The Zero Waste to Landfill movement aims to eliminate waste sent to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean by redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused or recycled. It promotes waste prevention, encouraging individuals and organizations to reduce consumption, reuse items, and recycle materials. This movement also emphasizes the importance of responsible production and consumption to conserve resources and minimize environmental impact.
Factors such as regulatory challenges, lack of infrastructure, cultural resistance, and economic constraints may play significant roles. By examining these gaps, we can develop strategies to overcome them, drawing on successful practices from other countries.
One of the key strategies for achieving zero waste to landfill is the implementation of circular economy principles, which focus on creating closed-loop systems where materials are continuously reused and recycled.
Corporate sustainability practices play a crucial role in the successful implementation of zero waste to landfill initiatives. Ioannou and Serafeim (2021) explore how firms maintain their competitive advantage through sustainability-based differentiation, highlighting the importance of unique sustainability actions that are less likely to be imitated by industry peers. Their findings suggest that corporations that adopt innovative waste reduction and recycling practices can achieve better performance and enhance their sustainability credentials.
Measures landfill diversion rates and material recovery efficiency to assess the success of corporate sustainability practices.
Measures the level of support from government entities for corporate waste management practices.
Theoretical Framework
The framework for zero waste to landfill initiatives combines rules and policies with what companies do to manage waste. On one side, we have the rules and policies (purple), which include national and local laws, extended producer responsibility (EPR), circular economy ideas, government support, and other regulations. These are checked to see how well they help or hinder zero waste efforts and how they affect companies' waste management.
On the other side, we have what companies do internally (teal). This includes their strategies, using circular economy principles, innovative ways to reduce waste, working with public entities, and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) like how much waste is diverted from landfills and how efficiently materials are recovered. By looking at both sides, the framework helps us understand how to create effective and sustainable waste management solutions.
This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods to comprehensively understand the integrated framework for zero waste to landfill. The methodology includes a literature review to identify gaps in knowledge and provide a theoretical foundation, alongside case studies of U.S. corporations that have successfully implemented zero waste initiatives. Data will be collected through interviews, site visits, document analysis, and surveys to gather quantitative data on waste management practices and perceptions of regulatory frameworks. Semi-structured interviews with policymakers, corporate sustainability managers, and industry experts will offer insights into the interaction between regulatory frameworks and corporate practices. The study aims to highlight the importance of comprehensive policies, circular economy principles, innovative waste reduction techniques, and public-private partnerships in achieving zero waste goals, while addressing cultural and economic barriers and promoting collaboration between public and private sectors.
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