Circular Economy

Reinventing the Value of Waste

Challenges and Objectives

Towards Sustainable Resource and Waste Management

The circular economy aims to reduce the use of natural resources and the generation of waste by promoting product reuse, repairability, and recycling. It is based on a system in which materials and energy are continuously reused. Developing this model requires new organizational approaches, greater producer responsibility, and the creation of new technologies and economic frameworks. Our vision demonstrates that waste is not only a source of pollution but also an opportunity to create value through its recovery and reuse.

Our Research

From Electronic Waste to Valuable Resources

The MINES Paris team examines how the circular economy can be structured, managed, and optimized through the economic, managerial, and governance dimensions of urban mining, in connection with the circular economy. Their work is organized around three main areas of research.

Extended Producer Responsibility

The team studies how producers can be held accountable, both individually and collectively (through producer responsibility organizations), for managing end-of-life waste. They also analyze how public authorities and other stakeholders collaborate to develop new regulations and governance frameworks.

Circular Economy Business Models

The objective is to study emerging business models in the field of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and their end-of-life management (WEEE). The team seeks to understand how these models create value, how that value is captured, and what conditions are necessary to ensure their success and long-term sustainability.

Organization of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes

The team focuses on the role of producer responsibility organizations, which manage recycling systems, and how they contribute to collective learning. They aim to understand how these organizations help producers and end-of-life stakeholders better manage their processes and optimize recycling value chains.

Our Work

Some projects of the Chair

Alexis Barthet, Post-doctoral researcher at Mines Paris – PSL

Sampling and characterization of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

Jean-Pierre Louis Communal and Paul Contat, students at Mines Paris – PSL and interns at ecosystem.

Support offer for integrating repair into the business models of ecosystem members

Benjamin Combes

New sufficiency models: consumption and low-impact business models

Our stakeholders

The CGS expertise at MINES Paris

The CGS team at MINES Paris is recognized for its expertise in innovation management, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and eco-design. It adopts an action-research approach, helping companies address challenges related to sustainable innovation. The team uses field surveys, qualitative and quantitative analyses, participant observation, and archival research. It also collaborates with international institutions, including partners in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, and aims to leverage these networks to promote and disseminate the work carried out within the Chair.