Digital Technologies, Circular Economy Practices and Environmental Policies in the Era of COVID-19

The degradation of the environment is associated with economic activity, particularly with the linear way in which the economy does not make efficient use of resources. However, the circular economy is opposed to this linear paradigm, since it makes the most of the resources in trying to achieve zer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 13; no. 22; p. 12790
Main Authors Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman, Ponce, Pablo, Thomas, George, Yu, Zhang, Al-Ahmadi, Mohammad Saad, Tanveer, Muhammad
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2021
Subjects
Additive manufacturing
Artificial intelligence
Big Data
Circular economy
Consumption
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Developing countries
Economic conditions
Economics
Environmental degradation
Environmental policy
Hypotheses
Information processing
Internet of Things
LDCs
Pandemics
Supply chains
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Ecuador
South Africa
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The degradation of the environment is associated with economic activity, particularly with the linear way in which the economy does not make efficient use of resources. However, the circular economy is opposed to this linear paradigm, since it makes the most of the resources in trying to achieve zero waste. In this context, this study investigates the relationship between industry 4.0 technologies, COVID-19 outbreak, environmental regulation policies and circular economy practices. A questionnaire is designed to collect information from 214 big and private manufacturing firms in Ecuador, and subsequently, through CB-SEM, the information is processed, and the study paths are validated. The results suggest that industry 4.0 technologies and environmental regulation policies are driving circular economy practices during the pandemic. The study finds no evidence favoring COVID-19 being a determining factor in the adoption of the circular economy. The results provide a policy framework for the adoption of a circular economy.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132212790