A By-product is a processing waste resulting from industrial processes, which is reused in another production process as a virgin raw material, but does not undergo any processing and recovery.
By-products, therefore, are those residues that do not fall within the management of company waste, in fact they can be used as raw material in a production chain also different from that from which the by-product was originated.
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Industrial symbiosis means the interaction between different industrial plants, grouped in districts or at a distance useful to make the operation feasible, used in order to maximize the reuse of resources, normally considered waste and optimizing knowledge and skills between companies.
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Creative Reuse (or Upcycling) is a practice that consists in transforming objects or waste materials into products of greater value and utility than their original state, with the aim of finding an alternative use to an object that can no longer meet its function for which it was created.
Unlike recycling, which involves breaking down materials and transforming them into new products, upcycling aims to reuse existing objects in a creative and innovative way.
Upcycling can be applied to different types of materials, including paper, plastic, textiles, metal and wood.
An example of Creative Reuse can be the reuse of pallets for home or urban furniture.
The term “market remittance” (or Re-marketing) refers to all strategies for the reintegration, in the market and in primary and secondary channels, of products that have undergone one or more processes related to the Circular Economy and must be resold.
Remanufacture is one of the strategies contained within the R-strategies framework.
The purpose of this action is to bring the product back to the original conditions of use, by replacing parts and components no longer usable product itself.
Refuse is one of the strategies contained within the R-strategies framework.
The purpose of this action is to avoid incorrect use of the product, reloading instead the same use with a different product.
An example of this is multifunctional products.
Reduce is one of the strategies contained within the R-strategies framework.
The objective of this action is to think about more efficient production or consumption methods, which imply less use of raw materials, processed materials and energy.
Refirbish is one of the strategies contained within the R-strategies framework.
The goal of this strategy is to restore the status of a product considered old, to a higher level of quality to meet specific needs.
Recycle is one of the strategies contained within the R-strategist framework.
The purpose of the actions related to recycling is to recover the value of the materials present in the product, which for various aspects such as regulatory or dysfunction, are destined to become waste and be disposed of.
The product as a service(PaaS) is a business model that consists in offering a product as a continuous service, rather than as a single purchase.
In this model, the consumer pays for access to the product (temporary ownership), rather than for possession of the product itself, offering greater flexibility and freedom of choice, without having to bear the costs and responsibilities associated with ownership of a product.
paas requires a change of mentality for both consumers and companies, who must get used to thinking of products as long-term services.
The 9 R principle is a practical guide to reducing waste and promoting environmental sustainability.
The 9 Rs refer to nine actions that can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of an activity or a product, with a view to circularity, and are: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Recycle and Recover.
The Blue Economy is a branch of the Green Economy, an economic model dedicated to the construction of a sustainable economic system through technological innovation.
The goal of the blue economy is to achieve zero carbon emissions.
The Blue Economy is based on innovation through the development of physical principles and the reuse of existing resources, for example, using scientific methods such as biomimicry.
The model was proposed by Gunter Pauli in the book: “The Blue Economy: 10 years, 100 Innovation, 100 Million jobs”.
Neomaterials are innovative materials derived from production processes that follow the principles of the Circular Economy.
There are 3 broad categories of neomaterials:
The Second Raw Material is a production waste, which, through specific recovery processes, is used in a production process equal to or different from the one that generated it.
In this context, Italy refers to the category called by-product.
The second raw material plays a crucial role in the Circular Economy, as it allows to reduce the dependence on virgin raw materials, allowing to reduce the environmental impact associated with the extraction of new raw materials and the production of products from scratch.
Through the recycling of existing materials, the second raw material allows to create a longer life cycle for products and to reduce the amount of waste destined for landfills.
Machine as a service (maas) is a business model where companies provide their customers with access to machines or equipment as a service, rather than selling the machines themselves.
It is an example of the more general product-as-a-service.
In this business model, the companies that provide the service are responsible for the purchase, maintenance and upgrade of the machines, while customers pay only for their actual use, without having to invest in their acquisition.
In this way, the companies that offer the service can provide high quality and updated machines, ensure greater flexibility and cost control for customers, and improve resource utilization, creating long-lasting relationships with customers.
Reverse logistics is the process of backward planning of material flows, from the point of consumption to the point of origin, in order to recover value or ensure proper disposal or recycling of products, materials or waste.
Unlike traditional logistics, which deals with the transport of products from the producer to the final consumer, reverse logistics manages the movement of used products, defective or no longer necessary from the point of end of life, for their recycling, repair and reuse.
In a circular economy, where products and materials are designed to be reused and recycled, reverse logistics allows the recovery of useful materials and products that would otherwise have been lost, creating new business and recycling opportunities.
Reverse logistics is a key element of environmental sustainability and can bring many benefits to the companies that implement it, including reducing costs and increasing efficiency, as well as creating a competitive advantage in the market.
The Indicators of Circularity are tools of different type and form useful to the companies in order to understand their degree of circularity to general level or the level of circularity of a determined action, product or service.
Some examples of these indicators are Circulytics and Material Circularity Indicator, both created by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
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The linear economy is a traditional economic model based on the use of natural and material resources to produce goods, which are then used and, at the end of their life cycle, disposed of as waste.
This model is characterized by a production logic “produce, consume, dispose of”, which does not take into account the environmental and social consequences of production activities.
This model generates a high amount of waste and pollution, aggravates resource scarcity problems and contributes to climate change.
