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Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 8816

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hsiao-Tien Pao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Business and Management, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Interests: circular economy-environment-economy nexus; data analysis; model building; energy-environment-economy nexus

Dr. Chun-Chih Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of International Business, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taichung City, Taiwan
Interests: circular economy- environment-economy nexus; energy-environment-economy nexus; machine learning; e-commerce

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The circular economy concept aims to reshape our economic systems in an environmentally friendly way, based on the principles from Cradle-to-Cradle. In this circular economy, products are recycled without waste, and all products should be easily broken down into different components that can be used to create new products or systems. The 2021 Circularity Gap Report (CGR 2021) shows that our world is becoming less circular: global circularity wilted from 9.1% in 2018 to 8.6% in 2020. The report notes that large-scale unsustainable impacts, processes, and behaviours are taking place in our ongoing linear economy, with only 12% of secondary materials and resources being brought back into the economy. This results in the generation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from resource extraction to end use, accounting for approximately 70% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Adopting a circular strategy is expected to reduce global GHG emissions and raw material use by 39% and 28%, respectively, and generate economic benefits of up to USD 4.5 trillion by 2030 (World Economic Forum 2019). The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, pollution, and biocapacity deficit. Therefore, actively promoting a circular economy is seen as a key way to achieve both resource decoupling and impact decoupling. These two types of decoupling are key imperatives for sustainable development. This Special Issue aims to understand the nexus between the circular economy, economic growth and environmental sustainability (Chen and Pao, 2022, Pao and Chen, 2022).

In 2018, the European Commission proposed four aspects to measure progress in resource use and circular economy: production and consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials and competitiveness and innovation. Each aspect presents some quantitative and qualitative indicators related to the circular economy, such as resource productivity and municipal waste generation per capita in aspects of production and consumption; the recycling rate of municipal waste, bio-waste, e-waste, and packaging waste in the waste management aspect; trade in recyclable raw materials and the circularity rate in the secondary raw materials aspect; and CE-related private investment and recycling-related patents in the competitiveness and innovation aspect. These indicators are useful to study the relation and development between circular economies, linear economies, and the environment.

Dr. Hsiao-Tien Pao
Dr. Chun-Chih Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Keywords

circular economy
environment
economy
cradle to cradle
sustainability

Published Papers (7 papers)

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26 pages, 2216 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Consumer Acceptance of Circular Housing from the Perspective of SOR Theory

by Chun-Chih Chen, Chi-Hui Lai, Nai-Ren Guo and Shu-Ming Wu

Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3268; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083268 - 14 Apr 2024

Viewed by 398

Abstract

The reconstruction of residences has led to an increase in the use of single-use materials in the construction industry. In the context of the circular economy, with the implementation of circular housing from a cradle-to-cradle perspective, the field of housing construction is changing rapidly. Innovation and sharing improve the consumer experience and increase consumers’ purchase intention. This research integrates design attributes, sharing attributes, perceived value, and affective value to study the impact of circular housing on acceptance and identification. The framework of SOR theory framework is used to analyze the predictive factors of consumer intention. The results emphasize that emotional responses in terms of affective value, perceived value, and social equity are the most prominent. This research also utilizes the KJ method. The research methods include a literature review, field observations, expert interviews, questionnaire surveys, and triangulation validation. Moreover, this research uses PLS-SEM to analyze the data of 568 participants. The structural analysis shows that consumers’ acceptance and identification of circular housing are strongly influenced by social equity. A total of 16 out of 17 hypotheses are established, with eight partial mediating effects, including the mediating role of social equity. Perceived value is found to affect consumers’ cognition and attitudes Perceived value and design attributes, as well as these factors combined, influence consumer acceptance and identification. This research provides strategies to enhance the design of circular housing and promote its development. This research explores the relationship between consumers’ acceptance and identification of circular design and the development of circular housing. It first establishes a structural model based on the SOR theory. Adding the mental map of interview results to the model, the results of this research analyzes the design attribute value, and the SEM-PLS analysis influences highlights the identification and acceptance of circular housing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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15 pages, 644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Higher Education Students’ Environmental Awareness and Environmental Concern in the Purchase Intention of Circular Economy Products

by Chang-Ho Yang, Mei-Chen Chuang and Der-Fa Chen

Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1979; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051979 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 820

Abstract

A circular economy is a concept of sustainable development that enhances a company’s image and influences consumers’ attitudes toward the corporation. Trust, commitment, and identification in relationship marketing are key factors for fostering long-term relationships. This study aimed to examine the relationship quality and attitudes between higher education students’ personal environmental perspectives and circular economy products, further investigating their impact on the purchase intention of circular economy products. Therefore, this research proposed and tested a theoretical framework that combined variables, including environmental concern, environmental awareness, relationship quality with circular economy products, and attitudes, to determine the influencing factors on higher education students’ purchase intention of circular economy products. This study adopted a survey design method and employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 443 higher education students from Taiwan and Thailand. The results indicated that environmental awareness and environmental concern are critical antecedent factors for attitude and relationship quality (trust and identification) in circular economy products. In addition, trust and attitude in circular economy products have a significant impact on commitment. Furthermore, trust, commitment, and identification with circular economy products are crucial determining factors for the purchase intention of circular economy products. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing higher education students’ purchase intention of circular economy products, thereby achieving the goal of environmental sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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0 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Sustainable Supply Chain Management on Procurement Environmental Performance: A Perspective on Resource Dependence Theory

by Chi Chiang and Mei-Chen Chuang

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020586 - 09 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1337 | Correction

