Dataset Information

Supporting a circular economy: Insights from Taiwan's plastic waste sector and lessons for developing countries.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates how, in the process of industrialization, Taiwan successfully developed its plastic waste industry into an industrial-level circular economy by leveraging a network-based collective bricolage in conjunction with a framework of adaptive institutional governance. Three conclusions are made: industrialized manufacturing sectors are foundations upon which developing nations can accumulate endogenous social capabilities and can enable the emergence of network-based collective bricolages; for developing nations that are attempting to establish circular economies based on their endogenous small-to-medium enterprises, developing network-based collective bricolages in conjunction with adaptive institutional governance is an essential and effective strategy; and transitioning into green-related sectors can further drive economic development and lead to the creation of new ventures, businesses, and job opportunities while supporting the formation of a circular economy. The approach is especially relevant for developing countries starting their industrialization process and waste management initiatives with few resources.

SUBMITTER: Wu CY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7547840 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Supporting a circular economy: Insights from Taiwan's plastic waste sector and lessons for developing countries.

Wu Ching-Yan CY Hu Mei-Chih MC Ni Fu-Chuan FC

Sustainable production and consumption 20201010

This study investigates how, in the process of industrialization, Taiwan successfully developed its plastic waste industry into an industrial-level circular economy by leveraging a network-based collective bricolage in conjunction with a framework of adaptive institutional governance. Three conclusions are made: industrialized manufacturing sectors are foundations upon which developing nations can accumulate endogenous social capabilities and can enable the emergence of network-based collective ...[more]

PMID: 33072834

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Project description:Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management has been a long-standing problem for many cities in developing countries. Urbanization, population growth, and excessive demand for resources caused significant waste related environmental and socio-economic problems in cities. Integration of policy decisions with actionable targets and management of economic and environmental extremes were common challenges to achieving sustainable waste management strategy. Circular economy is a concept that has been evolved with sustainable resource management perspective adopted in this study to support scientific decision-making process for urban planners and policymakers. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a framework to assess the environmental impacts of waste life cycle ranging from waste generation, transportation, treatment, and end disposal. This study used the LCA framework to evaluate the impact of MSW management of a selected local authority in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to identify the environmental impact of four (04) proposed scenarios in comparison with the Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario. Environmental impacts were calculated using global warming potential in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and short-lived climate pollutants. The results revealed that management of MSW within the local authority boundary by integrating recycling, incineration, and sanitary landfill (3:8:1 ratio) offered the highest positive impacts (- 121.84 kg of CO2 eq./ton) while BAU scenario caused the highest negative impacts (250.97 kg of CO2 eq./ton) in comparison with selected scenarios. Moreover, incineration, sanitary landfill, recycling, and anaerobic digestion contributed to emission savings and energy generation. LCA framework was used to identify the composition of MSW for suitable technologies as well as to evaluate the efficiency of existing management mechanisms within a local authority. Evaluation was used to understand the holistic picture of multiple management options to support policymakers in the decision-making process. This framework can be used as a benchmarking tool and bridging concept between the waste management policy and local action plans, which is an important step towards achieving a circular economy for developing countries.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43615-022-00200-x.

Project description:The circular economy (CE) is reasoned to organize complex systems supporting sustainable resilience by distinguishing between waste materials and economic growth. This is crucial to the electronic waste (e-waste) industry of developed countries, and e-waste operation management has become their top priority because e-waste contains toxic materials and valuable sources of elements. In the UK, although London Metropolitan city boasts an ambitious sustainable resilience target underlying the context of CE, practical implementation has yet to be feasible, with few investigations detailing if and how the existing target implications enable industrial and social-ecological sectors to continue their performance functionalities in the face of undesired disruptions. In this paper, a dynamic Bayesian Network (dynamic BN) approach is developed to address a range of potential risks. The existing London e-waste operation management is considered as an application of study for sustainable resilience development. Through the utilization of dynamic BN, a comprehensive analysis yields a Resilience Index (RI) of 0.5424, coupled with a StdDev of 0.01350. These metrics offer a profound insight into the intricate workings of a sustainable system and its capacity to swiftly rebound from unexpected shocks and disturbances. This newfound understanding equips policymakers with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of sustainable e-waste management effectively. The implications drawn from these in-depth analyses furnish policymakers with invaluable information, enabling them to make judicious decisions that advance the cause of sustainable e-waste management. The findings underscore that the absorptive capacity of a sustainable and resilient e-waste operation management system stands as the foremost defense mechanism against unforeseen challenges. Furthermore, it becomes evident that two pivotal factors, namely "diversifying the supply chain" and "enhancing supply chain transparency," play pivotal roles in augmenting the sustainability and resilience of e-waste operation management within the context of London's ambitious sustainability targets. These factors are instrumental in steering the trajectory of e-waste management towards a more sustainable and resilient future, aligning with London's aspirations for a greener and more eco-conscious future.

Dataset Information

Supporting a circular economy: Insights from Taiwan's plastic waste sector and lessons for developing countries.

Publications

Supporting a circular economy: Insights from Taiwan's plastic waste sector and lessons for developing countries.

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