Is environmental legislation profitable for businesses? Circular Economy and Closed-Loop Supply Chains in Europe and in the United States.

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that the imposition of environmental laws, in particular Circular Economy-related policies can be compatible with companies’ profitability; since the Circular Economy paradigm embraces a variety of fields, this writing is focused on one among its aspects: Closed-Loop Supply Chains (CLSCs) – that are supply chains involving recycling, reusing and remanufacturing. The structure of the dissertation includes: 1. Principles of International Law on sustainable development and an analysis from a legal perspective of the European Union and United States policies on CLSCs, namely Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation; in particular for the EU case the attention is on the Circular Economy Package of 2018, while in the United States this is regulated by Product Stewardship laws. The sources of this chapter are Directives and Working Documents by European institutions and organisms integrated by academic literature. 2. An evaluation of CLSCs from a business perspective; the main aspects taken into consideration are: operation issues, business models and marketing aspects. This chapter is based on both professional and academic literature. 3. Business cases.