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In 2017, global plastic production reached 348 million tonnes. Despite growing concerns about the environmental challenges associated with both plastic production and plastic waste, recent estimates suggest that plastic production and subsequent waste is expected to double by the year 2035 (European Commission, 2018). To help reduce the amount of plastic waste that litters the oceans and damages the environment, the European Union has recently commissioned a study about the feasibility of levying a tax on plastic products (New Economic Foundation for the Rethink Plastic Alliance, 2018). However, very few academic articles currently exist that critically examine the arguments for or against a plastic tax and thereby enlighten government and regulators on the subject. This chapter investigates whether plastic taxes can be used as an economic disincentive for plastic products and explores its advantages and disadvantages within a circular economy. It explores whether a plastic tax is the right economic instrument to limit the use of plastics, generate design and technical innovations for bio-based materials and degradable/recyclable plastics, create other economic incentives to optimize the value of plastic and its waste collection, and increase public awareness and responsibility. We find that a plastic tax may be a suitable solution as it is likely to influence the design, production, consumption, and waste sectors if designed properly. Yet, the tax should be carefully implemented and combined with other instruments to obtain the desired outcomes and reduce the occurrence of unfavorable side effects.

Economic and market-based instruments are not “the” answer for nature-based solutions (NBS) in cities, but they are “part” of the answer. Regulatory instruments are needed when specific behaviors must be avoided. Voluntary instruments may be effective, especially at the local scale, but do not often guarantee the pursued performance result. Economic instruments, if well designed, implemented, and used, often have a comparative advantage in terms of efficiency and performance. They are also a source of funding for financing NBS. Too many policy experts and decision-makers are ready to propose public expenditure and subsidies, including for urban policies, and for policies in favor of natural capital, ecosystems services, and biodiversity. Yet, they too often forget to indicate where the revenues to finance the initiatives must come from, however excellent and ambitious they might be. Without using also economic instruments in the policy portfolio, many objectives for sustainable cities will be much more difficult to achieve, especially in the perspective of the Paris Agreement on climate change and of the UN Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals.

The present era, in its pursuits for economic development, has equated development with affluence. The balance between economic development and using natural resources for the purpose needs to be solved. The previous civilisations became extinct less because of foreign invasions and more due to neglecting the ecological environment. In the same way, this civilisation is also digging its own grave.

After reviewing the available literature, it is proposed to study in the context of the Punjab state of India. The pattern of receipts and expenditures of funds utilised for ecological upgradation emphasises evaluating the performance of the funds utilised for ecological improvement. Furthermore, most of the study has concentrated on the experiences of developed economies. In contrast, there have been minimal studies explicitly addressing the circumstances of emerging countries.

The study is confined to Punjab and is based on secondary data. The Punjab government collected the annual data on expenditures and receipts from the last 10 years. The nature of the receipts and expenditures for the entire 11 sectors is determined through descriptive statistics. Moreover, the regression model and compound annual growth rate with the help of semi log model have been used to examine the extent of government funds. A line chart shows the pattern of government funding.

The government can implement changes or create new environmental protection policies based on the results. As a whole, the research contributes to better environmental protection policy. The study concludes that a thorough examination of money flow in and out is essential.

This chapter explores the state's response to the waste crisis (see also McDonagh, Varley, & Shortall, 2009). The conceptual basis for key turning points in the state's waste management policy is located within the parameters of an EM approach. An outline of eco-modern and sustainable thinking is provided in the chapter, as the state's policy shift on waste, from a reliance on landfill to a strategy informed by the EU's waste hierarchy would provide many of the political opportunities for GSE, and their political allies, to exploit.

The siting of new waste incinerators has often stimulated vigorous opposition. U.S. research concludes that successful campaigns depend upon the discourse and tactics employed by campaigners and the skills and ingenuity of campaigners rather than the static characteristics of local communities. Evidence from recent anti-incinerator campaigns in England suggests otherwise. In England, community characteristics differentiate, but campaigners’ discourse matters less than political opportunities determined by the structure of local political systems, the urgency of local waste authorities’ concerns to find solutions to problems of waste disposal, the sequence of relevant planning decisions, and changes in the national policy context.

