Building a business case for implementation of a circular economy in higher education institutions

Abstract

Various frameworks have been developed to guide organisations in embedding circular economy principles in their strategy and operational practice. However, there is a lack of studies analysing practical implementation of circular economy thinking in the higher education sector. Higher education institutions are strategic agents in supporting sustainable development through teaching, research and social outreach activities. They also represent a source of environmental impacts due to significant resource consumption and waste generation. This paper presents the first comprehensive study showing how higher education institutions can use an action-led step-by-step approach to build a business case and implement circular economy thinking in practice. The University of Manchester is used as an illustrative example of a large higher education institution. First, a background analysis and semi-structured interviews were carried out to determine the scope of the university's current sustainability policies and the ability of the management systems to respond to circular economy challenges. This was followed by stakeholder workshops to identify gaps and opportunities for building a business case for implementation of a circular economy. Finally, a critical assessment of the outcomes was carried out to identify further research needs for implementation of a circular economy in higher education institutions. Although focused on the higher education sector, the proposed action-led approach can be used by any organisation in the service sector looking to build more circular and sustainable business models.

Environmentally Responsible Behavior and Sustainability Policy Adoption in Green Public Procurement

“…Sustainable procurement of cutting-edge technologies and services can be employed more intensely to capture value [12]. The advancement of a corporate circular economy procurement approach can cut down expenses of maintenance and waste management, in addition to energy and carbon emission taxes [13]. The move to a circular economy is related to the imperative to put into practice innovative business models.…”

Analysis of Barriers to Transitioning from a Linear to a Circular Economy for End of Life Materials: A Case Study for Waste Feathers

“…A metric system using numerical performance indicators has been proposed for use in the biotechnology sector to increase employer motivation to recycle [35]. A broad range of barriers was identified in the educational sector including a conservative approach to decision-making, lack of knowledge on waste solutions, misunderstandings about materials and their environmental impacts and a tendency to avoid risk [36].…”

Píldoras de economía circular en el aula para la enseñanza aplicada en sostenibilidad medioambiental

“…Aunque diversos trabajos han abordado sistemas de gestión medioambiental en las estrategias de las instituciones de educación superior (Brusca, Labrador, & Larran, 2018;Dalbro, Lundgren, & Omrcen, 2017;Lozano et al, 2015), son aún escasos los estudios que abordan la implementación de la EC en el ámbito universitario (Mendoza et al, 2019;University of Edinburgh, 2015). Es por ello que se planteó el desarrollo de estas metodologías docentes para la EC y el análisis posterior aquí presentado.…”

“…En resumen, la aplicación de estas prácticas ha favorecido la adaptación del alumnado a nuevos escenarios para analizar desde diferentes perspectivas los impactos de derivados de estrategias circulares frente a sistemas lineales, y mejorar así el grado de consecución de los resultados de aprendizaje a través de materiales específicos en comparación con las metodologías tradicionales (Mendoza, Gallego-Schmid, & Azapagic, 2019). La aplicación en el aula de las píldoras de EC se ha complementado con la recolección de datos a través de cuestionarios que permiten analizar el nivel de sensibilización medioambiental de los participantes y favorecer que los alumnos tomen conciencia de los objetivos de la asignatura desde un enfoque su aprendizaje transversal en un entorno de sostenibilidad medioambiental.…”