The Contribution of Life Cycle Analyses and Circular Economy to the Sustainable Development Goals

This book offers a comprehensive review of life cycle assessment (LCA), circular economy (CE), and sustainable development, exploring their achievements and progress across the world. The book also emphasizes the significant contribution of LCA and CE to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), demonstrating how these frameworks can drive progress toward global sustainability targets. The main topics covered include the environmental and economic assessment of building materials, the life cycle of agricultural and bio-based products, the role of venture businesses in promoting CE, and the impact of CE on sustainable development. Additionally, the book discusses energy optimization in supply chains, the nexus between comparative advantage and the bio-based economy, and the use of CE frameworks in energy management for educational institutions. Key chapters highlight the valorization of waste materials for bioethanol production, the evolution of LCA studies on electric vehicle batteries, and the implementation of EDGE certification in Brazilian public schools. The book also explores the integration of LCA and CE in architectural education, the challenges and barriers to CE adoption in Nigeria, and the role of public policy in advancing CE in Brazil. These topics are critically important as they address the pressing need for sustainable practices in various industries. The integration of LCA and CE principles is crucial for minimizing environmental impacts, optimizing resource use, and fostering innovation in sustainable development. The book aims to solve the problem of how to effectively incorporate these principles into practice, providing methodological approaches, case studies, and policy perspectives that illustrate successful implementations and identify areas for improvement. The target audience for this book includes researchers, policymakers, industry professionals, and students interested in sustainability, environmental science, and circular economy practices. By offering in-depth analysis and practical insights, this book serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand and apply LCA and CE principles to achieve sustainable development goals.

Luciana Londero Brandli, Ph.D., is a professor at the University of Passo Fundo, Brazil. She completed her postdoctoral studies in Applied Sciences at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany in 2014. Her areas of expertise include Sustainability, Higher Education, Sustainable Development, and Environmental Management. Professor Brandli has extensive international experience, having collaborated with institutions in Germany, the USA, the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Fiji, among others. She serves on the editorial boards of various journals, supervises several master’s and doctoral students in engineering, environmental, and sustainability issues, and has authored over 300 publications, including books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. She is the coordinator of the Green Office, the first academic office for sustainability in Latin America. Currently, she is involved in key commissions related to climate change and innovation in her country and she is a member of international collaboration networks such as the German-Brazilian Science and Technology Network (GERBRAS), the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP) and the Climate-U network. 

Lucas Veiga Ávila is a professor at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil, with a Dr in Management from UFSM, including a sandwich period at the Center for Applied Sciences of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany, completed in 2017. His areas of expertise include Sustainability, Higher Education, Sustainable Development, Environmental Indicators, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Innovation and Climate Change. Professor Avila has extensive experience in international collaboration networks, participating in projects and publications in partnership with institutions from various countries. He is on the editorial board of journals such as the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education and other scientific publications. He also supervises master's and doctoral students in Production Engineering, Business Administration and Accounting. With more than 200 publications, including books, book chapters and papers in peer-reviewed journals, he is recognized for his significant academic output. He is the founder and coordinator of the 1st Social Innovation HUB, the first social innovation office in public universities in Latin America. He is currently a member of international collaboration networks such as the German-Brazilian Science and Technology Network (GERBRAS), the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP) and the ESG/ASG MetaRed, highlighting his commitment to the intersection between sustainability, education and global governance.

Francisco Dalla Rosa is a professor at the University of Passo Fundo (UPF) in southern Brazil. He completed his postdoctoral studies at Texas A&M University in the United States in 2016. Professor Dalla Rosa specializes in Public Infrastructure Management Systems, Artificial Intelligence in Civil Engineering, and Geotechnical Engineering. His recent projects include the application of AI to identify various types of material distress and to automate infrastructure inventory processes. He has also served as a reviewer for journals such as Transportation Research Record, Road Materials and Pavement Design, and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. Furthermore, he has advised numerous master's and doctoral students on civil and environmental engineering topics.

Rudi Pretorius is Associate Professor of Geography at the University of South Africa (Unisa). His interests cover education for sustainability, open, distance, and e-learning applications in geography and environmental study fields, sustainability in higher education, sustainable development and the SDGs. His publication record includes papers in several international journals and he recently co-edited the books Sustainable Development in Africa: Fostering Sustainability in one the World´s Most Promising Continents and SDGs in Africa and the Middle East, both from Springer Nature. He is a Deputy Editor for Discover Sustainability and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. At Unisa he has been the coordinator of the undergraduate programme in environmental management up to 2024. He is also the project leader at Unisa for an international collaborative project on the teaching and learning dimensions of the SDGs between Unisa, Hamburg University of Applied Science (Germany) and the University of Passo Fundo (Brazil), running from 2022 to 2025.

Professor Walter Leal is a distinguished "Euro-Professor", holding professorial posts at Universities in Germany (Chair of Climate Change Management at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences), United Kingdom (Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University), Sweden (University of Uppsala) and Poland (Merito University). He has two main research interests. The first is in the field of sustainable development, where he holds a world record of publications. The second is climate change, to which he has been providing a key contribution to the literature, also including aspects of climate change and health.