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European National Road Authorities and Circular Economy: An Insight into Their Approaches

Author

Listed:
  • Konstantinos Mantalovas

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy)

  • Gaetano Di Mino

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy)

  • Ana Jimenez Del Barco Carrion

    (Department of Construction Engineering and Engineering Projects, University of Granada, 18003 Granada, Spain)

  • Elisabeth Keijzer

    (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Björn Kalman

    (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), 58330 Linkoping, Sweden)

  • Tony Parry

    (Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre (NTEC), University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK)

  • Davide Lo Presti

    (Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
    Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre (NTEC), University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK)

Abstract

The pavement engineering industry, having realized the significance of the impacts that it imposes on the environment through the production, construction and management of its products and assets, has been driven towards a more sustainable and circular way of operating. This has partly been through asphalt recycling, which is an area that many road authorities have prioritized. However, not all the National Road Authorities (NRAs) and/or sector stakeholders seem to be adequately familiar with the Circular Economy (CE) concept. This paper attempts to assist the transition of NRAs to a more circular way of doing business, by analyzing the current situation of CE within national/regional authorities and NRAs. To do so, a questionnaire was sent to different NRAs and an online search was conducted to identify the ways that NRAs communicate their CE practices. Findings indicate that, although the majority of the NRAs are familiar with CE as a concept, not many actions have been taken so far towards its holistic implementation. Finally, there is a significant lack of CE expertise and communication within these bodies.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino & Ana Jimenez Del Barco Carrion & Elisabeth Keijzer & Björn Kalman & Tony Parry & Davide Lo Presti, 2020. "European National Road Authorities and Circular Economy: An Insight into Their Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7160-:d:407705
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino, 2019. "The Sustainability of Reclaimed Asphalt as a Resource for Road Pavement Management through a Circular Economic Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
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    8. Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino, 2020. "Integrating Circularity in the Sustainability Assessment of Asphalt Mixtures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Chong-Wen Chen, 2018. "Guidance on the Conceptual Design of Sustainable Product–Service Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, July.
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    3. Anthony Halog & Sandra Anieke, 2021. "A Review of Circular Economy Studies in Developed Countries and Its Potential Adoption in Developing Countries," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 209-230, June.
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    6. Margarita Ignatyeva & Vera Yurak & Oksana Logvinenko, 2020. "A New Look at the Natural Capital Concept: Approaches, Structure, and Evaluation Procedure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, November.

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