Philippe Holstein (p), Sebastien Bourdin, Philippe Jean-Pierre (p)

João Romão

The circular economy (CE) concept is increasingly recognized as a crucial framework for addressing environmental challenges and fostering sustainable development. It offers a systematic approach to reducing waste, conserving resources, and promoting economic resilience by transforming traditional production and consumption patterns. However, its implementation and significance within island economies have been largely overlooked in existing literature, despite these regions' unique vulnerabilities and ecological constraints. Islands face specific challenges, such as dependency on imports, geographic isolation, and limited natural resources, making the traditional linear economy model unsustainable in the long run. Islands' geographic and economic isolation amplifies their susceptibility to global market fluctuations and ecological crises, underscoring the urgency of adopting more resilient and sustainable economic models.
Despite its potential benefits, the practical application of CE in island contexts remains under-researched. Until now, studies have primarily focused on waste management in islands, while CE encompasses a broader range of aspects. This research gap is particularly pressing given that, due to the environmental, societal, economic, and logistical constraints of island territories, the 10Rs of the circular economy are not merely ecological options but essential strategies for survival.
Furthermore, implementing CE in island economies requires careful consideration of local contexts, including cultural, social, and economic factors that can influence the success of CE initiatives. Moreover, the success of CE often depends on strong governance frameworks, active stakeholder participation, and effective public policies that support the transition to circular models. From this point of view, the CE can enhance the sustainability and resilience of island economies. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding how these principles can be effectively applied in specific island contexts.

Our study aims to address this literature gap by examining how a small island economy, especially facing disproportionate risks, can progress towards a circular economy, given physical challenges (such as limited size, isolation, and resource scarcity) and socially-constructed obstacles (such as the path-dependency of regional economy systems, the challenges of multi-level governance, the allocation of structural funds and publics, and the influence of political cycles and strategies).
To reach that goal we focus on La Réunion, a French and European Outermost region, which provides an ideal case-study to answer how La Réunion, an isolated and insular territory, can not only adapt to waste management challenges and the ecological crisis but also serve as an innovative model for other similarly isolated regions.

João Romão (p)

Bogdan-Constantin Ibanescu

This paper offers a theoretical exploration of the intersection between urban tourism, circular economy practices, and gentrification within creative economies. It argues that boutique hotels (or other forms of using repurposed buildings for tourism accommodation) combined with conventional hotels and short-term rentals (which often also euse existing buildings), can simultaneously drive urban regeneration and contribute to socio-economic polarization through displacement and neighborhood transformations.

The study aims to bridge gaps in sustainable urban development debates by highlighting tensions between circular economy principles and their social impacts, advocating for policies that promote socially inclusive tourism practices.

The research adopts a theoretical approach, synthesizing insights from creative economy literature, circular economy frameworks, proximity or the and rent gap theory. The discussion is structured around key themes: the role of creative economies in driving urban tourism, the circular practices embedded in boutique hotel operations, and the socio-economic impacts of tourism-induced gentrification.

The paper further examines the tensions between environmental and social outcomes of circular tourism practices, analyzing how adaptive reuse, local sourcing, and sustainable operations align with circular economy goals while also potentially generating labor equity concerns and displacement pressures.

The analysis emphasizes that tourism’s impact on urban change varies depending on local contexts, with some areas experiencing displacement and others benefiting from revitalization, such as in the ‘alberghi diffusi’ model in smaller Italian towns.

The study concludes that achieving sustainable urban development requires integrating social equity into circular economy frameworks. It advocates for inclusive urban policies, particularly in housing and planning, to ensure that tourism-driven urban reuse supports both environmental and social sustainability. This integrated perspective positions urban tourism as a potential catalyst for equitable and circular urban development.

Bogdan-Constantin Ibanescu (p), Alexandra Gheorghiu , Sebastien Bourdin, Alexandru Banica

