Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy

How the marriage of Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can radically transform waste management--and our worldDo we really have to make a choice between a wasteless and nonproductive world or a wasteful and ultimately self-destructive one? Futurist and world-renowned waste management scientist Antonis Mavropoulos and sustainable business developer and digital strategist Anders Nilsen respond with a ringing and optimistic "No!" They explore the Earth-changing potential of a happy (and wasteless) marriage between Industry 4.0 and a Circular Economy that could--with properly reshaped waste management practices--deliver transformative environmental, health, and societal benefits. This book is about the possibility of a brand-new world and the challenges to achieve it.The fourth industrial revolution has given us innovations including robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, and biotech. By using these technologies to advance the Circular Economy--where industry produces more durable materials and runs on its own byproducts--the waste management industry will become a central element of a more sustainable world and can ensure its own, but well beyond business as usual, future. Mavropoulos and Nilsen look at how this can be achieved--a wasteless world will require more waste management--and examine obstacles and opportunities such as demographics, urbanization, global warming, and the environmental strain caused by the rise of the global middle class.* Explore the new prevention, reduction, and elimination methods transforming waste management* Comprehend and capitalize on the business implications for the sector* Understand the theory via practical examples and case studies* Appreciate the social benefits of the new approachWaste-management has always been vital for the protection of health and the environment. Now it can become a crucial role model in showing how Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy can converge to ensure flourishing, sustainable--and much brighter--future.

Foreword 1 xiForeword 2 xiiiForeword 3 xviiSeries Preface xxiPreface xxiiiAbout the Authors xxvAbout the Graphic Designer xxviiEndorsements xxixGlossary xxxiiiList of Acronyms xxxixChapter 1: The End of Business as Usual 11.1 The Trillion-Dollar Question 21.2 The Future is Warmer, Urbanized, Polluted, and Resource-Hungry 31.3 It Can't Happen Again 91.4 It's About People, Not Waste 121.5 About This Book 15References 18Chapter 2: Understanding Industry 4.0 232.1 The Four Industrial Revolutions 242.1.1 The First Industrial Revolution 252.1.2 The Second Industrial Revolution 272.1.3 The Third Industrial Revolution 302.1.4 The Fourth Industrial Revolution 342.2 Industry 4.0 362.2.1 The Technologies that Drive the Revolution 382.2.1.1 Internet of Things 402.2.1.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) 402.2.1.3 Machine Learning (ML) 402.2.1.4 Autonomous Robots 402.2.1.5 Virtual Simulators 402.2.1.6 New Human-Machine Interfaces 412.2.1.7 Encryption and Cybersecurity 412.2.1.8 Cloud and APIs 412.2.1.9 Additive Manufacturing 412.2.1.10 Blockchain 412.2.1.11 Advanced Materials 422.2.2 What Changes Can Industry 4.0 Enable? 432.2.2.1 Responsive and Flexible Production Systems 442.2.2.2 Integrated Ecosystems 442.2.2.3 Engineering for Life Cycle Throughout the Entire Value Chain 442.2.2.4 Acceleration by the Use of Exponential Technologies 442.2.3 Important Concepts in Industry 4.0 Systems 452.2.3.1 Predictive Maintenance 452.2.3.2 Digital Twins 462.2.3.3 Smart Factories 462.2.3.4 Industrial Symbiosis 462.2.3.5 Lights-Out Manufacturing 462.2.3.6 Edge Computing 472.2.4 Revolution or Evolution? 