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Unravelling repurposing -A taxonomy for a promising circular business model strategy
No full textThe Dutch government and leading academics in the field of circular economy propose that “repurposing”, i.e., finding new usages for discarded material, is important to reduce resource usage. Waste collectors, municipalities and start-ups increasingly find ways to develop circular business models, aiming for minimum loss of material integrity. Repurpose is a circular business model strategy which entails using a discarded product or its parts in a new product with a different function. The aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of this promising but academically underexposed circular strategy by empirically exploring its key characteristics and developing a taxonomy that reflects the scope and potential of the concept. The taxonomy development was based on clustering and comparing 96 case examples using key characteristics and critical factors empirically collected by means of 11 semi-structured expert interviews. The taxonomy was iteratively refined and validated by means of workshops with experts. This paper proposes a taxonomy and a comprehensive definition for repurposing. The Repurpose taxonomy distinguishes three main categories with increasing levels of material integrity: “Reprocess”, “Reshape” and “Recontextualize” .The taxonomy provides a refinement of existing circular business model patterns and frameworks for closing material loops strategies. It shows how repurposing may exploit the creative potential of design to fill the gap between reuse and recycling by retaining previously added value with three levels of physical adjustment
User experience with smartphone repair activities and the impact of modular product design
No full textModular-focused re-design is a promising strategy for product lifetime extension and
recyclability of materials. Yet, sustainability benefits of modular product design do not automatically
come into effect, but require additional service activities. To achieve the intended sustainability effects,
such services have to be attractive and made use of by customers. This study investigates to what
extent sustainability-focused modular product design in the smartphone sector promotes (i) self-repair
compared to using a repair service as well as (ii) the effect of positive user experience with repair
instructions and services. It further analyzes how circular economy attitudes and perceived self repairability moderate these effects. The quantitative analysis, first, finds that users of modular
smartphones are more likely to choose self-repair than to use a repair service compared to users of
semi-modular smartphones. This effect increases the more the device is perceived as self-repairable.
Second, the analysis reveals that modular smartphone design supports positive experience with repair
instructions. Repair instructions of modular smartphones are perceived as necessary, helpful, easily
accessible, and sufficiently available. Consequently, successful implementation and management of
complementary product and service designs are key to promote product lifetime extension in the
smartphone industry. To leverage different attitudes, accompanying communication and user
customization could stimulate circular behavio
Factors affecting ewe longevity on sheep farms in three European countries
No full textThe ability to identify ewes that can outperform their contemporaries, in terms of how long they remain productive in the flock, will help towards improving flock efficiency and profitability. The main objectives of this study were to: (1) identify the main reasons for mortality or culling within diverse sheep production systems in Ireland, Norway and UK; (2) investigate the influence of early life factors on ewe longevity within each of these systems; and (3) determine whether common approaches or recommendations could be employed to improve ewe longevity. The main reasons for mortality or culling were, in addition to old age, mastitis (Irish and Norwegian sheep) and tooth loss (UK hill sheep). In each country, there were significant differences in age at last lambing due to the year the ewe was born (but in no consistent pattern), and due to her flock of birth (P < 0.05). From the Norwegian data, there was some indication ewes from younger dams lambed for the last time at a younger age, however, this trend was not seen in the Irish or UK data. Ewes born as singletons, in the Irish data, lambed for the last time at an older age than those that had been born in larger litters, although this was not observed in the other data sets. Age at first lambing and some breed proportions (proportion of Texel and Suffolk particularly) of the animal (both not fitted in the Norwegian or UK analyses) were found to have a highly significant (P < 0.0001) effect on age at last lambing in the Irish analyses. The results suggest that longevity is influenced by a range of different factors and the early life predictors investigated could not be used to provide consistent recommendations across countries, production systems and breeds that would influence ewe longevity. One common definition or solution to select ewes for longer productive life in divergent sheep flocks may not be appropriate.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Governmen
