Policies for supporting the regional circular economy and sustainability

The Circular Economy and Sustainability are among the greatest challenges faced by policymakers, producers, and consumers. Circular Economy processes demand less from the environment since they can minimize waste generation and, hence, can be powerful tools to combat the negative effects of climate change. Additionally, following subsidiarity principles, public policies supporting the Circular Economy should be designed at the lowest levels of public administrations-this provides huge opportunities for regional governments to design, implement and monitor these policies. This editorial of the special issue explores and discusses implications for those policies before introducing the five papers published in the special issue dedicated to policies for regional economy and sustainability. While some of the papers attempt to conceptualize sustainable development through a microeconomic perspective, others have a clear macroeconomic empirical focus. In consequence, this special issue provides a rich body of work for further Circularity and Sustainability nexus studies.

Automated summary

Circular Economy and Sustainability are important challenges for policymakers, producers, and consumers. Circular Economy processes can minimize waste generation and have the potential to combat the negative effects of climate change. Public policies supporting the Circular Economy should be designed at the lowest levels of public administrations, providing opportunities for regional governments to implement and monitor these policies. This special issue provides a rich body of work for further research on the nexus between Circularity and Sustainability.