Sustainability and the circular economy: a theoretical approach focused on e-waste urban mining

Reuse and recirculation of products and materials are the basis of the concept of the circular economy (CE). TheCE is an innovative proposal that can result in positive impacts such as reduced demand for raw materials,reduced consumption of basic resources, and job creation, as well as preventing negative impacts resulting fromthe exploitation and processing of natural resources. Mining is infamous for its potential environmental impact,but mining waste from traditional mining (in the linear economy) may recover material through upcyclingtechniques, as can urban mining of industrial and post-consumer waste categories (in the circular economy).Urban mining, a form of closed-loop supply chain management, offers an attractive alternative to the man-agement of waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) and, at the same time, as a sustainable way toexploit mineral resources, reduces primary material intake and stimulates the circularity in the supply chain. Thepresent study reviews the main CE solutions for e-waste management, highlighting the importance of recoveringand classifying mineral material according to urban mining procedures.