Sustainability—Special Issue “Resources and Waste Management”
1
School of Sustainability, Leuphana University, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany
2
N3 Thinking Ahead, Scholtenbusch 11, D-4652 Voerde, Germany
3
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328 Dresden, Germany
4
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(16), 7369; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167369
Submission received: 21 July 2025
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Accepted: 23 July 2025
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Published: 14 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability: Resources and Waste Management)
“Waste is a resource, but not in the correct place” is a widely known proverb among scientists. A huge increase in articles since the beginning of this century shows that this idea has caught on among experts dealing with the recycling of waste and the quality and use of secondary resources. Often, though, these articles only discuss how recycling can be performed and the techniques used to do so. The connection between the reuse of resources from waste and energy consumption, climate impact, the re-mobilization of pollutants and other issues are rarely explored. Ultimately, the question arises: What is the contribution of the respective recycling solution to sustainable development? Circular economy approaches mostly include recycling activities, and save resources with numerous other strategies, e.g., repair, refurbishment or reduction in material use. We are delighted to present a range of papers that address the nexus between waste, energy and resources, most of which are complemented by the economic efficiency of the processes involved. Some studies focused exclusively on recycling processes suitable for the respective region, such as products made from the water treatment sludge of a coal power plant (contribution 1), land reclamation in a heavily polluted area (contribution 2) and RDF created from industrial waste (contribution 3). Limits to recycling with a focus on PVC and potential steps for its regulation are discussed in contributions 4 and 5. Contribution 6 describes ways to improve recycling of food waste in Serbia (a non-EU country) when EU rules would be adopted. Strategies beyond recycling are also promising from an economic perspective, especially under suitable conditions. This is demonstrated by comparison between reusable and disposable packaging based on existing business models (contribution 7), and several product-service systems for light electric vehicles (contribution 8), durable and recyclable textiles for professional use (contribution 9), as well as the application of a tool for stakeholder cooperation, aiming at more sustainable construction works (contribution 10). Future perspectives for the design of refrigerators to save resources during their life cycle and after the use phase within the framework of a product-service system are presented in contribution 11. This booklet is complemented by a review of “Circularity” and its impact on cities (contribution 12). Strategies for the recovery of resources must be economically viable and ecologically sound. There is a long and winding road towards more sustainable management of resources as described by the papers in this Special Issue, but we can confidently continue on this path if we keep the relationship between waste, resources, energy and the climate in mind.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
List of Contributions
- Wichiensan, N.; Wattanutchariya, W. Sustainable Ceramic Glaze Development from Coal Power Plant Water Treatment Sludge: A Customer-Oriented Approach Using Delphi Method, QFD, and Mixture Design. Sustainability 2024, 16, 8295. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198295.
- Fan, Z.; Xu, X.; Wang, R.; Meng, Z.; Wang, L.; Cao, X.; Lou, Z. Distribution and Source Resolution of Heavy Metals in an Electroplating Site and Their Health Risk Assessment. Sustainability 2023, 15, 12166. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612166.
- Li, T.; Li, W.; Lou, Z.; Wang, L. Comprehensive Analysis of Industrial Solid-Waste-to-Energy by Refuse-Derived Fuel Technology: A Case Study in Shanghai. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4234. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104234.
- Lahl, U.; Zeschmar-Lahl, B. More than 30 Years of PVC Recycling in Europe—A Critical Inventory. Sustainability 2024, 16, 3854. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093854.
- Lahl, U.; Zeschmar-Lahl, B. More Than 30 Years of PVC Recycling—Need for Regulation. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4891. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124891.
- Ivanović, N.; Vučinić, A.; Marinković, V.; Krajnović, D.; Ćurčić, M. Towards Sustainable Food Waste Management in Serbia: A Review of Challenges, Gaps, and Future Perspectives. Sustainability 2025, 17, 2961. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072961.
- Zimmermann, T.; Hauschke, F. Assessing Reusable Packaging: The Importance of Methodological Choices in Carbon Footprint Calculation. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4723. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114723
- Wüstenhagen, S.; Kirschstein, T. Substitution of Conventional Vehicles in Municipal Mobility. Sustainability 2024, 16, 6054. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146054.
- Rubik, F.; Nebel, K.; Klusch, C.; Karg, H.; Hecht, K.; Gerbig, M.; Gärtner, S.; Boldrini, B. Textiles on the Path to Sustainability and Circularity—Results of Application Tests in the Business-to-Business Sector. Sustainability 2024, 16, 5954. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145954.
- Gondak, M.d.O.; do Prado, G.F.; Hluszko, C.; de Souza, J.T.; de Francisco, A.C. Interactive Map of Stakeholders’ Journey in Construction: Focus on Waste Management and Circular Economy. Sustainability 2025, 17, 5195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115195
- Paz, F.A.G.; Heibeck, M.; Parvez, A.M.; Torrubia, J.; van den Boogaart, K.G.; Raatz, S. Recovery of Materials from Refrigerator: A Study Focused on Product Distribution, Recyclability and LCA Evaluation. Sustainability 2024, 16, 1082. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031082.
- Kapoor, K.; Amydala, N.S.; Ambooken, A.; Scheinberg, A. Measuring Circularity in Cities: A Review of the Scholarly and Grey Literature in Search of Evidence-Based, Measurable and Actionable Indicators. Sustainability 2023, 15, 14302. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914302.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Friege, H.; Raatz, S.; Lou, Z. Sustainability—Special Issue “Resources and Waste Management”. Sustainability 2025, 17, 7369. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167369
AMA Style
Friege H, Raatz S, Lou Z. Sustainability—Special Issue “Resources and Waste Management”. Sustainability. 2025; 17(16):7369. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167369
Chicago/Turabian StyleFriege, Henning, Simone Raatz, and Ziyang Lou. 2025. "Sustainability—Special Issue “Resources and Waste Management”" Sustainability 17, no. 16: 7369. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167369
APA StyleFriege, H., Raatz, S., & Lou, Z. (2025). Sustainability—Special Issue “Resources and Waste Management”. Sustainability, 17(16), 7369. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167369
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