Open access
THE ELEMENTS OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES
Jacek WYSOCKI1, Anna STRYCHALSKA-RUDZEWICZ2
Publication language: English
journal paper
Transformations No. 2(121)2024, Publication date: 30 June 2024
Keywords: circular economy, environmental activities, manufacturing companies
Abstract The aim of this paper is to ascertain the importance of the elements of a cir-cular economy used by manufacturing companies in the context of their environmental activities. The results of empirical studies carried out in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in Poland are presented. They concerned the type of proenvironmental initiatives implemented by the respondents, which also included elements of a circular economy. The results of the survey are also presented in terms of the effects of these initiatives. The survey included a stratified random sample of small and medium-sized companies (N = 342), which were randomly and proportionally (within two strata) selected from a population of 12,938 active manufacturing companies in Poland. The survey results show that the highest number of indications was recorded for such proenvironmental activities as: striving to minimize waste in production processes and designing and offering environmentally friendly products (eco-products). Expected effects from incorporating pro-environmental initiatives into the company's management process were the most often: political-legal - involving adaptation to the requirements of the state and EU environmental policy, environmental - enabling the elimination of the effects of pollution and/or its reduction, and technological - enabling the improvement of production processes and the introduction of new environmentally friendly products and technologies.
Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
ORCID: 0000-0003-3815-8500
E-mail: jacek.wysocki@sgh.waw.pl
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland.
ORCID: 0000-0002-4999-6772
E-mail: astry@uwm.edu.pl