impact are found in the consumption of non-renewable resources and the generation of contaminant residues, both of which are increasing at an accelerating pace.

Decision making about the Circular Economy can be performed on the operational (connected with particular parts of the production process), tactical (connected with whole processes) and strategic (connected with the whole organization) levels. It may concern both construction companies as well as construction projects (where a construction company is one of the stakeholders). As a good case that fits the idea of Circular Economy in construction sector on the operational level, there can be pointed walnut husks, that belong to hard, light and natural abrasives used for example in cleaning brick surfaces. Abrasive grains are produced from crushed, cleaned and selected walnut shells. They are classified as reusable abrasives. A first attempt to create a holistic measurement for Circular Economy implementation in construction company was performed by the international research team Nunez-Cacho P., Górecki J., Molina-Moreno V. and Corpas-Iglesias F.A. The results of the study were published in 2018 in Sustainability.

Darlene Echeverria 18:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC)

Logistics industry
The logistics industry plays an important role in the Dutch economy because the Netherlands is located in a specific area where transit of commodities takes place on a daily basis. The Netherlands is an example of a country from the EU that has increasingly moved towards incorporating a circular economy given the vulnerability of the Dutch economy (as well as other EU countries) to be highly dependable on raw materials imports from countries such as China, which makes the country susceptible to the unpredictable importation costs for such primary goods.

Research related to the Dutch industry shows that 25% of the Dutch companies are knowledgeable and interested in a circular economy; furthermore, this number increases to 57% for companies with more than 500 employees. Some of the areas are chemical industries, wholesale trade, industry and agriculture, forestry and fisheries because they see a potential reduction of costs when reusing, recycling and reducing raw materials imports. In addition, logistic companies can enable a connection to a circular economy by providing customers incentives to reduce costs through shipment and route optimization, as well as, offering services such as prepaid shipping labels, smart packaging, and take-back options.

Several statistics have indicated that there will be an increase in freight transport worldwide, which will affect the environmental impacts of the global warming potential causing a challenge to the logistics industry, however, the Dutch council for the Environment and Infrausture (Dutch acronym: Rli) provided a new framework in which it suggests that the logistics industry can provide other ways to add value to the different activities in the Dutch economy, such as, an exchange of resources (either waste or water flows) for production from the different industries, in addition, to change the transit port concept to a transit hub. Moreover, the Rli studied the role of the logistics industry for three sectors, agriculture and food, chemical industries and high tech industries which can be found detailed in "Towards a Circular Economy: The Role of Dutch Logistics Industries and Governments". Darlene Echeverria 20:28, 4 March 2019 (UTC)

Towards the circular economy
In January 2012, a report was released entitled Towards the Circular Economy: Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition. The report, commissioned by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and developed by McKinsey & Company, was the first of its kind to consider the economic and business opportunity for the transition to a restorative, circular model. Using product case studies and economy-wide analysis, the report details the potential for significant benefits across the EU. It argues that a subset of the EU manufacturing sector could realize net materials cost savings worth up to $630 billion annually towards 2025—stimulating economic activity in the areas of product development, remanufacturing and refurbishment. Towards the Circular Economy also identified the key building blocks in making the transition to a circular economy, namely in skills in circular design and production, new business models, skills in building cascades and reverse cycles, and cross-cycle/cross-sector collaboration.

On the other hand, implementing a circular economy in the United States has being presented by Ranta et al. who analyzed the institutional drivers and barriers for the circular economy in different regions worldwide, by following the framework developed by Scott R. . In the article, different worldwide environment-friendly institutions were selected, and two types of manufacturing processes were chosen for the analysis (1) a product-oriented, and (2) a waste management. Specifically, in the U.S., the product-oriented company case in the study was Dell, a US manufacturing company for computer technology, which was the first company to offer free recycling to customers and to launch to the market a computer made from recycling materials from a verified third party source. Moreover, the waste management case that includes many stages such as collection, disposal, recycling in study was Republic Services, the second largest waste management company in the US. The approach to measure the drivers and barriers was to first identify indicators for their cases in study and then to categorize these indicators into drivers when the indicator was in favor of the circular economy model or a barrier when it was not.

Darlene Echeverria 20:01, 30 March 2019 (UTC)

Environmental product declaration
The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an environmental certification classified as Type III that quantifies and verifies the life cycle of products and goods as cited in the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14025. The EPD methodology is based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool which follows the ISO series 14040. EPDs help customers that are environmentally driven for the performance of a product to make the best decisions when choosing goods or services among different providers. For instance, companies such as ABB have implemented EPDs to all of their main products in an attempt to improve their sustainability goals, furthermore, to demonstrate their commitment to the environment to the customers that have shown concerns for the environmental faith of their products.

Framework for Creating an EPD
The figure to the right presents the steps or framework for creating an EPD, one of the first steps is that the product is defined and that it must follow the Product Category Rules (PCR) which are specific rules and requirements verified by a PCR review third-party panel (independent party). The collection of the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) for the LCA study must be verified and from reliable sources (e.g., from manufacturing facility). The Life Cycle Environmental Impact Analysis (LCIA) results are performed by an LCA expert using software and different assessment tools. The EPD can be delivered as a document or report that follows a series of verification until it is ready for registration and to make it public.

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