IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i8p2719-d161536.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

Author

Listed:
  • Ben Tirone Nunes

    (School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

  • Simon J. T. Pollard

    (School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

  • Paul J. Burgess

    (School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

  • Gareth Ellis

    (Energy and Environment Team, Facilities, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

  • Irel Carolina De los Rios

    (School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

  • Fiona Charnley

    (Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D), Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK)

Abstract

In a world dominated by linear economic systems, the road to improving resource use is multi-faceted. Whilst public and private organisations are making progress in introducing sustainable practices, we ask ourselves the extent to which education providers are contributing to the circular economy. As engines for skills and knowledge, universities play a primary role in propelling circular economy approaches into reality and, as such, hold the potential for raising the bar on sustainable performance. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was therefore undertaken to examine the interactions between university estate management and the circular economy. This assessment identified six pertinent themes: campus sustainability, the hidden curriculum, environmental governance, local impact, university material flows, and the role of universities as catalysts for business and examined 70 publications. A second part of the study reviewed the environmental activities of 50 universities ranked highly in terms of their environmental credentials or their environmental science courses. The results are presented and then discussed in terms of how universities can affect material flows, promote sustainability outside of the formal curriculum, and act as catalysts with business. The economic significance of universities provides an appreciable demand for circular products and services. Universities should develop “hidden curriculum” plans to promote improved environmental behaviours of staff and students. Universities can also catalyse a circular economy by working with business to improve eco-effectiveness as well as eco-efficiency. For example, projects should extend the focus from decreasing carbon footprint to achieving carbon positivity, from improving water efficiency to treating wastewater, and from recycling to reverse logistics for repurposing. Pilot projects arising from such work could provide valuable research bases and consultancy opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Ben Tirone Nunes & Simon J. T. Pollard & Paul J. Burgess & Gareth Ellis & Irel Carolina De los Rios & Fiona Charnley, 2018. "University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2719-:d:161536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/8/2719/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/8/2719/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dennis Leyden & Albert Link, 2013. "Knowledge spillovers, collective entrepreneurship, and economic growth: the role of universities," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 797-817, December.
    2. Francesca Cornelli & Zbigniew Kominek & Alexander Ljungqvist, 2013. "Monitoring Managers: Does It Matter?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(2), pages 431-481, April.
    3. Rubén Garrido-Yserte & María Gallo-Rivera, 2010. "The impact of the university upon local economy: three methods to estimate demand-side effects," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 44(1), pages 39-67, February.
    4. Peter Lacy & Jakob Rutqvist, 2015. "Waste to Wealth," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-53070-7, December.
    5. Bill Hopwood & Mary Mellor & Geoff O'Brien, 2005. "Sustainable development: mapping different approaches," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 38-52.
    6. Alan Murray & Keith Skene & Kathryn Haynes, 2017. "The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 369-380, February.
    7. Brown, David T. & Fee, C. Edward & Thomas, Shawn E., 2009. "Financial leverage and bargaining power with suppliers: Evidence from leveraged buyouts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 196-211, April.
    8. Hardesty, Shermain & Allen, Patricia & Feenstra, Gail & Ohmart, Jeri & Perkins, Tracy & Perez, Jan, 2010. "Institutional Food Distribution Systems: Bringing Students, Farmers, and Food Service to the Table," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 41(1), pages 1-6, March.
    9. David Audretsch, 2014. "From the entrepreneurial university to the university for the entrepreneurial society," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 313-321, June.
    10. Jeffrey Gauthier & Bill Wooldridge, 2012. "Influences on Sustainable Innovation Adoption: Evidence from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 98-110, February.
    11. John A. Mathews & Hao Tan, 2011. "Progress Toward a Circular Economy in China," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 15(3), pages 435-457, June.
    12. Tom Murphy & Will O'Brien, 2014. "A strategic decision model for evaluating college and university sustainability investments," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(1), pages 2-18, January.
    13. Marc J. Epstein & Sally K. Widener, 2011. "Facilitating sustainable development decisions: measuring stakeholder reactions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 107-123, February.
    14. Mariale Moreno & Carolina De los Rios & Zoe Rowe & Fiona Charnley, 2016. "A Conceptual Framework for Circular Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-15, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Daniel A. Salas & Paulina Criollo & Angel D. Ramirez, 2021. "The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Implementation of Circular Economy in Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-27, August.
    2. José Ramón Díez & Iñaki Antigüedad & Elena Agirre & Arantza Rico, 2018. "Perceptions and Consumption of Bottled Water at the University of the Basque Country: Showcasing Tap Water as the Real Alternative towards a Water-Sustainable University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Natacha Klein & Tomás B. Ramos & Pauline Deutz, 2022. "Factors and strategies for circularity implementation in the public sector: An organisational change management approach for sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 509-523, May.
