Abstract
The project Strategy for Circular Economy in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano aimed at promoting and supporting the transition to a more circular economy (CE) in the region of South Tyrol, Italy. The project focused on the potential synergies between the bioeconomy and the built environment; in particular, it addressed potential opportunities for improving the prevention and management of waste, through the recovery and use of by-products and waste from bioeconomy sectors (namely forestry and agriculture) in construction materials. An integrated approach merging quantitative and qualitative analyses was applied: specifically, the paper addresses the combination of quantitative tools, including geographic information systems (GIS), material flows analysis (MFA) and life-cycle analysis (LCA), with a stakeholder engagement process grounded in semi-structured interviews (SSIs). The integrated approach resulting was oriented to support the public administration in the design and implementation of strategies to enable the transition to a CE in South Tyrol.The findings emerged in terms of (i) harmonizing local legislation and provincial strategies for circularity with market needs of the organizations, (ii) adopting new and improved product design, and (iii) strengthening the inter-sectoral cooperation as far as knowledge sharing, data on material flows and dissemination of good practices are concerned. By combining different tools in an integrated approach, the research contributed with concrete results to supporting the public administration, while also increasing the awareness and the promotion of CE opportunities to key stakeholders - which is crucial to successfully develop and implement effective policies and strategies in the region