The Role of the Circular Economy in Road Transport to Mitigate Climate Change and Reduce Resource Depletion

Victor Hugo Souza De Abreu, Mariane Gonzalez Da Costa, Valeria Xavier Da Costa, Tassia Faria De Assis, Andrea Souza Santos and Marcio de Almeida D’Agosto
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Victor Hugo Souza De Abreu: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
Mariane Gonzalez Da Costa: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
Valeria Xavier Da Costa: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
Tassia Faria De Assis: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
Andrea Souza Santos: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil
Marcio de Almeida D’Agosto: Program of Transportation Engineering, Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), Technology Center, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-914, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-26

Abstract: The transport sector is responsible for several environmental impacts, including contributions to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and depleting natural resources. A strategy to reduce these issues goes towards the application of a circular economy, a concept that offers a response to increasing concerns about resource scarcity and the associated impacts from their use. Thus, this paper aims to fill a gap in the literature that consists of the scarcity of studies that consider the circular economy application on a micro, meso, and macro level in road transport, including all stages as well as the 7 Rs of the reverse cycle. Therefore, an approach is presented to meet road transport needs, highlighting best practices obtained through a literature review, to promote climate change mitigation and resource depletion. Qualitative data were presented for each circular economy stage with 46 best practices identified, providing invaluable guidance to transport decision-makers. Thus, public policies focusing on all of the CE stages should be taken into consideration, not only those responsible for closing the cycle, such as waste and recycling or disposal and treatment.

Keywords: circular economy; sustainable development; road transport; best practices; climate change mitigation; resource depletion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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