The circular economy (CE) is heralded as reducing material use and emissions while providing more jobs and growth. We explored this narrative in a series of expert workshops, basing ourselves on theories, methods and findings from science fields such as global environmental input-output analysis, business modelling, industrial organisation, innovation sciences and transition studies. Our findings indicate that this dominant narrative suffers from at least three inconvenient truths. First, CE can lead to loss of GDP. Each doubling of product lifetimes will halve the related industrial production, while the required design changes may cost little. Second, the same mechanism can create losses of production jobs. This may not be compensated by extra maintenance, repair or refurbishing activities. Finally, ‘Product-as-a-Service’ business models supported by platform technologies are crucial for a CE transition. But by transforming consumers from owners to users, they lose independence and do not share in any value enhancement of assets (e.g., houses). As shown by Uber and AirBNB, platforms tend to concentrate power and value with providers, dramatically affecting the distribution of wealth. The real win-win potential of circularity is that the same societal welfare may be achieved with less production and fewer working hours, resulting in more leisure time. But it is perfectly possible that powerful platform providers capture most added value and channel that to their elite owners, at the expense of the purchasing power of ordinary people working fewer hours. Similar undesirable distributional effects may occur at the global scale: the service economies in the Global North may benefit from the additional repair and refurbishment activities, while economies in the Global South that are more oriented towards primary production will see these activities shrink. It is essential that CE research comes to grips with such effects. Furthermore, governance approaches mitigating unfair distribution of power and value are hence essential for a successful circularity transition.
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Small medium enterprises represent the largest share of revenues in the apparel and fashion business, compared to larger integrated companies. Small companies however often have to rely on larger suppliers in order to efficiently produce their products. These larger suppliers however will often prioritize companies that place larger orders. In the impossibility to deliver larger orders, how can these buyers make sure that a producer complies with their requests? In this paper we try to answer this question by applying concepts from the marketing channels literature to the specific context of fashion buying. We conclude that despite that the peculiarities of the fashion business do not foster the formation of long-term commitment, dependent companies can develop sources of power based on knowledge and reputation, but also based on applying non-mediated ways to manage the buyer-seller relationship. Examples of possible power sources for a buyer are: establishing a strong brand that a business partner will use in promoting its proposition, forcing suppliers to make transaction specific investments (which are not redeploy able), specializing in new products and technologies that a supplier will want to understand and use, developing knowledge that can be exchanged in the form of specialized personnel, investing in standardization of communication before the relationship starts in order to reduce administrative costs for both parties. Power sources are most effective when non-mediated, i.e. informal and based on reciprocity; ‘hard’ contracts with punishments (coercive power sources) in case of non-compliance will diminish the willingness to collaborate.
Inspired by taxonomist Jack Goody’s theorizing of ‘ancient lists’ as ‘intellectual technologies’, this book analyzes listing practices in modern and contemporary formations of power, and how they operate in the installation and securing of the milieus of circulation that characterize Michel Foucault’s conception of governmentality. Propelling the list’s role in the delimitation and policing of risky and threatening elements from out of history and into a contemporary analysis of power, this work demonstrates how assemblages of computer, statistical, and list technologies first deployed by the Nazi regime continue to resonate significantly in the segmenting and constitution of a critical classification of contemporary homo sapiens: the terrorist class, or homo sacer.
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The latest IPCC Report (2022) provided by the UN shows us that, to guarantee a safe future for upcoming generations, we must change how we lead our lives on several levels. However, the increasing urgency to act and behave in a way that is not damaging the climate is bringing many psychological concerns to young generations. Worldwide reports are demonstrating how the issue of eco-anxiety is increasing daily, and how young people are feeling more hopeless than ever. Climate change has become a climate crisis, and individuals are experiencing pressure and fear incessantly (Marks et al., 2021). We, as Climate Streamers, have often found ourselves in this situation as well, but rather than freezing, we decided to take this challenge and think of solutions. Therefore, with the support of Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Performatory community, the BUas Startup Support Team, and outside mentors, we created Climate Streamers Foundation: a new youth-led non-profit organisation and a movement working towards a more inclusive and less polarised climate action. By working with leisure elements and a positive and appreciative approach, we want to give back hope, voice and power to the youth and inspire each other genuinely and sustainably. The purpose of this application is to allow us to elaborate a feasibility study concerning our MVP (minimum viable product), the card game, and boost the overall concept. We intend to implement the researched data to improve the design and sales management. The card game aims to stimulate appreciative conversations by giving space to players to express their opinions and personal stories and it is designed so everyone can play it, regardless of background and knowledge. After giving 200 games in production, we launched the card game in July 2022.
