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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to From closed to open systems
ClearReconciling Waste Management and Ecological Economics
Researchers examined how the concept of the "circular economy" — designing products and systems to minimize waste — fits within ecological economics, which emphasizes physical limits like energy and material flows. The chapter argues that effective waste management policies, such as landfill taxes, extended producer responsibility, and deposit-refund schemes, must align environmental costs with economic incentives to achieve meaningful sustainability gains.
Redefining Ecological Engineering in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development
This conceptual paper proposed a redefined framework for ecological engineering grounded in circular economy principles, arguing that engineering interventions in natural systems should aim to close material loops and enhance ecosystem services rather than simply solving pollution problems after the fact.
A systems thinking approach to understanding the challenges of achieving the circular economy
This paper used a systems thinking approach to identify the challenges blocking implementation of circular economy principles, going beyond the commonly discussed benefits to analyze the structural and societal barriers. It found that complex interdependencies between economic actors, infrastructure, regulation, and consumer behavior collectively obstruct circular economy transitions.
The ǂcircular economy
This review examines the circular economy framework through the lens of systems theory, critically analyzing the standard 'butterfly diagram' model and identifying unresolved tensions between economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The authors propose an expanded concept of an 'economic pluriverse' nested within broader social and ecological systems to better capture the complexity of circular supply chains.
Towards a circular economy that begins and ends in nature
This policy paper argues that a truly circular economy must be designed with nature in mind, ensuring that economic activity restores rather than degrades biodiversity, including addressing plastic pollution as a key concern.
The Circular Economy: The Butterfly Diagram, Systems Theory and the Economic Pluriverse
This paper is not directly about microplastics — it is a theoretical analysis of the circular economy through the lens of systems theory, examining how supply chains, biological nutrients, and resilience principles connect economics and sustainability policy.
Redefining Water Treatment: Identification of WWTPs as an Earth System Problem and Circular Economic Eco-Bog System to Challenge It
This paper argues that wastewater treatment plants should be reconceptualized as Earth system problems rather than isolated infrastructure, because the daily discharge of microplastics and other contaminants creates complex, poorly understood ecological effects at a planetary scale.
Systemic Change: The Complexity of Business in a Circular Economy
This paper examines the complexity of transitioning businesses to a circular economy model, focusing on the systemic changes needed to replace the linear take-make-dispose approach. Circular business models that keep plastics in use longer and out of the environment are fundamental to reducing microplastic pollution at its source.
Ecological resource availability: a method to estimate resource budgets for a sustainable economy
This paper presents a method for translating ecological limits into quantifiable resource budgets that economies can use to guide sustainable resource use. It addresses broad sustainability principles and does not focus on microplastics specifically.
A Circular Economy: Where Will It Take Us?
This review critically examines the circular economy — a model that aims to eliminate waste by keeping materials in use — questioning whether it reliably delivers environmental and social benefits. The author argues that while circular economy approaches can be good for business, definitive evidence that they reduce resource extraction and improve social equity is still lacking.
Strategies for efficient management of microplastics to achieve life cycle assessment and circular economy
This review examines strategies for managing microplastic waste through a circular economy and life cycle assessment (LCA) lens, arguing that current recycling practices and waste disposal methods are inadequate given the sheer volume of plastics entering ecosystems. The authors propose a conceptual framework integrating LCA principles into microplastic management to better quantify ecological risks and guide more sustainable plastic use policies.
System innovation and life cycle thinking in packaging value chain: the circularity of plastics.
This paper examines the role of circular economy principles in reducing plastic packaging waste, noting that despite existing recycling systems, plastics remain pervasive environmental contaminants. The authors argue that redesigning packaging systems for recyclability and reducing over-packaging are essential steps to address microplastic pollution at its source.
From the Ecological Crisis of the Anthropocene to the Ecological Transition
This philosophical and scientific paper frames the current environmental crisis as an Anthropocene crisis involving not just climate change but the destabilization of the entire Earth system, including plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. The author argues that ecological transition requires systemic change in human-nature relationships.
Circular economy, bioeconomy, and sustainable development goals: a systematic literature review
Researchers conducted a systematic review of 649 studies examining how circular economy and bioeconomy concepts contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They found that while these approaches show promise for addressing environmental challenges including plastic waste, most research has focused on a limited set of goals and lacks empirical data. The study identifies key research gaps, including the need for more studies on economic and social impacts in developing countries.
A New Philosophy for Sustainable Consumerism
This article discusses the challenge of reconciling sustainability goals with growth-based economies, using microplastic entry into the food chain as one example of the environmental costs of current consumption patterns. The author proposes a theoretical framework for enabling economic growth while maintaining long-term planetary health.
Through COVID-19 – A Systems Perspective: from Square to Circular Systems
This essay frames COVID-19 as a systemic problem arising from linear, extractive economic systems that are incompatible with the circular patterns of natural ecosystems. It is a systems thinking perspective paper not focused on microplastics.
Circularity in Practice: Review of Main Current Approaches and Strategic Propositions for an Efficient Circular Economy of Materials
This review proposes a structured framework for classifying circular economy strategies — including reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and biological cycles — and evaluates their current adoption and barriers to scaling toward genuinely circular material flows.
More Than a Numbers Game: Accounting for Circular Economy Performance in Collaborative initiatives in Cities
This PhD thesis examines how circular economy performance is managed and accounted for within cross-sector collaborative initiatives in cities, exploring how diverse stakeholders with conflicting interests navigate shared goals for sustainability and resource decoupling.
Foundational guiding principles for a flourishing Earth system
This perspectives article argues that global sustainability challenges stem from humanity's systemic impact on the Earth System, compounded by fragmented development policies. The authors propose four foundational guiding principles to help align human activities with the conditions needed for a flourishing planet. The study suggests that a more coherent, systems-based approach to sustainable development policy is urgently needed.
Circular Plastics Economy: Redesigning Technology and Reimagining Society
This book examines the concept of a circular plastics economy, arguing that technical redesign of materials must be paired with societal transformation to address plastic waste at scale. The authors critique current approaches and propose a more integrated vision combining innovation with behavioral and governance change.
Upcycling Systems Design, Developing a Methodology through Design
This paper proposes a new methodology for upcycling systems design that bridges circular economy business models with sustainable material innovation, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of products by integrating ecological considerations early in the design process.
Technology cannot fix this: To stay within planetary boundaries, plastic growth must be tackled
Researchers argue in response to Bachmann et al. that technological solutions alone cannot address plastics pollution within planetary boundaries, contending that the full lifecycle of plastics — from resource extraction to earth system process impacts — must be considered and that plastic growth itself must be curtailed.
European environment policy for the circular economy: Implications for business and industry stakeholders
This review evaluates recent European Union circular economy policies and their implications for businesses seeking to reduce environmental impact through sustainable production and supply chain practices. It identifies both opportunities and challenges for companies attempting to implement circular economy principles in compliance with new EU environmental directives.
Removing barriers to plastic waste valorisation in Africa: Towards policies for value creation and capture in business ecosystems
This review examines the barriers preventing plastic waste valorisation in Africa and analyses why policy interventions have not yet led to substantial value creation and capture within low-income country business ecosystems. The authors propose policy frameworks targeted at stimulating circular economy approaches to plastic waste that account for the specific economic and institutional contexts of African markets.