Circular Economy

The transition towards a circular economy is one of the biggest challenges to realize a more sustainable (biobased) society. This transition requires an interdisciplinary approach, combining technical, environmental, commercial, and social dimensions, interests, and influences. By this course, you familiarize yourself with prime issues in advancing Circular Economy in biobased settings, recognizing the relevancy of different disciplines, partiality of different tools and critical importance of thorough decision making.
We take a systems approach to the circular economy, considering the companies, supply chain, citizens/consumers and urban local context. After the introductory week, including the ethical reflection, we dive into systems theory/approach related to resource recovery (week 2) , business management (wk3), life cycle assessment (LCA) and agent-based modelling (ABM) (both wk4). Gradually emphasis shifts to a case study on Amsterdam green waste streams where in a predetermined, heterogenous group you will use either LCA or ABM to partially partially develop, embed, discuss, and reflect circular options (wks 5-8). How can you use them in developing creative, reliable and feasible insights for advice to the Amsterdam municipality? How to deal with the partiality and synergies of different perspectives? While working on such questions the course also aims to increase your curiosity for MBS-courses.

• Understand the concept of a circular economy, based on its socio-technical, managerial, and environmental characteristics

• Apply systems thinking with technology assessments to analyse and develop complex circular systems

• Understand, when taking a commercial and a societal angle, how (biobased/) circular economy deviates from the current, mostly linear, system

• Understand the fundamentals and use of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and/or Agent Based Modelling (ABM) in the context of the circular economy

• Identify, apply and assess the use of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) or Agent Based Modelling (ABM) in a (commercial) case study, convincingly present and contrast innovative circular solutions (of others), integrated in an advisory report

• Reflect systematically on yourself, group work, and the different disciplinary perspectives

• Better understand ethical issues related to biobased and circular practices

• Assignment reflection report (10%) Individual level reflection paper, and in class attitude (e.g. contribututions and attendance) to reflect commitment.
• Assignment report (75%) Group report, plus roundtable presentation & discussions. To acknowledge diversity in student quality, commitment, and contributions, the group grade is individualized by input from staff and formalized peer feedback (75% of final mark). Minimum required mark for group report is 5.50. Free rider behavior will impact continuation in the course and grading. The procedure on free riding is published on Brightspace.
• Written test with open questions (15%) Participation in all tests (quizzes). Required sufficiency grade (average 5.50) for the five exams.

The entry level is BSc-level knowledge in specific areas of a MBSc-specialisation. When you are in doubt on this assumption please contact your study advisor.

• These are communicated during the different weeks of the course, and made available via Brightspace,apps or self-study. Includes Boundary Crossing-literature. No books.