The global industrial economy is still predominantly linear, working according to the take-make-waste principle. This has affected the planet to a concerning amount, which is why the European Union signed the Paris Agreement, committing to a 1,5 to 2 degree scenario of global warming. In order to achieve …

A rise in global population and welfare is depleting the earth’s resources and challenging the current predominantly linear economy, following a take-make-waste pattern, calling upon a shift towards a more circular economy (Bastein and Willems, 2019; Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013; Lüdeke-Freund et …

Plastic is one of the most popular materials used in products, but it also leaves the earth to deal with a major environmental issue, namely plastic pollution. The oceans in particular are filled with plastic waste, which harms biodiversity and ecosystems. It also negatively impacts countries and their …

There is increasing evidence that humans are not living sustainably. There are three major drivers of the unsustainable approach: population, consumption and the growth economy. There is widespread denial about these issues, but they clearly need to be addressed if we are to achieve any of the possible …

The urgency for developing a circular economy is growing, and more and more companies and organisations are concerned with the importance of adapting their business to fit a changing economy. However, many analyses on the circular economy are still rather abstract and there is a lack of understanding …

Since the early work on defining and analyzing resilience in domains such as engineering, ecology and psychology, the concept has gained significant traction in many fields of research and practice. It has also become a very powerful justification for various policy goals in the water sector, evident …

Anthropocentrism is the belief that value is human-centered and that all other beings are means to human ends. The Oxford English Dictionary defines anthropocentrism as “regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence”. Anthropocentrism focuses on humanistic values as opposed …

Closed loop or ‘circular’ production systems known as Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle represent a unique opportunity to radically revise the currently wasteful system of production. One of the challenges of such systems is that circular products need to be both produced locally with minimum environmental …

Over the last years, it has become clear that societies need to increase the adoptionrate of circular economy principles. Even though the number of circular products, services andbuilding projects is increasing, innovators obviously experience obstacles in their quest towardsa more circular economy. …