The linear economy has been adopted globally for decades and has generated a number of negative impacts on the environment and society, including biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, climate change and resource scarcity.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the adoption of Circular Economy models, which provide for the recovery and reuse of resources, in order to reduce waste and promote environmental sustainability.
Performance-based economy is an economic model that combines business performance management with the adoption of circular practices.
The main objective is to maximize the economic and environmental value generated by business activities, reducing waste and promoting the recovery and reuse of resources.
Performance-based economy includes several practices, including:
The performance economy can be an opportunity for companies to improve their sustainability, generating economic and environmental value.
However, it is necessary that the practices adopted are actually circular and not just a greenwashing, and that they are supported by appropriate policies and regulations at national and international level.
The sharing economy is an economic model that is based on the sharing of goods and services between individuals, organizations and communities, through digital platforms and communication technologies.
The main objective of the sharing economy is to maximize the use of resources and reduce waste, favoring access to goods and services without the need to purchase ownership.
The sharing economy includes several activities and services, including:
L’economia della condivisione può rappresentare un’alternativa sostenibile al modello economico tradizionale, favorendo l’utilizzo delle risorse esistenti e riducendo gli sprechi.
The Green Deal is a comprehensive plan proposed by the European Union (EU) to tackle climate change and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The main goal of the Green Deal is to transform the EU’s economy to a sustainable, low-carbon, and circular economy that will benefit both the environment and society.
The Green Deal focuses on several key areas, including:
The Green Deal is a significant and ambitious initiative that requires a collective effort from all EU Member States, businesses, and citizens to achieve its goals.
The end of life of a product refers to the phase in which a product has reached the end of its useful life and is disposed of or recycled.
In Linear Cycle systems, this moment coincides with the disposal of the product itself, while in the Circular Economy, waste is not seen as waste, but as a new input that re-enters the economic-productive circle, creating a closed system, where the scrap is the secondary raw material.
To improve end-of-life product management, many countries have introduced laws and regulations that require companies to manage their products sustainably.
This includes extended producer responsibility (EPR), which requires manufacturers to take responsibility for the management of their end-of-life products, including the collection, recycling and appropriate disposal of products.
In addition, the circular economy encourages the adoption of business models based on the provision of services rather than the sale of products.
In this way, the company takes charge of product management at the end of life, promoting repair, reuse or recycling, and can create new job opportunities and innovation.
Product life extension is a concept that refers to a product’s ability to last longer than normal, while maintaining its functionality and features.
Product life extension is a key concept of the circular economy, which aims to reduce the consumption of natural resources and minimize waste production through the use of sustainable production and consumption models.
In a circular economy, product life extension is seen as a solution to counteract the pattern of over-consumption and waste generation.
It can be achieved through the adoption of strategies such as repair, reuse and recycling, such as maintaining the value of existing materials and products, reducing the need to produce new materials and products and reducing the amount of waste.
There are several economic advantages, including the creation of new jobs in the repair and maintenance sector, the saving on production costs through the use of recycled materials and the creation of new markets for regenerated and repaired products, as well as greater customer satisfaction, since durable and high quality products can offer better value for money and can meet the needs of consumers for longer periods of time.
Eco-efficiency is that process or set of processes that leads to the realisation of a product (understood as a physical product or service) trying to have the lowest possible environmental impact, starting from the abstraction of the raw material to the consumption and disposal of the object.
Although, Eco-efficiency improves resource productivity, it remains locked into the current production and consumption model and, in essence, makes the current linear model less negative.
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Eco-efficacy is used as a yardstick to assess the ability of a process or processes to achieve its objectives, while keeping its impacts and consequences on the ecosystems involved under control during the entire product life cycle.
The purpose of this tool is to create new solutions designed to be environmentally sound, so that human activity can have an impact that is good for the world.
Ecodesign (or sustainable design/engineering) is an economic model that involves the entire process of conception, design, sale on the market and disposal of an environmentally friendly product by reducing the negative impact it could have on the ecosystem to a minimum.
Consequently, the materials chosen must be sustainable and recyclable with the utmost respect for the environment and primary resources.
“From the Cradle to the Gate” refers to the phase also present in LCA analysis, i.e. the life cycle analysis of the product, which starts from the extraction of virgin raw materials until the product leaves the factory.
This phase of the LCA is crucial not only to correctly construct the sustainability profile of a product but also to identify potential waste and opportunities for optimisation and savings.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, founded in 2010 by Ellen MacArthur, is an international organisation that is a point of reference on issues such as sustainability and the circular economy.
Headquartered in the UK, it now works with major brands and organisations to accelerate the transition to a greener, circular economy by building partnerships and organising initiatives to raise community awareness on these issues.
L’economia circolare è un modello economico che prevede un sistema di produzione e consumo che implica la condivisione, il prestito, il riutilizzo, la riparazione, il ricondizionamento e il riciclo dei materiali e prodotti esistenti il più a lungo possibile. In questo modo si estende il ciclo di vita dei prodotti, contribuendo a ridurre i rifiuti al minimo, puntando piuttosto alla performance dei prodotti e dei sistemi.
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I principi dell’economia circolare sono un cambio di paradigma con il tradizionale modello economico lineare, fondato sullo schema “estrarre, produrre, utilizzare e gettare”. Il modello economico tradizionale dipende dalla disponibilità di grandi quantità di materiali e energia facilmente reperibili e a basso prezzo.
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