Waste management is one of the vital objectives for the EU since it has a substantial effect on the environment. European Commission expects annual waste creation on Earth to increase by 70% by 2050. European Commission also estimates that efficient waste management might boost the EU economy's gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.5% by 2030. Hence, it is essential to conduct research including both efficiency and influencing factors analysis for effective waste management. First, we employ both slack-based measure (SBM) and super-SBM data envelopment analysis approaches to investigate the waste management efficiency of the EU region and distinguish between efficient countries. The countries with small areas such as Luxembourg and Ireland have demonstrated super efficiency. Second, we maintain our empirical research with ordinary least square analysis to explore the determinants of waste management. We also conclude that population density, GDP per capita, and tourism rise the amount of waste generated in the EU region.

The sustainable transition towards the circular economy requires the effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT) techniques. As the sustainability targets for 2030–2050 increasingly become a tougher challenge, society, company managers and policymakers require more support from AI and IT in general. How can the AI-based and IT-based smart decision-support tools help implementation of circular economy principles from micro to macro scales?

This chapter provides a conceptual framework about the current status and future development of smart decision-support tools for facilitating the circular transition of smart industry, focussing on the implementation of the industrial symbiosis (IS) practice. IS, which is aimed at replacing production inputs of one company with wastes generated by a different company, is considered as a promising strategy towards closing the material, energy and waste loops. Based on the principles of a circular economy, the utility of such practices to close resource loops is analyzed from a functional and operational perspective. For each life cycle phase of IS businesses – e.g., opportunity identification for symbiotic business, assessment of the symbiotic business and sustainable operations of the business – the role played by decision-support tools is described and embedding smartness in these tools is discussed.

Based on the review of available tools and theoretical contributions in the field of IS, the characteristics, functionalities and utilities of smart decision-support tools are discussed within a circular economy transition framework. Tools based on recommender algorithms, machine learning techniques, multi-agent systems and life cycle analysis are critically assessed. Potential improvements are suggested for the resilience and sustainability of a smart circular transition.

Many European businesses are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), contributing significantly to the well-being of local economies and regions. Even so, SMEs face many challenges in fostering innovation and improving performance. Furthermore, the raw material consumption is increasing globally, necessitating the development of strategies that will reduce the number of raw materials extracted and imported while improving the sustainability of small and medium-sized businesses. Consequently, promoting circular economy (CE) strategies, such as industrial symbiosis (IS) partnerships, whereby waste products from other industries serve as a source of raw materials for companies, is critical. Identifying and analysing enablers or drivers that support IS collaborations among SMEs is necessary to achieve this goal. In this regard, the purpose of this study will explore the enablers of IS among SMEs considering sustainability dimensions (environmental, social and economic). As facing a decision-making (DM) problem, the multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) approach was applied in a hesitant fuzzy (HF) environment in this research to answer the research questions. In this regard, in phase 1, IS enablers were identified and extracted using a literature review and experts’ opinions. In phase 2, the hesitant fuzzy Delphi (HFD) method was implemented to screen and finalise the enablers identified. In phase 3, casual relations among final enablers were determined using the hesitant fuzzy ANP (HF-ANP) method. Finally, in phase 4, the relative importance of enablers was calculated using the hesitant fuzzy best–worst method (HF-BWM). Consequently, this study provided potential strategies for IS that can be implemented quickly and used by local authorities to support SMEs in achieving circular waste management.

Perhaps the weakest dimension of the ‘triple bottom line’ understanding of sustainable development has been the ‘economic’ dimension. Much of the thinking about the appropriate ‘political economy’ to underpin sustainable development has been either utopian (as in some ‘green’ political views) or ‘business as usual’ approaches. This chapter suggests that ‘ecological modernisation’ is the dominant conceptualisation of ‘sustainable development’ within the United Kingdom and illustrates this by looking at some key ‘sustainable development’ policy documents from the UK Government. Although critical of the reformist ‘policy telos’ of ecological modernisation, supporters of more radical version of sustainable development also need to be aware of the strategic opportunities of this policy discourse. In particular, the chapter suggests that the discourse of ‘economic security’ ought to be used as a way of articulating a radical, robust and principled understanding of sustainable development, which offers a normatively compelling and policy-relevant path to outline a ‘green political economy’ to underpin sustainable development.