Improved CNN-based Learning of interpolation filters for low-complexity Inter prediction in video coding
No full textThe versatility of recent machine learning approaches makes them ideal for improvement of next generation video compression solutions. Unfortunately, these approaches typically bring significant increases in computational complexity and are difficult to interpret into explainable models, affecting their potential for implementation within practical video coding applications. This paper introduces a novel explainable neural network-based inter-prediction scheme, to improve the interpolation of reference samples needed for fractional precision motion compensation. The approach requires a single neural network to be trained from which a full quarter-pixel interpolation filter set is derived, as the network is easily interpretable due to its linear structure. A novel training framework enables each network branch to resemble a specific fractional shift. This practical solution makes it very efficient to use alongside conventional video coding schemes. When implemented in the context of the state-of-the-art Versatile Video Coding (VVC) test model, 0.77%, 1.27% and 2.25% BD-rate savings can be achieved on average for lower resolution sequences under the random access, low-delay B and low-delay P configurations, respectively, while the complexity of the learned interpolation schemes is significantly reduced compared to the interpolation with full CNNs
Castoff from London, Pearls in Kantamanto? A critique of second hand clothing
No full textAfrican countries are today the major importers of the lowest grade of second-hand (SH)
clothing. As a result of the complexity and opacity of the international geographies of SH clothing trade,
inequalities and imbalances between Global North (GN) and South (GS) continue to maintain a
relationship of colonial dependence. With the opening of global markets and the intense circulation of
fast fashion in the GN from the 1990s, the trade has exploded in the twenty-first century. This paper
presents a critical look at the decades’ old SH clothing exchange in Kantamanto, the biggest SH market
in West Africa, situated within the central business district of Accra, Ghana. The paper scrutinises the
export of unwanted donated clothing, popularly known as ‘Obroni w’awu’ (white man is dead), to
Kantamanto. We combine direct observation and an interpretive research design through the analysis
of photos taken from Kantamanto that capture and document local circular practices, exposing a duality:
on the one hand, clothing’s symbolic value that is lost in the GN is reconstituted in the GS through
exchange and labour-creating economies. On the other, the global trade of SH clothing has become
synonym with dumping, as supply exceeds demand and the GN uses this trade to dispose of unwanted
clothing in landfills
A matter of timing: system requirements for repair and their temporal dimensions
No full textResearch into repair within the circular economy (CE) typically focuses on technical aspects of design, policy, and markets, and often assumes or implies simplified conditions for the user/owner and the product-system to explain the barriers to scaling repair activities. By integrating life cycle and temporal dimensions (time-sequence) into a broad System of Repairability framework, we demonstrate that the decision to repair-or-not-repair is not the sole responsibility of the user/owner. Other factors occurring at pre-use stages of the product’s life cycle significantly influence whether, and to what extent, repair is viable or possible, i.e., warranty duration, after-sale service provision, and access to necessities. In this analysis, we explore the various factors that affect ability, difficulty, and thus, the likelihood of repair activities being performed at each stage of the product’s life-cycle, applying a temporal perspective. We propose a framework for considering the System of Repairability, which delineates the temporal dimensions of repair as they relate to one\u27s ‘ability to repair’, as a product progresses through different life-cycle phases (i.e., breakdown vs. repair vs. disposal), and the point(s) at which the repair is considered or attempted (i.e., year of usage). Accordingly, the System of Repairability framework clarifies the decision-points, stakeholders, and necessary conditions to facilitate a repair outcome at the individual level, and thus intervention strategies for scaling repair within CE. We conclude with a brief discussion of policy implications and a future outlook on how temporal dimensions can inform policy strategies and future research
Regulating a circular economy for textiles in Australia
