Dear Colleagues,

For nearly two decades, we have seen a growing interest from policymakers in new environmental policies. In 2015, the European Union outlined an action plan that resulted in the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The specific aim is to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions (economic, social, and environmental) in an integrated and balanced way, but sustainable development must be integrated into all policy areas. We are currently witnessing major climate change events and, consequently, an increase in pressure on strategic resources. Thus, the circular economy proposes to leave the logic of “take, produce, consume, and discard”, converging toward an economic model that reduces environmental impacts and closes the flows of materials and energy. The implementation of the circular economy aims to transform European economies, creating new and sustainable competitive advantages. This new economic model necessarily leads to innovation to change current modes of production and consumption. Thus, it is urgent to 1) design in such a way as to prolong the service life of our products; 2) rethink the supply of raw materials, favoring short supply chains and recycled or reused materials; 3) conserve the value of goods, materials, and energy through remanufacturing and repairs; 4) change and reduce consumption to more collaborative and responsible ways; and 5) transform waste into new value-creating resources. In this context, there is a direct relationship between circular economy and innovation, as innovation can drive the transformation of economies toward a circular economy, and the circular economy can, in turn, stimulate eco-innovation and sustainable and responsible innovation. To bring new contributions to the sustainable socioeconomic development of countries and regions, this Special Issue on “Transitions and Convergences for Planetary Sustainability” invites articles on but not limited to the following topics:

• Sustainable resource management;
• Resource governance and policy;
• Circular economy;
• Sustainable and innovative business models;
• Circular marketing;
• Eco-innovation;
• Eco-design of products and processes;
• Product, process, organizational, commercial, and institutional circular innovations; • Circular economy at territorial level;
• Territorial experiences;
• Global value chain;
• National and regional public policies to support innovation in the circular economy;
• Regulatory and institutional innovations;
• Smart cities and Industry 4.0.

Dr. João M. Lopes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Resources is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainability
• resources
• innovation
• circular economy
• sustainable economy
• entrepreneurship