472.3 More with Less and the Rebound Effect 492.4 Radical Solutions to Difficult Problems 522.4.1 Transforming Business Models 532.4.2 Creating Collaborative Ecosystems 542.4.3 Killer Apps of the Industry 4.0 55References 57Chapter 3: Un(mis)understanding Circular Economy 613.1 A Global Trend 623.1.1 China and EU Are Leading the Way 623.1.2 Other Government Initiatives 643.1.3 Private Sector Initiatives 663.1.4 Why Now? 663.2 Circular Economy Comes from Our Past 693.2.1 The Post-World War II Acceleration 713.2.2 Industrialization Stimulated the Linearization of the Economy 723.3 What is a Circular Economy? 743.3.1 Hundred Fourteen Answers for One Question 773.4 From Good Intentions to Science 803.4.1 We Live in a "Full" World 823.4.2 Thermodynamics Are Fundamental 853.5 Circularity is not Sustainability 873.5.1 Anthropogenic Stocks Are Ignored but Rapidly Growing 903.5.2 What Can We Really Achieve Advancing Circular Economy? 923.6 The Butterfly Effect 933.6.1 How About Composite Materials? 963.6.2 The Importance of the System's Boundaries 963.7 The End of Growth as We Know It 993.7.1 The End of "Green Growth" 1013.7.2 IND4.0 and the Religion of Continuous Growth 1023.8 Circular Economy for Whom? 1043.8.1 The Social Footprint of Circular Economy is Shaped by Corporate Interests 1063.8.2 Time to Rethink Governance 1113.9 It's Huge, Systemic, Uncertain but Urgently Needed 114References 118Chapter 4: Redefining Resources and Waste 1254.1 IND4.0 Redefines Resources 1264.1.1 The Energy Footprint of Digitalization 1274.1.2 Metals Are Key for IND4.0 1294.1.3 More Food and More Water 1314.2 Redefining the Term "Waste" 1324.2.1 A Brief Historical Overview 1334.2.2 Future Waste Streams 1364.2.3 Anthropogenic Stocks 1364.2.4 Food Waste 1394.2.5 Plastics 1404.2.6 E-Waste 1444.2.7 Other Important Waste Streams 1464.3 Waste Hierarchy: Upgraded or Obsolete? 1474.3.1 Critiques About Waste Hierarchy 1514.3.2 Looking for More Systemic and Complex Tools 1544.3.3 Looking for Alternatives to Waste Hierarchy 1584.4 Sorry, Recycling is Not Circular Economy 1604.4.1 Weight-Based Targets Are Misleading 1614.4.2 Searching for New Metrics 1634.4.3 Losing My (Recycling) Religion 1654.4.4 Why Do We Recycle? Service vs. Value Chain 1674.4.5 Usual Misconceptions About Recycling 1704.5 Waste Management Goes Beyond Waste 1734.5.1 Complexity and Uncertainties Become the New Normal 1784.6 Final Sinks During the Anthropocene 1814.6.1 Chemical Pollution is a Serious Threat 1834.6.2 Clean Material Cycles in Circular Economy Require More Final Finks 1864.6.3 Circular Economy Needs More and Better Waste Management 1884.6.4 Waste to Energy in Circular Economy 1904.6.5 Sanitary Landfills in Circular Economy 1914.7 Circularities for Materials-Linearities for People 193References 200Chapter 5: Waste Management 4.0 2135.1 Perceptions and Reality 2145.1.1 Expectations for Industry 4.0 2145.1.2 The Hype and the Surprise 2155.1.3 Dilemmas Facing Waste Management 2185.1.4 An Ongoing Transformation 2195.2 Hardware in Waste Management 2215.2.1 The Connected Devices of Waste Management 2225.2.1.1 Smartphones 2225.2.1.2 Connected Weights 2235.2.1.3 Container Level Sensors 2235.2.1.4 RFID Bin Tags and Scanners 2235.2.1.5 Smart Locks 2245.2.1.6 GPS Trackers 2245.2.1.7 Material Scanners 2245.2.1.8 Industrial Robots 2255.2.1.9 Screening Machines 2255.2.2 Integrated Hardware Systems 2265.2.2.1 Reverse Vending Machines 2275.2.2.2 Underground Container Systems 2275.2.2.3 Automated Vacuum Collection (AVAC) 2275.2.2.4 Automated Waste Sorting Plants 2285.3 Software in Waste Management 2295.3.1 The Changing Landscape of Software Development 2295.3.1.1 