AANLEIDING In het RAAK-MKB project ‘Gelijkspanning breng(t) je verder’ heeft De Haagse Hogeschool, specifiek de opleiding Elektrotechniek, ervaren dat de opkomst van het onderwerp ‘Gelijkspanning’ (ook wel DC) in het beroepenveld sterk samenhangt met ontwikkelingen in het vakgebied van ‘Vermogenselektronica’ of ‘Power Eletronics’. Het beroepenveld vraagt steeds vaker om steeds meer kennis op dit vakgebied, in het kader van bijvoorbeeld de energietransitie, Smart Grids, Internet-of-Things etc. Om deze kennis op een goed gestructureerde wijze over te dragen aan studenten, moeten er een aantal belemmeringen worden weggewerkt. Een van deze belemmeringen is de beperkte beschikbaarheid van kennis; het vakgebied is relatief nieuw en nog sterk in ontwikkeling. Binnen De Haagse Hogeschool is door de opleiding Elektrotechniek (met kennis van de nog weg te werken belemmeringen) de bewuste keuze gemaakt om zich binnen Nederland te willen profileren met het onderwerp ‘Gelijkspanning’. Vanuit het eerdere RAAK-MKB project ‘Gelijkspanning breng(t) je verder’ werden hiertoe een eerste vak en practicum ontwikkeld: Vermogenselektronica 1. Hierin worden beginselen van DC-DC omvormers behandeld. DC-DC omvormers zorgen voor het transformeren van DC-spanningen, om energie bij hoge spanningen en dus lage verliezen te kunnen transporteren. Vanaf het huidige collegejaar (2015-2016) is ook een tweede vak op dit gebied toegevoegd aan het curriculum: Vermogenselektronica 2: hierin worden DC-AC omvormers op hoofdlijnen behandeld. Deze omvormers zorgen ervoor dat veel gebruikte types motoren aangedreven kunnen worden met gelijkspanning. Deze hoofdlijnen staan in de ogen van het beroepenveld nog (te) ver af van toepassingen waarmee zij werken. Daarbij moet gedacht worden aan bijvoorbeeld elektrische mobiliteit (specifieke types motoren), verlichting (DC-DC), distributietechnieken (DC-DC op hogere vermogens) of slimme netten (integratie van energietechniek, communicatietechnologie en regeltechniek / embedded systems). DOELSTELLING Het doel van het project is het opstellen van een implementatiewijze ter verdere invulling van de onderwerpen ‘Gelijkspanning’ en ‘Vermogenselektronica’ in het curriculum van de opleiding Elektrotechniek voor de teamleider van Elektrotechniek van De Haagse Hogeschool om de gewenste profilering te kunnen realiseren. ACTIVITEITEN Vanuit de curriculum commissie van de opleiding Elektrotechniek wordt opdracht gegeven aan een apart team om het implementatievoorstel voor te bereiden. Hierin werken twee docent/onderzoekers samen met de teamleider en enkele extern specialisten. In vijf opeenvolgende stappen wordt op een top-down manier gewerkt aan 1. Formuleren competenties voor DC 2. Hoofdstromen curriculum inrichten 3. Uitwerken vakinhoudelijke gebieden Elektrotechniek (‘leeg vel papier’) 4. Koppelen opzet aan bezetting en kennis in het team en bij partners 5. Voorbereiden besluitvorming RESULTAAT Op deze wijze wordt een heldere visie ontwikkeld op het benodigde onderwijs om het onderwerp gelijkspanning gestructureerd aan te kunnen bieden. Daarbij gaat het om vakinhoudelijke kennis in vakken, met bijbehorende practica en projecten. Om deze kennis goed aan te bieden wordt nadrukkelijk ook de samenwerking met andere kennisinstellingen (zoals Zuyd Hogeschool en de TU-Delft) gezocht.
In the road transportation sector, CO2 emission target is set to reduce by at least 45% by 2030 as per the European Green Deal. Heavy Duty Vehicles contribute almost quarter of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport in Europe and drive majorly on fossil fuels. New emission restrictions creates a need for transition towards reduced emission targets. Also, increasing number of emission free zones within Europe, give rise to the need of hybridization within the truck and trailer community. Currently, in majority of the cases the trailer units do not possess any kind of drivetrain to support the truck. Trailers carry high loads, such that while accelerating, high power is needed. On the other hand, while braking the kinetic energy is lost, which otherwise could be recaptured. Thus, having a trailer with electric powertrain can support the truck during traction and can charge the battery during braking, helping in reducing the emissions and fuel consumption. Using the King-pin, the amount of support required by trailer can be determined, making it an independent trailer, thus requiring no modification on the truck. Given the heavy-duty environment in which the King-pin operates, the measurement design around it should be robust, compact and measure forces within certain accuracy level. Moreover, modification done to the King-pin is not apricated. These are also the challenges faced by V-Tron, a leading company in the field of services in mobility domain. The goal of this project is to design a smart King-pin, which is robust, compact and provides force component measurement within certain accuracy, to the independent e-trailer, without taking input from truck, and investigate the energy management system of the independent e-trailer to explore the charging options. As a result, this can help reduce the emissions and fuel consumption.
