Test Local Session

[owen]

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audio_url: https://edgeryders.eu/uploads/default/original/3X/2/4/24109cd49cc582d6333fb3306190deb026064c7a.mp3
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[owen]

@owen

So my name is Joe, and I’m working on research in circular economy and automotive sector. And I would like to know your point of view. If you accept, I’m going to record our conversation, transcribe it, and put the transcription with the pseudonym, not with your real name in a repository of text documents that will be used for the research. If you do this and you change your mind later and no longer want to participate, get in touch with us, and we will immediately remove your interview from the repository. I’m leaving you an information sheet with contact information after this interview. So please tell me your first name and if you agree, with the interview.

@jebali91621709

K. Eduardo, I agree to the interview. Luca, I agree. Giacomo,

@owen

Thank you very much. So the first question, can you define a circular economy in your own words?

@jebali91621709

K. Yeah. Circular economy is a concept of economy in which materials are reused after they are done, after their end of life. So that’s basically what I would define as the economy.

@owen

Luca?

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. It’s an economy where the life cycle of the products are, is closed and everything is recycled and, it has a it’s it doesn’t end it doesn’t end at the when the product is not used anymore, but it’s something that that goes over that. Yeah.

@thyme_bastion_307308

I think we’ve heard too. I gave a right definition. So I would say mostly the same. So yes. When the materials of the product are utilized after the end of life of the product itself and so you have this, closed economy where everything is recycled and reused.

@owen

Do you participate in a circular economy yourself in any aspect of your life?

@thyme_bastion_307308

I I think so when, yeah, when I we do like, yeah, when we throw it yeah. When we recycle, also, I just doing, like, throwing away things in the right way, so plastic and plastic and etcetera. And, I hope that, in the future as an engineer, I will contribute to this to this yeah. Sustainable, sustainable future. And so also with a circular economy when I project like, doing projects and developing products, maybe. Yes. I I hope so.

@owen

And who do you participate?

@bajenas1945475

I think I I participate a minimum in my little and just recycling and yeah. For example, here in Germany, the bottles, you can give back the bottles, and I find that pretty cool. We don’t have that in Italy. And then, hopefully, when I go I’m going to work in a company, I hope that the company will adopt a circular economy, and I hope I will contribute with that.

@owen

And you?

@jebali91621709

Yeah. Same as they said. Also, like, buying, secondhand stuff. Sorry about that. And I also participated in a project in my university in which we bought we built a moth boat, moth plus boat, not entirely offer cycle materials or trying to find most, sustainable material, so to say.

@owen

How did you become interested in the circular economy ideas and practice practice?

@jebali91621709

Well, it’s not really something that happens one moment for another. It’s just, considered you you know you need to know that it’s coming, and so you need to be ready to adapt it. And so it’s better to start, before so as early as possible to to then be ready when it’s

@bajenas1945475

You? I’ve got some influence from the Internet, but also from my university. We have some, lectures where they talk about the circular economy, and I was interested.

@thyme_bastion_307308

And you? Yeah. I mean, I think that, general awareness about circular economy, it’s driven by several factors. For example well, yeah. I mean, in a university, it’s one of me of a main aspect of it, we’re talking about every day. And, so and I think also that all the, this, like, I mean, we are here in a at a Green Tech Festival. So, it’s obviously that, the sustainability aspect, it’s, deals with circular economy and so I think I knew knew about it since a lot of time now. And, yeah, it’s, I think it’s, an important aspect of our life and it will it will be it in the future.

@owen

In your opinion, can a circular economy be implemented in individual sectors or industries? Yeah. Sure. For sure. For sure.

@owen

I’m

@thyme_bastion_307308

several sector. For example, I mean, I’m talking about automotive industry. They must try to, collect all the materials that are like, I mean, the batteries have a short life and they must be reused and the materials must be reused of batteries because otherwise, it would be yeah, waste, a big waste. So, it’s I think it’s very important that, every every business try to implement a circular economy business model, I mean.

