IS4CE January - February 2021 Update
In this briefing Stocktaking and Building the IS4CE Network
2021 is here but the world has changed. Far from escaping the COVID crisis it seems that the worst months will be early this year. In education, reorientation towards online learning has meant both additional work from staff and students and a financial burden for both. Many universities have cut academic posts and research has been disrupted. This much we know. IS4CE has not been insulated from change.
The IS4CE was built around core support from the University of Exeter but this partnership formally ended at the end of December 2020. A solid base for growth in terms of membership, the website; mailing lists and our successful summer conference is the legacy of 2019-20.
We also know that the interest and engagement with the circular economy at all levels has grown; it is flagged as a contribution to rebuilding economies after the pandemic, a contributor to reducing carbon emissions and a source of economic opportunity. A reconfigured IS4CE will be exploring with its membership how best to take advantage of this trend.
Building the Network - Call for Volunteers
IS4CE is establishing working groups to further activity within a number of key arenas. If members wish to put themselves forward to help shape and deliver IS4CE programmes please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before February 28th. The key working groups at this stage are:
• Conferences and Events
• Social Media and Communications
• Membership Support and Adminstration (Secretariat) including Technical support for website
• Ideation/ Special Interest Groups
• Knowledge sharing/Education and Training
The expectation will be that working groups will be action orientated and limited to approximately 6 members for ease of working.
A special someone is invited to manage the networking and liaison between administration and working groups and the temporary board.
Special Issue of Circular Economy and Sustainability.
Check the Journal website for updates. The call for papers is closed.
Conference Proceedings
This publication is slated for release after a slight delay on February 8th 2021. Members will receive free digital versions at that time but print editions can be supplied at cost via a print on demand service (details to follow)
Ken Webster Director of the IS4CE (2020-21)
Join IS4CE
- Conference broadcast content.
- Occasional newsletter.
- Access to general interest material.
- Not eligible to vote in Society elections or stand as candidates for Society elections.
- No discount on face to face conferences.
- Upgrade path to full membership
- Conference broadcast content, interactive breakout sessions, conference proceedings and specialist webinars throughout the year.
- Occasional monographs and newsletters.
- Access all archived material including conference recordings.
- Members are eligible to vote in Society elections and stand as a candidate for Society elections.
- Members are eligible to submit conference or other papers for possible publication via the Society.
- Discount on face to face conferences
IS4CE Latest News
The future direction of study about the circular economy. What should the Society do?
A personal reflection from Walter Stahel. Honorary President of IS4CE (2020)
A truly International Society for Circular Economy will have a global research-led agenda and be able to integrate different cultural CE focuses. For instance, some regions emphasize resource efficiency and social solidarity, whereas the People’s Republic of China gives priority to economic competitiveness in remanufacturing. Singapore excels in a closed loop of water resources, turning waste water into NEWater of a quality fit for the drinking water system.
Journal for the Circular Economy and Sustainability
The Circular Economy and Sustainability journal aims to bring a new approach of the key concepts of circular economy and sustainability, by combining the scientific disciplines of economy, management, engineering, technology, environment, and society. As circular economy is necessary today to promote the goals of sustainable development, these scientific areas are not independent to each other, but their relations, interactions and synergies exist and should be further developed and studied.
Important Dates
Circular Economy and Sustainability Special Issue Call for Papers for presenters at the Inaugural Conference of the IS4CE.
Presenters should contact: Alexandros Stefanakis (click here), School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece & Editor-in-Chief, Circular Economy and Sustainability or IS4CE here
Full paper submission: December 27, 2020
Submissions welcome, in addition, from all researchers (deadline for abstracts Oct 17th)
All papers will be subject to peer review
About the journal Circular Economy and Sustainability (CIES) is a new journal aiming to bring a new approach of the key concepts of circular economy and sustainability, by combining the scientific disciplines of economy, management, engineering, technology, environment, and society, and investigating the relations, interactions and synergies that should be further developed among them. As circular economy is necessary today to promote the goals of sustainable development, these scientific areas are not independent to each other, but their relations, interactions and synergies exist and should be further developed and studied. Interdisciplinary approaches and multiple connections between these scientific areas are required not only to reach the sustainability goals but also to solve diverse environmental problems, expand technological limits and overcome potential economic disturbances.
This approach is expressed with new policies (command and control, market-based instruments, and circular public procurement), technological suggestions (e.g. technical cycle solutions), environmental engineering technologies (e.g., waste management, 3R strategies, water recycle, wastewater treatment and reuse, renewable energy), circular business models, circular innovations, circular management solutions, consumers’ behaviour in circular economy, new circular economy products labels and social acceptance in circular economy.
These topics could be classified in three levels; the micro-level (firm-level engineering and managerial level), meso-level (industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis, ecoclusters, eco-industrial parks), and macro-level (general policies, plans, green and sustainable entrepreneurship).
All content in the journal will in 2021 and 2022 be freely accessible to everyone.
Insights from the Circular Economy
Pope Francis
Conference Topics
• Design of products, components, materials and systems;
• Industrial ecology;
• Business management, business models, especially operations;
• Materials science;
• Bio-economy/ecology;
• Information technology/data;
• Macro-economics;
• Finance for circular economy;
• Psychology, consumer choices;
• Law, especially around use vs ownership;
• Climate change and the circular economy;
• Policy and the circular economy
Keynotes
Some of the Keynotes we have already include Walter Stahel (welcome address), Tima Bansal, Martin Stuchtey and the successful CE startup Biohm. Your host for the conference will be Ken Webster (currently our Acting Chair for the Society). See above"Meet some of Our Keynotes"
Going Live
The conference’s Keynotes and Panel Sessions may be streamed live and archived for IS4CE members and conference guests over both days.
Any Members who aren't online during the conference can still get involved as the footage will be available in our resource Lightbox area after the conference. If demand emerges from polling during the conference extra ‘rejoinder’ sessions will be scheduled to continue a theme.
COVID-19
Clearly the path of the virus is uncertain. We are working on the basis of not being able to run a standard face to face event as planned. We are delivering the Conference as a restructured, fully digital event. This information will be regularly updated and is currently valid from 27th March. See Membership options above.
Copyright
Copyright ©2020 IS4CE. All Rights Reserved: The IS4CE, Mistra Rees and TU Delft logos and any sub-brand logos are protected by copyright. Any views and content expressed on this website are those of the authors themselves. The Society itself holds no corporate or political view.
