By Penny Batziaki

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a critical driver of long-term success for businesses, communities, and the environment. As organizations face increasing pressure from both regulatory frameworks and consumer demand for responsible practices, the need to take tangible action on sustainability has never been greater.

Realizing the complexity of sustainable development initiatives and obligations, we have formulated a series of articles, “Sustainability in Practice: Change through Circular Solutions”, in which we will explore how businesses and organizations from different fields can effectively integrate circular economy principles into their operations to enhance the level of sustainability integration in their activities. More specifically, the circular economy is at the heart of sustainability, aiming to reduce waste, maximize resource efficiency and keep materials in use for as long as possible. From the adoption of renewable energy to sustainable supply chains, this series will look at a wide range of issues with the aim of making sustainability a practical, everyday priority for businesses.

What to Expect: Throughout this series, we will explore key topics at the intersection of sustainability and business, focusing on actionable insights and practical steps companies can take to integrate sustainability into their operations. 

The series will be structured into three key parts, each one of which will provide insights into critical issues businesses face, offering clear guidance on how to navigate and implement circular economy principles.

1. Navigating Sustainability Regulations

In the first part of our series we will explore the evolving regulatory landscape and its impact on businesses, covering An overview of the evolving regulatory landscape and its impact on businesses, including insights into the European Green Deal, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Green Taxonomy & ESG requirements for businesses, and new laws like the EU Right to Repair and its impact on manufacturers and consumers.

2. Circular Economy – The New Business Imperative

This part will be focusing on the transition from a linear to a circular economy and how businesses can navigate this shift, focusing on waste reduction, resource maximization, and the role of extended producer responsibility (EPR) in closing the loop. At the same time, this part will be exploring strategies to enhance supply chain circularity, making businesses more resilient, sustainable, and aligned with circular principles.

3. Innovation & Climate Action

In the third part of our series we will examine the connection between the circular economy, climate action, and innovation, as well as the role of circular economy in mitigating climate change and innovative solutions companies are adopting to turn waste into valuable resources, such as sustainable building materials and techniques in construction.

Each article, included in this series, will provide an overview of these essential topics, helping businesses adapt to sustainability challenges, comply with regulations, and unlock new opportunities through circular practices.