@jebali91621709

And your opinion?

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. I think that basically every business can implement a circular economy, some more than others. In some, sectors, it’s very difficult, but there are some options to, do that as well.

@jebali91621709

Yes. I I guess it could be possible to use for the individual sector, for each individual sector. I think it will be even better to use the same product for one sector for also other sector. For example, if it’s possible to interchange this, product so, for example, if some product is at this end of its life, it could be used for some other sectors, then why not? It’s it’s better to do it.

@owen

Do you think the circular economy already

@jebali91621709

I would say yes. I would say it’s still possible to improve because it’s always there’s always space for improvement. But I would, imagine that car companies already are aware of the problem and are going to adapt to act accordingly to to, yeah, to to solve to to use its economy as much as possible.

@owen

What do you think?

@bajenas1945475

I think that it’s not something that is really implemented much, not yet. For example, I can think about about batteries. Still, there is not much done is, much is not done, yet to recycle batteries and also a lot of parts of the cars are just, yeah, they’re not recycled, but It’s in the process of, being developed.

@thyme_bastion_307308

I don’t really know. I actually think that, it’s done more than, we think. I I read some articles about companies also with batteries that are trying to recycle it them as much as they can. But at the same time, I think it’s now a big trend, the the one of circular economy. So I think, that companies also do, like, raise, like, their consents from among people.

@thyme_bastion_307308

I think they will try to adopt the more and more of a circular economy business model to yeah. For these, reasons.

@owen

Are you currently owning a car or did you own a car?

@thyme_bastion_307308

No. I’m not currently owning a car. And, I, I yeah. I I my family does. So, I mean, I use it, well, I I used to use time.

@thyme_bastion_307308

Yeah. Yeah. No. I used to to use it when I was, when I was I was living in Perujava and I moved to Milano to attend university. So, yeah.

@thyme_bastion_307308

That’s so now I’m moving a lot with, like, public transport or bicycle. Before I was using some time, a car. Yeah.

@bajenas1945475

You? Yes. I don’t have my own car. I use the my parents’ car.

@jebali91621709

You? Same. Same. Same.

@owen

Yeah. Okay. So, when is the one objective that comes into mind when you think about electronics in the car? Objective? Objective.

@owen

Yeah. What is the first thought?

@jebali91621709

Vital. Because the the the car needs electronics to to work. So that’s what what comes to mind. Yeah. Mhmm.

@jebali91621709

So, yeah, Vital.

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. And you? Technological. Mhmm. I like technology, so I like electronic devices in car.

@bajenas1945475

Yeah, like, I like where it’s going, you know, with autonomous driving, etcetera. Yep.

@thyme_bastion_307308

Yeah. I would say also essential. I mean, but, also because, like, we are moving towards, electric vehicles and, I think, it it will be an important trend. It’s it’s it it’s already is, but, I hope that, the more and more it will, electric vehicles, cars will spread around the cities. And so, yeah, I think the the electronic part the electric part is essential, I mean.

@owen

In your opinion, are cars that include electronic components easier or harder to adapt to circular economy principles than regular normal cars?

@thyme_bastion_307308

I mean, maybe it’s more difficult because there are some, some well, I mean, the the batteries are sometimes difficult to entirely recycle. I mean, it depends. So, yeah, if you just think at one lifetime cycle, maybe the battery is recyclable since you can move it to another application. But, in the long time, I I I don’t know, but I think we are working on it. So maybe in the next years, I think, this will be also a technology trend to improve recyclability of of turning coherence inside the car.

@thyme_bastion_307308

But at the same time, I mean, lots of lots of components are have to be recycled also because there are lots of raw materials that needs to be recycled. So so in a in a kind of way that it’s easier to produce new electric vehicles, etcetera.

@owen

And your opinion?

@bajenas1945475

I think that, the more complex are the cars, the more difficult is to implement and circular an economy. But I see why we are going towards the more technological cars. Also because some features are because of state safety. And so it’s a paradox in a certain way because we are going in a certain direction and trying to go in the other as well.