From Servers to Cloud 2295.3.1.2 From Files to APIs 2295.3.1.3 From Monoliths to Modules 2305.3.1.4 From Centralized to Distributed Architecture 2305.3.1.5 From Reactive to Predictive Software 2305.3.2 Current Software in Waste Management 2315.3.2.1 ERP Systems 2315.3.2.2 Customer Management Systems 2315.3.2.3 Project Management Software (PMS) 2315.3.2.4 Data Lakes and Data Warehouses 2325.3.2.5 Fleet Management Systems 2325.3.2.6 Route Planning Software 2325.3.2.7 Field Reporting Software 2325.3.2.8 Customer Apps 2335.3.2.9 Marketplace Software 2335.3.3 Dealing with Complexity and Creating Higher-Level Systems 2335.3.3.1 Connectivity/ Integration Platforms 2345.3.3.2 Cloud Communications Platforms 2345.3.3.3 Smart Contract Frameworks 2365.3.3.4 Code Repositories 2375.4 Selected Case Studies 2375.4.1 Developing a Platform to Simplify Access Management Across Different Technical Solutions 2375.4.2 Using Bin Sensors to Decrease Overflowing Trash Cans with 80% 2395.4.3 Creating Symbiosis-Like Industrial Parks to Curb Emissions and Increase Resource Productivity 2405.4.4 Enabling a Fully Automated Waste Processing Facility 2415.5 The Value of Openness 243References 246Chapter 6: Towards the Digitalization of the Waste Industry 2516.1 From Waste Management to Resource Innovation 2526.1.1 A Fundamental Shift 2536.1.2 Risks and Challenges 2556.1.3 From Specific to Holistic Problem Solving 2566.2 Leadership and Management 2576.2.1 Long-Term Vision or Short-Term Pragmatism? 2606.2.2 Leadership Styles and Strategies 2626.2.3 Choosing the Right Innovation Methodology 2636.2.3.1 Design Thinking 2646.2.3.2 Lean Start-Up 2656.2.3.3 Agile 2656.2.4 Building Industrial Ecosystems 2676.2.5 Dealing with Complexity 2686.2.6 Political Leadership 2696.3 Exploration Versus Exploitation 2726.3.1 Playing with Both Hands 2726.3.2 The Three Types of Innovation 2736.3.3 Resource Optimization: The Forgotten Perspective 2746.4 From Digitalization to New Business Models 2756.4.1 Sustainability as a Driver of Value 2766.4.2 The Elements of a Business Model 2796.4.3 Business Model Experiments: The RESTART Approach 2816.5 Democratizing Technology 2846.5.1 The Benefits of Openness 2846.5.2 Creating and Promoting Shared Standards 2866.5.3 Global Collaboration for the Common Good? 287References 290Chapter 7: The Rise of a New Science 2957.1 The Rise of Urban Informatics 2967.1.1 New Answers to Old Questions, but Not for Free 2987.1.2 Citizens' Engagement 3007.1.3 More Challenges 3017.2 Islands of Information in Oceans of Big Data 3037.2.1 Understanding Cities 3037.2.2 Understanding Supply Chains 3057.2.3 Understanding Waste Management 3057.2.4 Mobile Phones Are the Key to Create New Big Data Sets 3077.2.5 Predicting Pandemics 3117.3 The Dark Side of the Moon 3117.3.1 Surveillance Capitalism? 3137.4 From Cities as Machines to Cities as Organisms 3157.4.1 Urban Theories and the Role of Scaling 3167.4.2 From Urban Scaling to Urban Sustainability 3187.4.3 Big Data Meets the New Urban Science 3207.5 Circular Economy: Digitized or Dead 323References 327Chapter 8: Stairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell? 3338.1 Circular Economy or Space Race? 3368.2 Circular Economy and IND4.0 as Essentially Contested Concepts 3398.3 Squeezing IND4.0 - Undermining Circular Economy 3418.4 Governance is the Key - Cities are the Lock 3468.5 Beyond Business as Usual Optimization 3528.6 Environmental Incrementalism? No, Thanks 3548.7 IND4.0 Meets the Horse Manure Crisis 3588.8 No Sanitation = No Sustainability 3618.9 Ask Sisyphus the Trillion-Dollar Question 363References 367Epilogue: The Future Starts with You 373Epilogue: Towards Irreversible Wastelands 375Index 379