Circular Economy
A circular economy describes an economic system based on business models that replace the ‘end-of-life’ concept with the reduction, recycling, and recovery of materials throughout production, distribution, and consumption processes. It operates at the micro level (products, companies, and consumers), the meso level (eco-industrial parks), and the macro level (cities, regions, countries, and beyond), with the goal of achieving sustainable development that ensures environmental quality alongside economic prosperity and social equity, benefiting both current and future generations (Kirchherr et al., 2017).