1,720,971 research outputs found
Prioritizing Circular Economy actions for the decarbonization of manufacturing companies: the C-Readiness tool
Full text linkClimate change is pushing manufacturing companies to adopt sustainable solutions for reducing their carbon emissions. Circular Economy emerged as a suitable strategy for the decarbonization of industrial organizations, offering the potential to decouple economic growth from natural resource extraction and waste generation. However, achieving circularity requires significant transformation in several areas, and some Circular Economy actions may be more effective than others in reducing carbon emissions, depending on the product and company carbon footprint structure. Facing low awareness and limited resources, manufacturing companies frequently fail in understanding where to start in approaching such a systemic transition. Despite these challenges, the literature overlooks the linkages between Circular Economy initiatives and their potential for reducing carbon emissions, and in particular how Circular Economy actions can be prioritized for decarbonization purposes. To fill these gaps, this paper develops an original and systemic tool (C-Readiness) for assessing the readiness of manufacturing companies for the Circular Economy, and for prioritizing Circular Economy actions for decarbonization. The tool is developed based on a literature review and critical comparison of existing tools for assessing circularity readiness at the micro level. The tool has been applied to four manufacturing companies, to showcase its potential in designing Circular Economy-based decarbonization paths. This paper contributes to the literature on strategic Circular Economy implementation in manufacturing companies by integrating circularity readiness evaluations with quantitative carbon footprint assessments. It provides a structured approach and a simple yet effective tool to help industrial organizations reduce their environmental impact through Circular Economy practices
Remanufacturing for the Circular Economy: A Business Model analysis
No full textBusiness models based on remanufacturing are among the most promising ones for achieving Circular Economy. However, companies still find difficulties in understanding how business models could be reshaped to remanufacturing for the Circular Economy. In literature there is a paucity of contributions that define common guidelines on how to configure remanufacturing business models for the Circular Economy. Thus, this paper aims to outline a full list of configuration options that can be used in the development of remanufacturing business models for the Circular Economy. Configuration options are defined as key recurrent and common elements that are needed to setup a particular type of business model. A case study approach has been adopted to accomplish this aim. As a result, this study provides a case-based configuration of a generic remanufacturing business model for the Circular Economy. The full list of configuration options can be utilized to assist manufacturing companies in reshaping their value proposition, value delivery, value creation and value capture towards circularity based on remanufacturing
Circular Economy and the evolution of industrial districts: a supply chain perspective
No full textCircular Economy promises to achieve sustainability by decoupling economic growth from resource extraction and environmental losses. However, it requires a systemic change in the design of products, business models and supply chains. In this study the evolution of the supply chain structure and relationships is addressed in the specific context of industrial districts – i.e., agglomerations of small and medium-sized firms territorially concentrated and specialised in one or more phases of a production process – undergoing a transition to Circular Economy. Through the study of the textile industrial district in Prato (Italy), this study addresses two topics that have been limitedly investigated in the literature. First, the potential role of Circular Economy in revitalising an industrial district in a decline phase. Second, how supply chain structure and relationships should evolve in an industrial district transitioning to Circular Economy. This study outlines the causes triggering industrial districts decline and discusses the factors that can induce a Circular Economy based re-organisation of industrial districts. Consequently, we provide insight to managers on how to successfully couple Circular Economy and technological or business model innovations with supply chain management practices. We also provide indications to policymakers on how local and regional actors can support a Circular Economy driven reorganisation of industrial districts. Finally, this study links contributions concerned with the Circular Economy transition, supply chain structure and relationships and evolution trajectories of industrial districts, thus paving the way for a deeper understanding of the interplay among these phenomena
Assessing the readiness of manufacturing companies for the Circular Economy: an analysis and an initial proposal
