The global population continues to grow, which expands demand for raw materials. Meanwhile, governments are developing circular economy strategies within cities and their industries. A circular economy utilizes refurbishing, reusing, remanufacturing, and repairing of products and materials. For companies, this involves to set targets and to rethink their supply chain. This paper seeks to model an exhaustive multi-echelon closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network. This network functions within uncertainty, and the model optimizes three different objectives. The first objective function maximizes the network's profit; the second objective function minimizes network emissions. The last objective function maximizes job positions created by the network. Optimizing three contradicting objectives is a problem, so an augmented epsilon constraint method is applied to improve the model. Given the rise of fast fashion in developed countries, this model is used in the clothing industry in Montreal, Canada. The model includes three scenarios over five years with two types of products. The result shows the attractiveness of such a network for companies looking for profit, sustainability, and entrepreneurship in the garment industry.
The concept of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) has emerged as a promising approach to achieving sustainable urban development. PEDs aim to balance the energy demand and supply within a district while reducing the carbon footprint and promoting renewable energy sources. Urban–Industrial Symbiosis (UIS) is another approach that involves the exchange of energy and resources between industrial processes and nearby urban areas to increase efficiency and reduce waste. Combining the concepts of PED and UIS can create self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient districts. As the analysis and implementation of such systems are barely studied in North America, this research study was structured to fill the gap by evaluating the financial and environmental advantages of this combination. This study proposes a methodology to design a heat transmission system; then, it is applied to the case of a paper-making factory and a multifunctional heritage building in Montreal, Canada. The results show that the building’s new heating system can generate sufficient heat while emitting near-zero direct emissions. Overall, this paper argues that combining the concepts of PED and UIS can lead to a more sustainable and resilient urban area, and provides a roadmap for achieving this goal.
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