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Circularity Approach to Solving Resource and Climate Problems

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Products and Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 563

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) concept; economic and environmental model; energy sector

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: building physics; life cycle assessment; circular economy; eco-design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is facing climate change, a shortage of natural resources, and other environmental and socioeconomic problems which are caused by unsustainable production and consumption. By applying a circular approach to our current production and consumption habits, a healthier environment and more sustainable society and economy can be achieved. Circular approaches are applicable to the whole supply chain, from resource extraction, production, and use to the end of the use of the product. This approach maintains the product’s value for as long as possible to minimize waste and pollution and to improve the value of the resources used. It not only brings direct economic benefits to businesses, but also has positive impacts on society through job creation and improving the working environment, consequently targeting all three pillars of sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to present a collection on the application of circular approaches, in theory and in practice, for a more sustainable world. The submitted papers may cover a broad range of topics, such as the following:

  • The circular economy concept and its strategies;
  • Supportive tools for circularity;
  • The practical application of circular business models;
  • The benefits of circular strategies/approaches;
  • Challenges during the application of circular strategies/approaches;
  • Recommendations for industries and policy makers.

Dr. Le Quyen Luu
Prof. Dr. Maurizio Cellura
Dr. Sonia Longo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circular economy
  • life cycle thinking
  • sustainable production and consumption
  • 10R
  • eco-design
  • resource and material
  • climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 3203 KiB  
Article
Material Demand and Contributions of Solar PV End-of-Life Management to the Circular Economy: The Case of Italy
by Le Quyen Luu, Thanh Quang Nguyen, Soroush Khakpour, Maurizio Cellura, Francesco Nocera, Nam Hoai Nguyen and Ngoc Han Bui
Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6592; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146592 - 19 Jul 2025
Viewed by 272
Abstract
Circular economy is a crucial strategy for achieving sustainable development. The use of solar PV, which is a renewable energy source, has been considered a popular indicator to measure and evaluate the circularity of an economy and enterprises. The recycling of solar PV [...] Read more.
Circular economy is a crucial strategy for achieving sustainable development. The use of solar PV, which is a renewable energy source, has been considered a popular indicator to measure and evaluate the circularity of an economy and enterprises. The recycling of solar PV panels optimises resource use and reduces the need for virgin materials. However, it does not automatically indicate an environmental advantage if the recovering and recycling processes are energy- or emission-intensive. The paper applies life cycle assessment to quantify the material demand for the Italian solar PV sector and contributions of solar PV end-of-life strategies to the enhancement of the circular economy. It is identified that the material intensity of the Italian solar PV sector increases from 4.67 g Sb eq to 5.20 g Sb eq per MWh by 2040 due to the change in technology mix. At the same time, the total material demand, as well as demand for specific materials, increases over the years, from 2008 to 2040. The strategy on recovery, recycling and reintegration of materials slightly reduces the material demand, from 816 tonnes Sb eq to 814 tonnes Sb eq in 2040. It also brings the benefits of reducing all the life cycle impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy demand, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circularity Approach to Solving Resource and Climate Problems)
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