No full textA shift to a circular economy is essential, and regulation can play a critical role in this transition. In this paper we examine the regulatory frameworks required to promote a circular economy (CE) for textiles through a qualitative analysis of data from Australian and international contexts. Supporting the transition to a CE requires an optimal policy mix that includes direct regulation, self-regulation, voluntary initiatives, education approaches, and economic instruments, such as subsidies and incentives. Using an inductive, interpretive approach to qualitative analysis, we analysed the submissions and Standing Committee sessions of the Commonwealth Government’s 2019-20 Inquiry into Australia’s Waste Management and Recycling Industries and identified the regulatory approaches for which different stakeholder groups are advocating. Public, industry and recyclers all advocate first for economic instruments, with industry bodies next advocating for self-regulation, while both the public and recycling industry next recommend education initiatives. Alongside, our analysis draws on the regulatory approaches of Australia and other nations, as captured in a sample of international government and NGO reports and working papers. We find that Australia’s current regulatory system focuses primarily on normative education and information documents, with fragmented economic and co-regulation on a state-by-state level. Through this analysis, we propose a holistic policy mix that codifies a circular economy approach to textile waste governance and make a series of regulatory recommendations appropriate to the Australian context
Language and Chronology: Text Dating by Machine Learning. Gregory Toner and Xiwu Han. Language and Computers 84. Brill, Leiden/Boston, 2019. xii + 183pp.€88. ISBN 978-90-04-41003-9
No full textIn 2015, two grants were awarded for projects using computational and statistical methods to date medieval Irish texts: one is provided by the European Research Council, which funds the project Chronologicon Hibernicum in Maynooth; the other is awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to fund Gregory Toner’s project ‘Dating of medieval texts through regressive analysis of the lexicon’ in QUB. The present book is the outcome of the latter project, in which the two co– authors explore computational methods previously unknown to the field of medieval Irish studies and demonstrate the huge potential such methods embody for the discipline. When one compares the title of the project to that of the book, it is apparent that Toner and Han have pushed the methodological boundary much further by transcending from regression analysis in the initial project idea to advanced machine learning techniques in the outcome
‘The COVID-19 crisis is not the core problem’: experiences, challenges, and concerns of Irish academia during the pandemic
No full textThis article, drawing on data from an international survey – distributed in the summer of 2020 – explores the experiences and concerns of academic staff (n = 167) working in universities in Ireland and their perceptions of their institutions’ early response to the pandemic. Concerns related to transitioning to remote online working, impact on research productivity and culture, and work intensification, as intersected by enhanced managerialism, are ubiquitous to their accounts. As some respondents wrote of potential positive changes, particularly in the delivery of teaching, we conclude by suggesting potential avenues for building on successes in coping with the pandemic with some recommendations for mitigating some of the harms.World Universities NetworkUpdate citation details during checkdate report - A
Translating Scientific Advances in the AOP Framework to Decision Making for Nanomaterials
No full textMuch of the current innovation in advanced materials is occurring at the nanoscale, specifically in manufactured nanomaterials (MNs). MNs display unique attributes and behaviors, and may be biologically and physically unique, making them valuable across a wide range of applications. However, as the number, diversity and complexity of MNs coming to market continue to grow, assessing their health and environmental risks with traditional animal testing approaches is too time- and cost-intensive to be practical, and is undesirable for ethical reasons. New approaches are needed that meet current requirements for regulatory risk assessment while reducing reliance on animal testing and enabling safer-by-design product development strategies to be implemented. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework presents a sound model for the advancement of MN decision making. Yet, there are currently gaps in technical and policy aspects of AOPs that hinder the adoption and use for MN risk assessment and regulatory decision making. This review outlines the current status and next steps for the development and use of the AOP framework in decision making regarding the safety of MNs. Opportunities and challenges are identified concerning the advancement and adoption of AOPs as part of an integrated approach to testing and assessing (IATA) MNs, as are specific actions proposed to advance the development, use and acceptance of the AOP framework and associated testing strategies for MN risk assessment and decision making. The intention of this review is to reflect the views of a diversity of stakeholders including experts, researchers, policymakers, regulators, risk assessors and industry representatives on the current status, needs and requirements to facilitate the future use of AOPs in MN risk assessment. It incorporates the views and feedback of experts that participated in two workshops hosted as part of an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) project titled, “Advancing AOP Development for Nanomaterial Risk Assessment and Categorization”, as well as input from several EU-funded nanosafety research consortia.European Commission Horizon 202