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The European waste policy is focused on reducing the negative impact of waste, eliminating the unhealthy use of resources, and on better waste management. The aim of this paper is to analyse Romania’s waste management practices in the EU context. The research methodology is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis. The descriptive data analysis reveals significant differences among EU countries in terms of the municipal waste generated and the recycling rate. The municipal waste generated registers decrease, whereas there are significant increases in terms of the recycling rates in the EU countries. The qualitative research is based on the analysis of structured interviews among stakeholders, relevant for the waste management in Romania. The information obtained based on interviews was processed using NVivo and the main findings are focused on recommendations for improving the waste management system. We have identified a lack of adequate public support in the waste field due to insufficient awareness programs, lack of operator’s obligation for separate waste sanitation, people's discouragement to separate their household waste, and lack of bins to separate collection. The correction of identified weaknesses could lead to an improved waste management system, feasible only through an active involvement of stakeholders.

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For over two decades, the concept of sustainable development has been salient in political discourse. But its promise of reconciling economic development, social welfare, and environmental sustainability has proven rather elusive. In recent years, we've seen numerous competing concepts emerge in debates about sustainable economic development. While many advance ideas of a green economy and green growth, others talk about wellbeing, gross national happiness, inclusive wealth, harmony with nature, de-growth, steady-state economy, and buenvivir (living well). This rhetorical diversity shows that there is no single vision for reconciling environmental sustainability and economic development. But the varied terminology itself obscures actual points of agreement and disagreement. This article reports on a bilingual 'Q study' of international debates about sustainable economic development. It reveals that three discourses underpin these debates: Radical Transformationism; Cooperative Reformism; and Statist Progressivism. The article dissects these discourses and contextualizes their key points of contention in wider sustainability debates over the past two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European waste policy is focused on reducing the negative impact of waste, eliminating the unhealthy use of resources, and on better waste management. The aim of this paper is to analyse Romania's waste management practices in the EU context. The research methodology is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis. The descriptive data analysis reveals significant differences among EU countries in terms of the municipal waste generated and the recycling rate. The municipal waste generated registers decrease, whereas there are significant increases in terms of the recycling rates in the EU countries. The qualitative research is based on the analysis of structured interviews among stakeholders, relevant for the waste management in Romania. The information obtained based on interviews was processed using NVivo and the main findings are focused on recommendations for improving the waste management system. We have identified a lack of adequate public support in the waste field due to insufficient awareness programs, lack of operator's obligation for separate waste sanitation, people's discouragement to separate their household waste, and lack of bins to separate collection. The correction of identified weaknesses could lead to an improved waste management system, feasible only through an active involvement of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sustainable economy fulfills societal needs in a fundamentally different way to the current economic system. Improvements to the efficiency of existing technologies or practices appear insufficient for achieving sustainable development within the planetary boundaries. Disruptive, systemic and transformational changes appear necessary in order to replace existing technologies and practices to establish a sustainable economy. Such innovations often start out in niches; however, the scaling up and the ultimate replacement of current socio-technical systems requires governance to allow for the coordination of actors, the reorganization of socio-technical systems and the mobilization and allocation of resources. As governmental institutions are part of the current (non-sustainable) systems and thereby fail to provide coherent, integrated and transformative governance, we explore whether institutional innovation from non-state actors can step in to provide governance of transformation processes. Based on explorative qualitative case studies of networks in the food sector, city planning and reporting tools, we analyze the potential of bottom-up institutional innovations to coordinate actors in transformation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including sustainable development goal, social-ecological research for the transformation to a sustainable economy, and new scientific results produced within projects.

A new era of smart technologies has emerged, where humans and machines collaborate and work together side by side. The use of advanced technologies will undoubtedly increase, and nations face a difficult mission to maintain a balance between tremendous technological growth and a sustainable development strategy, which primarily encompasses economic growth, social well-being, and environmental considerations. For this reason, the paper explores the effects of Industry 4.0 on the sustainable economy for 20 OECD countries for the period [2011–2021]. To do this, We utilize several variables to represent Industry 4.0 technologies. These include ICT patents, reflecting a high level of interconnectedness; environmental patents, demonstrating the green aspect of Industry 4.0; AI patents, which form the core of digitalization strategies due to their capacity for automation and operational visibility; and high-technology exports, signifying a country's advancement in the technology market. The main findings reveal a positive and significant impact of environmental patents and the number of researchers on economic growth and renewable energy consumption, while ICT patents and AI patents have a negative effect on the employment rate. • The aim of this paper is to assess the nexus between Industry 4.0 characteristics and economic growth, employment rate and renewable energy to understand the sustainable burden of the fourth revolution in twenty OECD countries. • The results offer interesting insights. A positive link between GDP per capita and environmental patents is revealed, indicating that the selected countries have the means to invest in sustainable development. • The integration of environmental initiatives does not hinder these countries from achieving economic efficiency. Also, the environmental patents variable exhibits a positive and significant correlation with both renewable energy and the employment rate. • Artificial intelligence patents affects negatively and significantly the rate of employment, the public authorities should find an equilibrium between the smart industry and the social well-being. • The number of researchers has a significant and positive effect on GDP per capita, indicating the importance of intellectual capacity in advancing and developing nations. This result underscores the crucial role of research and innovation in driving economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea that builds on the recognition that the Earth is a finite world, the resources are not endless, and thus the vision of continuous growth cannot be sustained can be traced back to the 1960s. Global problems had already occurred by then, and trends calculated from the data indicated a rapid disaster for the future. Humanity is at crossroads, and even the directions are still unclear. In the mid-1980s, an increasingly ecological approach appeared in politics, development policy, and international institutions.