No full textNowadays manufacturing companies are struggling with the transition towards a Circular Economy focused on sustainable production and consumption. The transition from linear business models to a Circular Economy is a great opportunity for industrial organizations to gain competitive advantage while decoupling economic growth from resource extraction and waste generation. However, manufacturing companies frequently fail in understanding where to start in approaching such a systemic transition, as fundamental changes are needed in the design of products, production processes, business models and supply chains. Moreover, scientific literature has only recently started to discuss Circular Economy extensively, still giving little support in understanding how it can be introduced in industrial organizations. To provide a first attempt into filling this gap, this paper proposes a model to assess the readiness of manufacturing companies for the Circular Economy paradigm. A review and a critical comparison of existing tools is carried out. Based on this review, a readiness assessment model is then proposed. The model provides an improved understanding of Circular Economy for manufacturing firms, supporting them in assessing their potential and giving insights on where to start to address such transition
Benefits and acceptance rate of Circular Economy alternatives: evidences from a user survey in the washing machine industry
No full textCircular Economy is gaining attention as a means to decouple economic growth from resource use. This
phenomenon is particularly relevant for the washing machine industry, where several Circular Economy alternatives
to the business-as-usual scenario – such as the purchasing of refurbished appliances or the use of pay-per-wash services
– may unlock environmental gains and economic benefits. To succeed, these alternatives should reach a high consensus
among users, who usually are not aware of the benefits achievable through Circular Economy solutions. Thus, the
purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it provides an estimation of the economic and environmental potential of
Circular Economy alternatives, against the current scenario, in terms of savings for users and avoided CO2 emissions.
Second, it aims to investigate users’ acceptance of such alternatives. To do so, this research develops a lifecycle model
to quantify the economic and environmental impacts in the current households setting and in two alternatives
(refurbishment and pay-per-use), considering different usage habits. Then, a user survey is designed to collect the main
data related to washing (such as number of washing cycle, washing machine capacity, energy efficiency class, etc.). Data
from Italian households are collected and used to feed the lifecycle model. Results show that pay-per-wash offering
allows reducing CO2 emissions, but performs worse than the business-as-usual scenario in terms of users’ costs. Thus,
a proper definition of pay-per-use fees is crucial in this regard. On the other hand, purchasing refurbished washing
machines allows achieving both environmental benefits and economic savings to users. Unfortunately, few users show
interest in considering such alternatives
Clustering the Research at the Intersection of Industry 4.0 Technologies, Environmental Sustainability and Circular Economy: Evidence from Literature and Future Research Directions
Full text linkDigital technologies may enable the adoption of Circular Economy models in production and consumption processes, thereby promoting environmental sustainability. Literature on these topics has grown exponentially over the last decades, focusing on the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and its implications for environmental sustainability or circularity. However, extant literature reviews failed to cover the vast amount of literature produced, since they either have a narrow scope or focus on a limited sample of articles. To fill this gap, a bibliometric literature review was carried out on a sample of 1002 scientific articles on Circular Economy, Industry 4.0 technologies, and environmental sustainability. Descriptive statistics are coupled with a cluster-based analysis to provide a comprehensive coverage of the broader subject matter. Eight research clusters have been identified, with two general clusters (linkages between Industry 4.0, Circular Economy, environmental sustainability) and six topic-specific clusters (Big Data analytics for supply chain circularity, circular and sustainable additive manufacturing, urban sustainability, sustainable circular and digital (re)manufacturing, blockchain and data integration for a sustainable Circular Economy, miscellaneous and sectorial applications). Clusters are discussed in terms of research themes, methodologies, technologies, and circular strategies. Finally, a research agenda is drafted, pointing out six cluster-specific and four more transversal research directions. Hence, this research offers a detailed and quantitative overview of the research landscape, helping researchers and managers in understanding past contributions, assessing current standings, and identifying future directions of the research at the intersection of Industry 4.0 technologies, environmental sustainability, and Circular Economy
A new framework for assessing circular economy scenarios in the washing machine industry
No full textAlthough the circular economy is usually indicated as a way to reconcile economic growth and
sustainability, circular economy business projects are not implemented on a large scale yet. Developing new methods
able to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits of circular economy scenarios can support
stakeholders to embrace this transition. This paper proposes and discusses the actions required for reshaping the
