Circular Economy

Waste Manag Res. 2026 Mar;44(3):233-236. doi: 10.1177/0734242X251413170. Epub 2026 Feb 28.

ABSTRACT

The global environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation and pollution and waste, undermine current and future socio-economic development and stability of natural systems. With the seventh edition of its flagship assessment Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), the United Nations Environment Programme has presented a solutions-oriented assessment to address the global environmental crises through the intertwined transformations of five key systems, namely the economic and financial, materials/waste, energy, food and environment systems. Embracing the concept of circularity achieves impactful synergies across the systems and contributes to overcoming inefficient and wasteful use of resources. While circularity as a key principle is integrated in the whole report, one of the chapters looks explicitly at solution pathways for transformation towards circularity and proposes 36 actions, structured into five solution pathways. Most importantly, a focus on the following is needed to make the solution pathways actionable: (1) Designing out waste from production and consumption (e.g. in energy, food and water systems); (2) shifting investments to deliver circularity in the economy, production and consumption; (3) developing effective markets for secondary materials; (4) creating a transparent global trade system for circular goods and services; (5) inclusive societal transformation towards sustainable lifestyles.

PMID:41764077 | DOI:10.1177/0734242X251413170

Food Res Int. 2026 Apr 1;229:118446. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118446. Epub 2026 Jan 20.

ABSTRACT

The Mediterranean agri-food sector represents a model of millennial evolution, with a deep connection to lifestyle and a unique biodiversity of edible resources, renowned for its ability to combine well-being, health, and resilience. This reference, in terms of production and consumption, is currently facing growing challenges: evolving lifestyles, global economic changes, pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity. In this context, the sustainable transition of food systems represents a priority to facilitate change, ensuring producers and consumers can adhere to a dietary and lifestyle pattern traditionally observed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea ('Mediterranean' style). This review examines the diversity of food production, the complexity of spoilage mechanisms, and the evolution of packaging strategies to identify critical case studies in the Mediterranean region, advancing frontier research in packaging technology and supporting the development of innovative, waste-reducing solutions. In this review article, five food categories (fruit and vegetables, seafood, dairy, bread, and meat) were selected based on their relevance to Mediterranean systems and the diversity of issues, providing a comparative insight into spoilage mechanisms and storage requirements. The selection of a limited number of representative food case studies is essential to ensure consistency, reproducibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in a complex context like the Mediterranean. This review encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary research and a positive interaction among sustainable packaging innovation, the valorisation of microbial resources, and targeted spoilage management. These strategies are crucial to reducing food waste & loss, supporting the principles of a circular economy, and preserving the potential of Mediterranean agri-food production and consumption systems.

PMID:41763774 | DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118446

Environ Res. 2026 Feb 26:124098. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2026.124098. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Low-carbon processing, efficient resource recovery, and recycling of waste wind turbine blades (WWTB) are significant sustainability challenges for the wind power industry. This study systematically investigated the impacts of acetic acid pretreatments on pyrolytic degradation, products, and kinetics of WWTB composites via complementary analyses of thermogravimetry-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and pyrolysis-GC/MS. Acetic acid swelling of WWTB at 70 °C for 2 h with oven-drying at 65 °C (Dry-WWTB) significantly improved the epoxy resin degradation rate by 10%. The thermal degradation mechanism shifted from a three-dimensional diffusion model (WWTB) to a two-dimensional diffusion model (Dry-WWTB), accelerated the diffusion rate, and reduced the apparent activation energy from 269.85 kJ/mol (WWTB) to 214.92 kJ/mol (Dry-WWTB). Swelling disrupted the epoxy resin network, increasing the accessibility of C-O-C bonds. As evidenced by a reduced yield of CO₂, this structural alteration promoted selective decomposition pathways during pyrolysis. The pretreatment significantly enhanced the recovery of valuable chemical feedstocks. Specifically, the relative content of bisphenol A, quantified by normalizing its chromatographic peak area to the total area of identified volatiles, increased from 37.55% to 58.73%. Optimization of an artificial neural network model indicated Dry-WWTB as the optimal pretreatment. The findings provide a robust foundation for developing more efficient, low-carbon resource recovery strategies to support a circular economy within the wind power sector.

PMID:41763469 | DOI:10.1016/j.envres.2026.124098

J Environ Manage. 2026 Feb 26;402:129110. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129110. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Recycling is the foundation of the European Union's circular economy strategy. However, significant disparities persist among the EU member states. This study examines how economic, financial, and regulatory factors influence recycling performance across the European Union. Using the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), the study evaluates the effects of circular innovation, private investment, environmental taxation, trade in recyclable materials, and financial institutional efficiency on recycling rates. The results reveal circular innovation to yield greater returns in advanced economies, whereas investment and financial development are more effective in smaller-capacity municipalities. Environmental taxation enhances recycling outcomes, while trade in recyclables mitigates short-term constraints but risks externalizing circular practices. The findings underscore the differentiated impacts of policy tools across contexts and provide empirical evidence to inform the design of adaptive, integrated policy frameworks that strengthen recycling performance and support the European Union's circular economy objectives.