Philippe Jean-Pierre

The recent discourse on resilience has highlighted its significance at regional, but also, individual, and community levels, prompting discussions on the drivers of resilience capacity across various systems. While regional resilience studies have predominantly explored the relationships between resilience capacity, innovation performance, accessibility, and economic strength, individual resilience research has largely focused on psychological factors. However, some studies have begun to investigate whether individual and community resilience can also be linked to behavioural indicators, most importantly, circular economy behaviours, suggesting a broader approach to understanding resilience. The relationship between circular economy behaviours, such as recycling, reusing, or resource conservation, and resilience has gained, therefore, some scientific traction. Circular economy behaviours are designed to minimize waste and make the most of available resources, thus contributing to sustainability and environmental health (Ghisellini et al., 2016), but also to fostering resilience (Walker & Salt, 2012). It is believed that individuals engaged in circular behaviours are more likely to exhibit resilience due to their proactive approach to resource management and problem-solving (Luthar et al., 2000). Circular behaviours require a mindset oriented towards sustainability and future planning, which is closely related to psychological resilience—the capacity to cope with and recover from stress or hardship (Masten, 2018). Moreover, communities that embrace circular economy principles tend to be more resilient as they foster social cohesion, reduce dependency on external resources, and promote local economic development (Klein et al., 2003; Kirchherr et al., 2017). Thus, the integration of circular economy behaviours is hypothesized to enhance both individual and community resilience by fostering sustainability, reducing vulnerability to resource depletion, and enhancing social capital (Rockström et al., 2009). Our research aims to explore these relations, examining the differences between rural and urban areas and the implications for policy and community development.
This study employed a cross-sectional survey methodology to investigate the relationship between circular economy behaviours and resilience among individuals and communities in a national context. The survey targeted a representative sample of over 1200 respondents from Romania, ensuring a balanced representation of both rural and urban areas, as well as across age groups, gender, and regions.
The findings of this study reveal a significant positive correlation between engagement in circular economy behaviours and individual resilience scores. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted notable differences between rural and urban respondents, which raised the question of the access to dedicated resources and infrastructure, as main drivers of circular behaviours.

Damares Lopes Afonso (p)

Camille Smadja-vigier

The role of international trade in accelerating the transition to a Circular Economy (CE) is in the mainstream of the current literature; however, little is known about both CE trade within Global Value Chains (GVCs) and regional participation in this trade. The present article identifies regional features related to Domestic Value Added (DVA) growth in CE trade in Italy, which is seen as advanced country in CE, in its theoretical and empirical approach. Theoretically, the article is an analysis of factors capable of promoting CE at regional level and influencing its trade, including market, institutional and technological factors, which compose the milieu. Empirically, it shows the positive impact of these factors on DVA growth in CE trade, unlike what happens in trade, in non-CE sectors. These factors should be taken into consideration by policymakers and stakeholders, altogether, to promote CE at regional level in Italy.

Camille Smadja-vigier (p), Corinne Blanquart, Gwenaelle Raton

Damares Lopes Afonso

The transition to a circular economy (henceforth CE) in the food sector is attracting increasing attention, but the difficulties in their deployment are leading us to question the logistical challenges posed by this change in production practices.

Analysis of linear food production systems has shown that there is no such thing as an optimal form of logistics organisation, but that these systems are associated with a diversity of logistics organisations, depending on the type of coordination between actors. Research on logistics families has shown that specific coordination types correspond to specific logistic choices.

The circular practices in development are heterogeneous, leading us to question their logistics stakes in all their diversity.

Through twenty-four interviews with production sites in various agrifood industry activities in Hauts-de-France region and seven with direct CE actors, the research seeks to identify the determinants of logistics organisations deployed during the implementation of circular practices. Logistics is considered here as a coordination activity, and not only physical management of flows, and, drawing on the economics of conventions, we look into the diversity of coordination types and institutional logics underlying those implementations.

This article aims to establish a typology of the logistical issues associated with circular practices by analysing them as coordination forms between actors. Five families of circular practices are identified: sorting of flows, methanisation, animal feed, coproduct valorisation and input reduction. The research illustrates that specific circular practices correspond to specific types of logistics organisation. Plants belonging to the “sorting” family have a standardisation logic; they operate on continuous production time and must implement routines that apply uniformly to the different flows leaving the plant. The challenge is to integrate the practice into the production standard. It is then up to the conventional waste managers. The “methanisation” family has an interpersonal logic, with each plant dealing differently, often directly, with a methaniser, and the arrangement are personalised. Practices are organised in close geographical proximity. Plants in the “animal feed” familily adopt a contractual approach, their practices are governed by contracts that set the collect frequency, the price and transport. The “valorisation” family has a market logic, the aim is to obtain the highest added value from coproducts, regardless of the distance travelled. Coproducts enter a conventional distribution circuit and are managed by the purchasing departments. Finally, the “input reduction” family has a territorial logic, relying on a network of close actors and industrial symbioses.