@jebali91621709

You? I would hope they are easier because they’re they’re turning some of the rear elements. So for the nature of the rear elements, it should be better to reuse the the the components that are already in the car. Still. But I could imagine that it’s not as, as good as it should be, as silver car as steel car as it should be.

@jebali91621709

So

@owen

what can the automotive industry do to promote the circular economy?

@jebali91621709

This is a difficult question. I guess they are they don’t even know what they should do. So it’s difficult to find a solution right here. But, yeah, probably, not putting out models with such, fast rate. So I have one model come out and let it stay for a couple of years instead of every year coming with new new models.

@jebali91621709

And so, therefore, they push this continuously improving, which is good, but also not, yeah. You you create more scrap more scraps, and so that’s also a problem with such the industry the industry automotive industry right now. That’s right. What

@bajenas1945475

was the question, Ryan?

@owen

The question the question was, what can the automotive industry do to promote a circular economy?

@bajenas1945475

To promote, do something about that and maybe implement, like, technologies to recycle and also, project the cars in in a way that it’s easier to recycle them.

@owen

Thank you.

@thyme_bastion_307308

I think modularity is one key feature about cars. So that could help to recycle fast and reuse the the same products a lot of time when, a dead part of the car, means that this is the end of the vehicle, maybe other parts are are not. And, at the same time, I think that, we need investment in materials. So as in such a way that, the materials that we use, it’s easy to to, to recycle them. And also, I mean, also how you project the car is so important because, it it means a lot and also how you put stuff in the car.

@thyme_bastion_307308

So you have to find a way to to make things easy to also to to recycle. And this is a lot something that, the engineers must think of. And, yeah, that’s that’s it.

@owen

Do you have concerns about privacy and personal data stored by car electronics, for example, GPS, when thinking about reuse of car electronics?

@thyme_bastion_307308

I at the moment, I would say no, but also it could be, well, I I don’t own it at the moment. I mean, I use the GPS of the phone. But, I would say, it could be it could be a problem, but I think that there will be regulations, about that. So, I mean, I think that, there will be lows and, things that will set rules about about it, I mean. You?

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. A bit. But I own a smartphone. I think that’s is much bigger problem than a car. So also a car couldn’t store much information, maybe the GPS position.

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. I don’t feel too much, the problem.

@jebali91621709

You Yeah. No. Actually, I’m not really concerned with the privacy or data, what data I produce, and who uses them. It’s just it’s something I’m not really concerned about. So I wouldn’t I wouldn’t, yeah, consider it as a problem.

@owen

Does recycling and reusing mean different things to you?

@jebali91621709

Yeah. What do you mean different things?

@owen

Recycling and reusing. Well, yes. Yes. Yes.

@owen

What?

@jebali91621709

Well, recycling means that, that material is recycled, meaning that it is, treated and is used for something else. What we’re using is the same product is used for the same thing over and over again.

@bajenas1945475

You? Yeah. They mean different things to me, but sometimes they they get, confused and they are used in the same, for the same meaning. Yeah. Sure. Recycling for me means something you throw away and it’s then maybe brought back to the raw materials and used and used to produce something else. While you use it, you you have a second, purpose for that.

@thyme_bastion_307308

Yep. Yeah. I mean, I think, the same as we do. But, yeah, in using thing is obviously just easier to do, and then maybe it’s easier to to implement in a to, I mean, to improve the circular economy. But at the same time, I think also that recycling is important for several aspects because not always you can just reuse a product, infinite times.

@thyme_bastion_307308

And so maybe you have to reconvert it and, yeah, then that’s it. Thank you.

@owen

On a scale one to five, one means not at all concerned and five means extremely concerned. How concerned are you about the issues of environmental waste and pollution?

@thyme_bastion_307308

I mean, I think, five. Yeah. Yeah. I think it’s one of the biggest topic. We are here for for this reason.

