Abstract:There is a growing interest in adopting a holistic circular economy (CE) to reach a sustainable and economically viable future, thus there is an increasing need for professionals in the field to do so efficiently. In this regard, good education and knowledge sharing are crucial. This knowledge sharing is bi-directional across generations, with everyone gaining equally from the various viewpoints and experiences. CE strategy research and education are beneficial for the implementation of sustainable development… Show more
“…Nonetheless, there is attention drawn to SMEs and debate that while innovation provides the ability to compete, cooperation however could support the creation of an eco-innovative business model, which does not directly relate to strategies [84]. Especially, with attention to bringing closer members of the industrial, research, and educational sector [85].…”
Cooperatives address societal challenges embracing values beyond mere profit-oriented production. Considering the ongoing shift to achieve efficient use of resources and increased circularity, cooperatives should be better equipped to incorporate circular economy (CE) and eco-innovation (EI) into their strategies (compared to regular enterprises). This paper reviews the scholarly literature focusing on the application of CE and EI within cooperative studies with the aim to understand the relationships between these topics, identify the existing scholarly communities, and to observe salient research themes. This study refined the method of van den Hoven and Rubalcaba (2016) to conduct a two-step bibliographic review of documents: a thematic analysis of citation data from Scopus (including a manual review of 16 papers) was followed by a bibliometric analysis of 101 documents from Web of Science (using R-Studio’s Biblioshiny). Our results identified three intellectual clusters of cooperative studies focusing on the downstream of CE: (1) industrial ecology; (2) recycling; and (3) waste management. Our study also revealed an emerging scholarly field focused on cooperatives and CE, and with little attention to EI. These findings aim at catalyzing the integration of cooperatives more effectively into scholarly discussions, suggesting that environmental sustainability should be recognized as an additional principle of the cooperative identity—providing a wider perspective that enhances interest in the research of these topics and their interconnections.
“…Nonetheless, there is attention drawn to SMEs and debate that while innovation provides the ability to compete, cooperation however could support the creation of an eco-innovative business model, which does not directly relate to strategies [84]. Especially, with attention to bringing closer members of the industrial, research, and educational sector [85].…”
Cooperatives address societal challenges embracing values beyond mere profit-oriented production. Considering the ongoing shift to achieve efficient use of resources and increased circularity, cooperatives should be better equipped to incorporate circular economy (CE) and eco-innovation (EI) into their strategies (compared to regular enterprises). This paper reviews the scholarly literature focusing on the application of CE and EI within cooperative studies with the aim to understand the relationships between these topics, identify the existing scholarly communities, and to observe salient research themes. This study refined the method of van den Hoven and Rubalcaba (2016) to conduct a two-step bibliographic review of documents: a thematic analysis of citation data from Scopus (including a manual review of 16 papers) was followed by a bibliometric analysis of 101 documents from Web of Science (using R-Studio’s Biblioshiny). Our results identified three intellectual clusters of cooperative studies focusing on the downstream of CE: (1) industrial ecology; (2) recycling; and (3) waste management. Our study also revealed an emerging scholarly field focused on cooperatives and CE, and with little attention to EI. These findings aim at catalyzing the integration of cooperatives more effectively into scholarly discussions, suggesting that environmental sustainability should be recognized as an additional principle of the cooperative identity—providing a wider perspective that enhances interest in the research of these topics and their interconnections.
The rapid worldwide transition to electric vehicles (EVs), propelled by progress in lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology, brings opportunities and problems in sustainable development and resource management. This study examines how incorporating circular economy ideas and enhancing skills in EV LIB recycling can be a strategic approach to meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The article explores the relationship between environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social fairness by studying EV battery recycling, the workforce skills gap, and the economic ramifications of a circular approach. Based on the existing literature, the study highlights the importance of circular economy practices in improving resource efficiency, decreasing environmental pollution, and supporting various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those concerning responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9). The study highlights the significance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in preparing the workforce with the essential skills to adapt to a more sustainable and circular economy. It also highlights significant obstacles in present recycling methods, such as technological limitations, legislative discrepancies, and the necessity for worldwide collaboration and standardization. The paper suggests practical policy suggestions and future research paths to improve the sustainability of EV battery recycling. The initiatives involve establishing global recycling standards, promoting circular economy models through incentives, boosting technological innovation, and facilitating international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
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