| Abstract |
The circular economy is an economic model that promotes closing the loop, i.e. encourages the 3R principle: reduce, reuse and recycle. However, the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy is not straightforward and implies a set of indicators that determine and measure the development of the circular economy. With the purpose of supporting that transition, this paper elaborates eco-innovations as one of the indicators sets, including business operation activities toward adapting business models according to the principles of a circular economy. Eco-innovations reduce our environmental impact and make better use of resources. They also bridge the gap between research and the market. As such, they comprise of developing products, techniques, services and/or processes that reduce CO2 emissions, use resources efficiently, promote recycling and so on. After providing a relevant theoretical framework, this paper outlines Croatia's eco-innovation profile and then continues with a more specific analysis - presenting a case study regarding eco-innovations related to waste tyre rubber in Croatia. The study focuses on recent examples that already had certain commercialization attempts as well as those that are in their initial research phase, developing new innovation. Indeed, this paper does not analyses all indicators significant for circular economy development. The reason for that is the authors feel the subject would be too broad for a single article. Nevertheless, this paper contributes to closing the loop by reviewing the most important issues related to eco-innovation as well as by demonstrating examples that indicate the direction of Croatia's development in the field. |