PMID:41762499 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129110

Waste Manag. 2026 Feb 26;215:115417. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2026.115417. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

As global industries increasingly prioritize sustainability, recycling polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) has become critical for reducing waste and promoting a circular economy. This study investigates the feasibility of producing side-by-side bi-component filaments using virgin polyethylene terephthalate (V-PET) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) through melt spinning. The structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of filaments with different V-PET/R-PET ratios were evaluated using optical microscope, FT-IR, DSC, TGA, XRD, and tensile testing. Optical microscopy images confirmed the presence of two continuous and distinct polymer domains in the side-by-side filaments, FT-IR analysis confirmed the preservation of the PET chemical backbone after recycling and bi-component processing. XRD and DSC results revealed a slight increase in crystallinity from approximately 32% for 100% V-PET to 34% for filaments containing 70% R-PET, while thermal decomposition temperatures remained stable at around 443 °C. Mechanical testing showed comparable tensile strength and modulus across compositions. The use of a conventional side-by-side melt spinning configuration demonstrates that the proposed approach is readily scalable using existing industrial fiber-spinning infrastructure, offering a practical pathway for incorporating R-PET into high-performance filament applications.

PMID:41762516 | DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2026.115417

J Environ Manage. 2026 Feb 27;402:129112. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129112. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the economic and environmental performance of a microalgae-based process for pig manure treatment using thin-layer reactors within the framework of the circular bioeconomy. The system was tested at pilot scale for one year, achieving consistent nutrient recovery and biomass production. Results show that the process removes on average 86% of nitrogen and 80% of phosphorus, equivalent to recovery rates of 2.0 g N/m²/day and 0.33 g P/m²/day, thereby reducing nitrate pollution and eutrophication risks. When scaled to a 1-ha facility, the model achieves an annual productivity of 109,500 kg of biomass, produced from 15 m³ of slurry per day, with a unit operating cost of €2.35/kg. This biomass can be transformed into biofertilizers and biostimulants, directly substituting chemical inputs and contributing to soil health and emission reduction. A techno-economic analysis demonstrated profitability under multiple market conditions, with a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of up to €2.4 million over 15 years, and a break-even point of only 39,000 kg in year one, highlighting economic resilience. Environmentally, the model provides significant climate benefits by reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional manure management and by recycling nutrients into productive agricultural applications. This research demonstrates that microalgae-based pig manure treatment offers a viable and scalable solution for sustainable agriculture and waste valorization. By simultaneously addressing nutrient recovery, greenhouse gas mitigation, and economic feasibility, the system aligns with circular economy principles and provides a competitive alternative to energy-intensive conventional practices.

PMID:41763049 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129112

J Environ Manage. 2026 Feb 26;402:129111. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129111. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Municipal waste generation exceeds 2 billion tons annually and is projected to rise 56% by 2050, intensifying environmental and resource recovery challenges. Even in countries with an advanced infrastructure like Germany, household waste sorting errors persist, undermining recycling efficiency. This study applies the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework to examine behavioral drivers of sorting accuracy and to assess the effect of an information intervention. In a mixed-design field experiment with 102 households across socioeconomically diverse districts in Stuttgart, waste composition was measured before and after distributing an environmental flyer to the intervention group. Regression analyses revealed that structural factors-particularly limited access to collection points, system-inherent barriers, and knowledge-related barriers-significantly predicted sorting errors, while motivational variables had surprisingly no effect on sorting accuracy. The flyer intervention reduced errors across both socioeconomic groups, with flyer households showing a 69.7% reduction compared to 28.8% in the control group. Findings underscore the importance of addressing infrastructural and cognitive constraints alongside informational tools to improve waste separation systems. Well-designed flyers offer a cost-effective, scalable strategy to promote sustainable behavior, enhance recycling quality, and advance circular economy goals.

PMID:41762495 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129111

Sci Data. 2026 Feb 27. doi: 10.1038/s41597-026-06903-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

China is the world's largest consumer of bulk materials, and the accumulation of material stocks and flows plays a critical role in shaping its socioeconomic metabolism and environmental sustainability. Detailed and up-to-date provincial-level data on material stocks and flows are therefore essential for understanding resource use and supporting regional sustainability transitions. This study presents the most recent update of the Provincial Material Stocks and Flows Database (PMSFD), extending our previous dataset for 1978-2018 to cover the years 1978-2023. The PMSFD provides consistent time-series data for 31 provinces and 13 bulk material categories across five key end-use sectors, compiled using a bottom-up material flow analysis framework that integrates official statistics and standardized estimation methods. Compared with the earlier version, the updated PMSFD captures the recent slowdown in material accumulation and reveals the regional heterogeneity. The data can be applied to studies on material metabolism, resource efficiency, circular economy strategies, and embodied carbon emissions accounting, as well as to inform regional and national sustainability policymaking in China.

PMID:41760679 | DOI:10.1038/s41597-026-06903-2

Bioresour Technol. 2026 Feb 25;448:134289. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2026.134289. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated a pilot-scale hybrid constructed wetland designed to treat urban runoff, residual wastewater, and combined sewer overflows discharging into Sebkha Sijoumi (Tunis, Tunisia), during both summer and winter seasons. In summer, the system achieved > 80% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, maintaining a stable effluent of ∼40 mg/L at an 18-h hydraulic retention time (HRT), whereas winter operation required an HRT of 48 h. Ammonium removal ranged from 50 to 100%, consistent with active nitrification-denitrification processes. In winter effluents, aluminum, selected long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and ofloxacin were below detection limits, whereas diclofenac, bisphenol A, and short-chain perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) showed limited removal. Life cycle assessment indicated that the construction phase dominated environmental impacts, while operational emissions and water consumption were 97% lower than those of conventional treatment processes. Despite higher capital costs (1.76 €/m³; ≈US$1.90/m³), negligible operating costs (0.0023 €/m³; ≈US$0.0025/m³) suggest long-term economic benefits. These results highlight the potential of nature-based solutions for sustainable urban runoff management.

PMID:41759979 | DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2026.134289