washing machine industry towards a more circular economy scenario. Thus, an overview of a new framework, based
on the results of a literature review, is provided. Albeit the research is only at its initial stage, the new framework
described in this paper can be used to support static simulation and what-if analysis. With the aim to provide an idea
about the order of magnitude of benefits gathered by a circular economy transition, the outcomes of some
preliminary computations are estimated and discussed. Results show that customers could benefit from an average
yearly saving of almost 30% of the current washing cost, while the country energy generation and water consumption
could be reduced of about 0.6% and 1% respectively. Although they are only preliminary, these results show how
such a model can contribute to reduce the uncertainty that typically characterize circular economy transitio
Digital technologies for the sustainability of circular manufacturing processes: a review
No full textDigital technologies have been recognized as a potential enabling factor for the implementation of circular economy in companies and organizations. They can support manufacturing companies in the redesign of products, processes, business models and supply chains according to the circular economy paradigm. For instance, the Internet of Things can be employed to monitor production data in a way to reduce materials scraps and increase the energy efficiency of production equipment. Big Data analytics can be used to transform product-in-use data into valuable knowledge to inform decision making, e.g. during the design phase of products to increase their modularity and ease disassembly. 3D printing may be adopted for enabling local and on-demand spare parts production for repair purposes. In general, these technologies can enable circularity and help in achieving sustainability benefits in different manufacturing and supply chain processes, ranging from product design to raw material acquisition, production, distribution, maintenance, reverse logistics and end-of-life. Despite an increasing interest on the application of digital technologies for the circular economy, the link between digital technologies, their implementation into different manufacturing and supply chain processes and the generation of sustainability benefits is still at a nascent stage of investigation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to shed light on how digital technologies can bring sustainability benefits through the application of different R-strategies at different manufacturing and supply chain processes. A systematic literature review is carried out for that purpose, and a final sample of 24 scientific articles has been analyzed. Selected papers have been classified according to (i.) digital technologies investigated; (ii.) circular economy strategies; and (iii.) manufacturing processes. Results have been used to structure a preliminary framework which highlights potential circular economy adoption paths to generate sustainability benefits at different manufacturing processes
Circular Economy in the Textile Industry: Evidence from the Prato District
No full textThe transition towards a Circular Economy is a topic of great concern for the textile and fashion industry, since such industry is one of the main polluting in the world. Although Circular Economy is now on the rise in the academia and on the policy agendas, this model is still underdeveloped in practice. Unlike polyester, wool has long been compatible with recycling processes, thus reducing environmental impact and contributing to closing the loop in a Circular Economy. In this context, the industrial district of Prato (Italy) has successfully established a woollen industry based on recycled wool since centuries. Thus, this paper presents three case studies of companies operating in the Prato district, to explore challenges and opportunities of Circular Economy in the textile industry. Design, legislation and competences emerged as the main challenges preventing the uptake, on a larger scale, of this model
The distribution planning process in a supply chain with multiple transportation strategies
No full textThis paper compares different approaches to solve the distribution planning process problem with
distribution strategy choice in supply chains, encompassing several production plants and several regional
warehouses that fulfill a set of retail customers with several references. The problem has been tackled considering
two different perspectives: the former is more empirical, providing a heuristic solution (Empirical model) of the
problem, while the latter is based on a mixed integer linear programming model (Analytical model). The paper
discusses the computational results obtained by applying the aforementioned approaches in terms of costs,
optimality gap and computational time to the food supply chain of an Italian subsidiary of a German group
encompassing 2 production plants located in Germany, 2 regional warehouses situated in Italy, that fulfill 200 retail
customers with 19 references. In addition to the computational results that provide a comparison among the solution
applied by the company (Rule of thumb), the Empirical model and the Analytical model, managerial insights are
underlined, in terms of applicability of the best approach within the specific company contex
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