Abstract

To reduce medical waste, attention must be paid to the environmental friendliness of products during procurement. Thus, environmental awareness among hospital procurement personnel is crucial. Sustainable development, which effectively utilizes limited external resources, is the common goal of hospitals and suppliers. This study aims to establish a research framework that combines the theories of resource dependence and environmental relationship quality, incorporating environmental factors, subjective environmental norms, and perceived environmental values. Whether the environmental awareness of hospital procurement personnel is related to the quality of supplier relationships was investigated using a questionnaire survey method with hospital procurement personnel as the subjects. A total of 443 valid questionnaires were collected, and structural equation modeling was used to verify the hypotheses. The results show that (1) substitutability and uncertainty have a positive and significant effect on environmental relationship quality; (2) environmental subjective norms have a positive and significant effect on environmental relationship quality; (3) importance and perceived environmental value have a positive and significant effect on environmental commitment; (4) environmental relationship quality has a positive and significant effect on environmental performance. These results provide a reference for the promotion of relevant policies, education, and training in medical institutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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0 pages, 624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of the Circular Economy in Fostering Sustainable Economic Growth in the GCC

by Jawaher Binsuwadan, Ghadda Yousif, Hiyam Abdulrahim and Hind Alofaysan

Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15926; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215926 - 14 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1080

Abstract

Adopting a circular economy (CE) can play a role in achieving economic sustainability for all countries. Material and production waste must be recycled to make better use of limited resources. Developments in the CE need to transition linear economies into circular ones. Although the CE has a role in reaching economic sustainability, few studies have investigated the effect of transitioning to a CE in emerging economies. Thus, it is critical to examine the effect of circular economic influences on economic growth. This paper analyses particular indicators of the CE in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The analysis employs econometric techniques such as unit root tests, random-effect models, and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to examine different components, including environmental, social, and economic. Panel data are used to determine the dependency of circular economic factors on economic growth in GCC countries. The data was collected from the World Bank database covering the years 2000 to 2020. The paper is based on the analysis of the CE filed in GCC countries and intends to contribute to the studies in the field. The results gained from the GCC situation are valuable for both emerging and developing countries looking to include sustainable development measures in their policies and regulations. The findings highlight the importance of the CE to sustainability within GCC countries. This investigation of CE indicators based on the results of the economic model contributes to the empirical literature on the transition to a CE in emerging and developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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16 pages, 2842 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing the Substitution of Nuclear Energy or Renewable Energy for Fossil Fuels between the United States and Africa

by Bi-Huei Tsai and Yao-Min Huang

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10076; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310076 - 26 Jun 2023

Viewed by 2047

Abstract

This study explores the differences in energy consumption between the highly economically developed United States and economically underdeveloped Africa. This study conducted the parameter estimation and equilibrium analysis of a Lotka–Volterra model to investigate the short-term and long-term relations of different types of energy, respectively. The parameter estimation results show that nuclear energy consumption increases the consumption of fossil fuels in the United States but decreases fossil fuel consumption in Africa. This implies that Africa can replace fossil fuels with nuclear energy in the short run. Given the current state of energy consumption, the results of the equilibrium analysis indicate that the United States’ nuclear and fossil fuel consumption will reach a stable long-term equilibrium. However, Africa will experience significant fluctuations in nuclear and fossil fuel consumption, and both nuclear and fossil fuel consumption will eventually be depleted. The highly economically developed United States arranges energy consumption in an environmentally friendly way and reshapes economies to achieve sustainability, so its long-term energy consumption is more stable than economically underdeveloped Africa. Accuracy analysis results show that the nuclear or renewable energy consumption predicted by the Lotka–Volterra model is more accurate than that of a Bass model since the Lotka–Volterra model considers energy interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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18 pages, 1277 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Relationship between Economic Growth, Institutional Environment and Sulphur Dioxide Emissions

by Xiaohua Hou, Bo Cheng, Zhiliang Xia, Haijun Zhou, Qi Shen, Yanjie Lu, Ehsan Nazemi and Guodao Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4678; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054678 - 06 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1600

Abstract

In order to promote ecological sustainability, the issue of sulphur dioxide emissions is of increasing interest to researchers. Majority of the current research, however, focuses on the relationship between sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions, foreign direct investment (FDI), and trade, as well as the effects of trade on SO₂ emissions, thus rarely takes it into account that the greater impact of the institutional environment and economic growth on SO₂ emissions. Using the 2008–2017 provincial panel data, this paper uses a fixed effects model to empirically test the institutional environment and economic growth of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions. The results show that GDP growth and SO₂ emissions had an inverted “U”-shaped relationship. The institutional environment and the higher level of government intervention in the region led to SO₂ emissions decreasing significantly, and the institutional environment and the level of government intervention on economic growth and SO₂ emissions form a negative regulatory role. In this paper, environmental governance research, specified by the regional environmental governance, and government environmental performance audit policy provide empirical evidence, thus promoting sustainable ecological and environmental development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relation and Development between Circular Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability)

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