Abstract
The concepts of sustainability and circular economy (CE) have attracted enormous attention in the academic, business and political spheres. However, a systematic review of case studies concerning CE in the tourism industry remains lacking. The present study collected good environmental management practices and circular solutions related to energy, water and waste from tourist accommodations in Italy/Europe and China. Moreover, sustainable procedures were critically discussed within the strategic water-energy-waste-food-transport (WEWFT) nexus. When comprehensive data were available, good practices were also measured by Circular Indicators (CIs) and compared to benchmark values set by existing certification or labelling. CIs support the innovative, resilient and sustainable development and assessment of the tourism industry. Most of the strategies were focused on energy optimization and a lack of tangible data was depicted for food and waste management.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Innovation Action project ‘Circular Economy in Tourism—CEnTOUR’, which has received funding from the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) (‘the Agency’) under powers delegated by the European Commission according to grant agreement No. 951076. Also, this work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 776643 within the framework of HYDROUSA project.
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Li, K., Cipolletta, G., Andreola, C. et al. Circular economy and sustainability in the tourism industry: critical analysis of integrated solutions and good practices in European and Chinese case studies. Environ Dev Sustain (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03395-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03395-7