Implementing the Circular Economy by Tracing the Sustainable Impact

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Economics
• Computer Science

Background:

• Unsustainable resource consumption and linear economic models pose critical global challenges.
• The Circular Economy (CE) offers a sustainable alternative, but its widespread adoption remains limited.
• Societal and systemic changes are necessary to transition from a linear to a circular economic model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the current status of the Circular Economy.
• To identify key barriers hindering CE implementation, including information gaps, economic non-viability, lack of awareness, and insufficient incentives.
• To propose software-driven solutions to overcome these challenges and promote sustainable practices.

Main Methods:

• Review of the current Circular Economy landscape and its challenges.
• Identification and categorization of barriers to CE adoption.
• Development of a software-driven solution extending service description language with a 'sustainability impact factor'.

Main Results:

• Key barriers to Circular Economy implementation were identified: lack of information, unsustainable economic models, ignorance, and missing incentives.
• A novel 'sustainability impact factor' was introduced into service description language.
• The proposed solution aims to guide end-users toward sustainable choices without imposing significant lifestyle restrictions.

Conclusions:

• Overcoming barriers requires a multi-faceted approach, including technological solutions and societal shifts.
• The 'sustainability impact factor' can effectively motivate users towards sustainable behavior.
• Software-driven innovations are essential for accelerating the transition to a Circular Economy.