Proud to Publish: An Introduction to Circular Economy

In our Proud to Publish series we talk to our editors about the books they were most proud to publish, commission or work on in the past year. Read our interview below with Wayne Hu, Editor, Engineering, based in Shanghai, who talks to us about the book he is most proud to have published in 2020 and what makes it special in its field.

Which book are you most proud to have published in 2020?

I'm Proud to Publish An Introduction to Circular Economy, edited by Dr. Lerwen Liu and Professor Seeram Ramakrishna. It is an introductory textbook on circular economy for educators and students of universities and provides comprehensive knowledge exemplified by practices from policy, education, R&D, innovation, design, production, waste management, business and financing around the world.

What makes this book stand out in its field?

This 700-pages book covers topics that are becoming central themes of countries, companies and societies. Although the concept of circular economy has been around over a few decades, only until recently it has become main stream among policy makers, educators and business leaders. To accelerate the transition from today's linear economy to circular economy, an integrated approach coupling policy, education and business is required. This book provides an updated and comprehensive coverage of the Circular Economy practices in Asia and developing world which have not been featured. This region covers 75% of the world's populations and is fast developing, making it critical for the circular economy transition and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030).

It contains comprehensive contribution with inclusivity in terms of age (1/3 below 35 years old) and gender (over 40% female) with multidisciplinary background from all five continents. There are chapter authors from Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Asia Development Bank.

Is there anything else you want to share about this title?

The background image of the monograph is specially designed by the author's husband. Five roles from different communities, academia, industries, public administration, arts and NGOs, distinguish the book from the books in Engineering.

Click here for more information about this and other titles in our Engineering collection. To add this title to your library contact us here.

If you are interested in publishing Engineering books with us, please contact Wayne Hu.

About the authors

Dr. Lerwen Liu specializes in business development and education in emerging technologies, circular economy, and sustainability. She focuses on strategic development, assessment, and support of emerging technologies including nanotechnology and Artificial Intelligence with applications in all sectors. She has 20 years of practice in global business development in strategic partnership & communication and marketing. She has been bridging government, industry, and academics in developing sustainable solutions to address the challenges humanity is facing today. She has worked in both the developed and developing world focusing on youth leadership and entrepreneurship development towards sustainability. She founded the STEAM Platform in 2018 focusing on youth empowerment with convergent STEM knowledge, strategic communication skills, entrepreneurship for SDGs2030, Circular Economy, and Industry 4.0. She is the convenor of the Circular Economy Leadership & Partnership (CELP) Summit 2021 under the CE Accelerator program which she co-founded at Knowledge Xchange for Innovation Center in Bangkok. She founded the STEAM Platform in 2018 focusing on youth empowerment with convergent STEM knowledge, strategic communication skills, entrepreneurship for SDGs2030, Circular Economy, and Industry 4.0.

Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, FREng Everest Chair is among the top five impactful authors at the National University of Singapore, NUS, and Singapore. He is the Director of Center for Nanotechnology & Sustainability; and Circular Economy Taskforce Chair. He is a member of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee of Singapore Institute of Directors. He is a member of Enterprise Singapore’s and ISO’s Committees on ISO/TC323 Circular Economy and WG3 on Circularity. He also the Chair of Sustainable Manufacturing TC at the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES); and a member of standards committee of Singapore Manufacturing Federation. He is a member of Technical Committee for Circularity of Materials, Environment and Resources Standards Committee, Enterprise Singapore (ESG). He is an advisor to the Ministry of Sustainability & Environment- National Environmental Agency’s CESS events. He is a member of UNESCO’s Global Independent Expert Group on Universities and the 2030 Agenda. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer Nature Journal Materials Circular Economy - Sustainability. He is an Associate Editor of eScience journal. He is an opinion contributor to the Springer Nature Sustainability Community.