    4. Rocio de la Torre & Bhakti S. Onggo & Canan G. Corlu & Maria Nogal & Angel A. Juan, 2021. "The Role of Simulation and Serious Games in Teaching Concepts on Circular Economy and Sustainable Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-21, February.
    5. Margarita Ignatyeva & Vera Yurak & Alexey Dushin & Vladimir Strovsky & Sergey Zavyalov & Alexander Malyshev & Polina Karimova, 2021. "How Far Away Are World Economies from Circularity: Assessing the Capacity of Circular Economy Policy Packages in the Operation of Raw Materials and Industrial Wastes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Christian Rammel & Oliver Vettori, 2021. "Dealing with the Intangible: Using the Analytical Lens of Hidden Curricula for a Transformative Paradigm of Sustainable Higher Education," Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, , vol. 15(2), pages 234-249, September.
    7. Javier Sierra & Ángela Suárez-Collado, 2021. "Understanding Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability Challenges in the Global South," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    8. Sabina Scarpellini, 2022. "Social impacts of a circular business model: An approach from a sustainability accounting and reporting perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 646-656, May.
    9. Matei Florin-Bogdan & Nimerenco Ina & Soare Bianca Eugenia & Grădinaru Giani Ionel, 2023. "The Role of Universities in Achieving the Key Objectives of the Circular Economy Strategy," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 17(1), pages 512-523, July.
    10. Hinrika Droege & Andrea Raggi & Tomás B. Ramos, 2021. "Co‐development of a framework for circular economy assessment in organisations: Learnings from the public sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1715-1729, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Armaghan Chizaryfard & Paolo Trucco & Cali Nuur, 2021. "The transformation to a circular economy: framing an evolutionary view," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 475-504, April.
    2. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    3. Andrew Metrick & Ayako Yasuda, 2011. "Venture Capital and Other Private Equity: a Survey," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 17(4), pages 619-654, September.
    4. Jeff Mangers & Meysam Minoufekr & Peter Plapper & Sri Kolla, 2021. "An Innovative Strategy Allowing a Holistic System Change towards Circular Economy within Supply-Chains," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Marcos Ferasso & Tatiana Beliaeva & Sascha Kraus & Thomas Clauss & Domingo Ribeiro‐Soriano, 2020. "Circular economy business models: The state of research and avenues ahead," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3006-3024, December.
    6. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    7. Yasanur Kayikci & Yigit Kazancoglu & Nazlican Gozacan‐Chase & Cisem Lafci, 2022. "Analyzing the drivers of smart sustainable circular supply chain for sustainable development goals through stakeholder theory," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3335-3353, November.
    8. Lucas Becerra & Sebastián Carenzo & Paula Juarez, 2020. "When Circular Economy Meets Inclusive Development. Insights from Urban Recycling and Rural Water Access in Argentina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-21, November.
    9. Sabina Scarpellini & Jesus Valero‐Gil & José M. Moneva & Michele Andreaus, 2020. "Environmental management capabilities for a “circular eco‐innovation”," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1850-1864, July.
    10. Fehrer, Julia A. & Wieland, Heiko, 2021. "A systemic logic for circular business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 609-620.
    11. Wakkee, Ingrid & van der Sijde, Peter & Vaupell, Christiaan & Ghuman, Karminder, 2019. "The university's role in sustainable development: Activating entrepreneurial scholars as agents of change," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 195-205.
    12. Mathivathanan, Deepak & Mathiyazhagan, K. & Khorana, Sangeeta & Rana, Nripendra P. & Arora, Bimal, 2022. "Drivers of circular economy for small and medium enterprises: Case study on the Indian state of Tamil Nadu," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 997-1015.
    13. Yamoah, Fred A. & Sivarajah, Uthayasankar & Mahroof, Kamran & Peña, Iker González, 2022. "Demystifying corporate inertia towards transition to circular economy: A management frame of reference," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    14. Hana Trollman & James Colwill & Alan Brejnholt, 2020. "Ecologically Embedded Design in Manufacturing: Legitimation within Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, May.
    15. José María Martín Martín & Sara Calvo Martínez & José Manuel Guaita Martínez & Domingo Enrique Ribeiro Soriano, 2022. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Qualitative analysis on the driving force behind upcycling practices associated with mobile applications: Circular economy perspective," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 647-661, December.
    16. David Audretsch & Erik Lehmann & Stefano Paleari, 2015. "Academic policy and entrepreneurship: a European perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 363-368, June.
    17. I. Gåvertsson & L. Milios & C. Dalhammar, 2020. "Quality Labelling for Re-used ICT Equipment to Support Consumer Choice in the Circular Economy," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 353-377, June.
    18. Nynne Marie Bech & Morten Birkved & Fiona Charnley & Louise Laumann Kjaer & Daniela C. A. Pigosso & Michael Z. Hauschild & Tim C. McAloone & Mariale Moreno, 2019. "Evaluating the Environmental Performance of a Product/Service-System Business Model for Merino Wool Next-to-Skin Garments: The Case of Armadillo Merino ®," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-21, October.
    19. Donato Masi & Steven Day & Janet Godsell, 2017. "Supply Chain Configurations in the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-22, September.
    20. Johannes Matschewsky, 2019. "Unintended Circularity?—Assessing a Product-Service System for its Potential Contribution to a Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2719-:d:161536. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.