Studies and researches on the deterioration of the ecosystems and the environmental services provided by the natural ecosystems have been undertaken and are under way even to this day on very many levels, some even in areas or domains having no connection with ecology or with the environment. The profound ecology demonstrates unequivocally that the natural and semi-natural ecological ecosystems produce resources and services, through the concentration of the solar radiant energy and trough the maximization of the density of the energy flow. The primordial task the research have is the creation of a vision as widely accepted as possible on a sustainable society in the long run.

The significance of the problem of providing technological assurance of processes is demonstrated based on examination of the development of computer technology in Moldova. Only human potential availability of well trained professionals, logistics and coordination of the whole process of the work cycle from research to production can provide a high level of quality, contribute to promoting and ensuring market competitiveness of manufactured products. It is demonstrated that there are many areas that require the use of computer systems, including analog and digital specialized electronic machines. Providing conditions for the evolution of new technologies and their development is the most important prerequisite for sustainable economic development.

In the conditions of sustainable development for Romania it is imperative to advance from a formulated economy on market forces that ignores the environmental values and exigencies to a sustainable economy based on knowledge, system that confers huge opportunities for investment. Against on background, it becomes imperative for our country to pay an increased attention of investments in the reconstruction of ecosystems. This is a fundamental obligation assumed and confirmed in the national strategy for sustainable development. In these circumstances the national economy takes a great step forward for the successful integration in the contemporary paradigm of sustainable development. In this framework the old industries must be restructured on their capacity of production founded on the natural capital and also the new industries will be created taking into account essentially the capacity of innovation and the intellectual capital, renewable resources until now neglected. These substantial changes in the structure of Romania economy requires new professions and modern patterns of production and consumption and highly qualified human resources. In the same vein preparation of human resources, we consider that preparation of human resources is the major premise in achieving of sustainable development. Thus, human resource generates knowledge and information which are endless resources for economic development, which amplify, multiply and diversify through reutilization. Therefore investments in human resources should concentrate essentially following directions of action: development of competitive sector of scientific research ecological valence, the training of specialists in holistic system for the construction of sustainable economy and the preparation of decision makers for managing of sustainable economy. Generally these dimensions of the national economy reconstruction in accordance with imperatives of sustainable development will inevitably lead to significant changes in all spheres of economic and social domains. Practically, in order to build a sustainable economy in Romania as it happens in developed countries of EU, the protection of domestic natural capital must become a state policy. Whereas until present has been made significant progress in this direction, we consider that there are still a number of impediments to sustainable development in Romania. Among the main reasons that hinder the Romanian transition to sustainable economy we can mention that on the one hand the lack of a constant concern on the improvement of economic infrastructure, industry recalibration on the supporting capacity of domestic natural capital. On the other hand, the current process of economic development of our country target immediate profit and short-term solutions. In the contemporary context of sustainable development it is important for Romania to create a strong research sector of scientific and tehnological innovation. In this perspective we appreciate that is necessary the preparation of human resources, as specialists in research, corporative management, innovation, projection, education. The process of sustainable reconstruction of Romanian economic infrastructure is a long-term and adaptative process of structural and functional transformation process according to harmonization with the production capacity and the support of natural capital. Also, on the trajectory of sustainable development, the efficiency receives a new concsitency: eco-efficiency can be calculated through flows of materials and energy, which is made between natural capital and economic infrastructure namely: ecological efficiency, environmental efficiency and economic efficiency.

The present paper shades light into two very hot topics: food waste and rural tourism. in this very fast-paced and consumerist society the issue of food waste becomes of crucial importance in the context of a sustainable bioeconomy conducted under the context of rural tourism. Therefore, the hereby research. The current paper addresses the problem of food waste in rural touristic accommodation from the perspective of the behavior of the guests towards food consumed while traveling/vacationing. through a comprehensive review of the studies currently available, it is established that there are indications that individuals change their food habits while traveling and that these changes can have a negative impact on the amount of food wasted (i.e., by increasing the amount of food that goes unconsumed). The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and a series of recommendations both for policy makers and for the managers of rural touristic accommodations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the EU strategy on energy and climate change, namely the main objectives established for EU countries to this respect. The energetic potential of biomass in Romania is presented, serving as premise for sustainable development and ensuring energetic security. The article presents the results of the latest report on the progress registered by Romania in fulfilling the EU 2020 objectives on renewable energy. In addition, the Romanian legal framework for the promotion of renewable energy obtained from biomass is presented, with a focus on promoting the cultivation of energetic non-agricultural plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing debate among private, non-governmental, and governmental institutions about development and its degree of sustainability. This study sets out to answer whether or not India and Nigeria, as developing countries, are on the right path towards attaining sustainable development. If they are not, the study identifies a probable pathway, from developing to sustainable economy. This is achieved by conducting a comparative analysis of the development planning systems and sustainable development indicators, using the case studies of India and Nigeria. The results of this work will be useful to researchers, policy-makers and development workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper emphasizes the need for considering ethical aspects in developing a sustainable economy that meets the challenges of the historic overuse of the planet in the Anthropocene. The paper argues that a sustainable economy is, at its core, an ethical challenge and requires a new ethical underpinning which considers the ethical dimension of sustainability and insights from sustainability ethics. The tradition of Western economic thought, and specifically the modern conception of the capitalist market economy, are based on rather narrow ethical foundations which are not sufficient to support a sustainable economy. Traditional economic conceptions have mostly focused on the wellbeing of current individuals and societies. There have been no broader systematic economic conceptions that fully integrate the wellbeing of nature, other species, and future beings. A sustainable economy requires a significantly expanded and redefined ethical underpinning that integrates two aspects: First, a broader ethical foundation that systematically considers nature, non-human beings, future beings, and people around the world. Second, a re-definition of individual wellbeing and societal welfare beyond rational utility maximization, efficiency, and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]