@thyme_bastion_307308

We are studying I’m studying a bit of a heavy duty vehicle sector. And, so I mean, five. Yeah. And you?

@bajenas1945475

I’m concerned about that, but I know know that sometimes I don’t do enough. So I think it’s four probably.

@jebali91621709

And you? Five. I mean, the clock is ticking. We need to start acting otherwise it’s going to be difficult. So, yeah, five.

@jebali91621709

Absolutely.

@owen

What if any actions do you take in your life to promote sustainability?

@jebali91621709

Well, I try to recycle as as much as possible. So, like, when I throw away stuff, I try to put it in the right bin. And, yeah, I try to when I move, I try to move with public transportation or by bike when it’s possible. Mhmm. Try to, for example, the phone, I try to change it when it’s over, when it’s completely done, and I can’t use anymore because that’s a I know it’s a big, issue for the for the environment. And, yes, basically, whatever. Right? What I I use what I have until it’s worn out and I can’t be used anymore. That’s probably the main thing I do to for for for environment, let’s say.

@owen

And you?

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. I cycle first, then I try to buy secondhand stuff. For example, I bought my phone as a secondhand. Mhmm. And, then I move I try to move with bike and use the less possible car.

@thyme_bastion_307308

You? I think same. Yeah. Air cycle, I don’t, also when I used to use my car in my hometown, I used a a a a Nissan car, so not a diesel one unfortunately. And, I’m also like, yeah, buying, maybe secondhand stuff can, can be, can help it can help the world.

@thyme_bastion_307308

And I think that, we still have to improve a lot. I still have to improve a lot. I mean, like to reduce my water consumption. I think it would be good. And, yeah, I

@bajenas1945475

think that’s it.

@owen

Second last question. How much responsibility does each individual have to make lifestyle and consumer choices that help protect the environment?

@thyme_bastion_307308

I think that a lot of must be done. For example, also like, house energy efficiency. I mean, it should also, start with, government’s law, but, also individuals can do a lot about it if they have the money to afford the this technology because, I mean, in Italy, it’s, quite a lot of concern because, like, houses are a lot, have a low energies energy efficiency standard. And, so, I think that, this is one of the first things that we should do. So to try everyone to, improve their footprint and also like to to try in their small life to do something, good to our world.

@thyme_bastion_307308

And, yeah. So that’s it. You?

@bajenas1945475

I think that the individual has probably the The individual as the, probably the percentage, the highest percentage, the government has to do, obviously something because it’s in the state and it’s it has to give the example, but then it’s always it’s goes back to the individual. Thank you.

@jebali91621709

Yeah. Absolutely. The interviewer has a lot of, influence. Because if we all do it, then it makes sense. Otherwise, if one one does it, then it’s not as as powerful to to for a method.

@jebali91621709

So it’s, it’s important individual as part of the community. So if everyone does it, then it makes sense.

@owen

Last question. Do you see the circular economy as a local, national, or international issue?

@jebali91621709

Yeah. Of course. Of course, international. I mean, it’s it’s very important to, use the globalization at our advantage to use the circular economy working for the whole system. So even between countries, this interconnectivity is very important.

@jebali91621709

And so, therefore, I I would say that circular economy is international absolutely international phenomenon. And you? All three of them.

@bajenas1945475

Yeah. I would say. Yeah. Of course, it’s, in the small, the big, and, of course, in the international scale, it’s it’s very important in every aspect aspect.

@thyme_bastion_307308

Yeah. The same. So, starting from a small, like, it’s very big, it’s so it’s it’s every time important. I mean, and also, like, as as we were saying before, we must start, like, each one of us must start to implement a circular economy way or a sustainability way of behaving and, but in very small life but also like as Eduardo was saying also, we it can’t be just one. Everyone must do it.

@thyme_bastion_307308

And in this panorama, I think that, inter an international and the global awareness about, how important it is to the circular economy, it’s fundamental to, yeah, to help the world to become greener. And, yeah.

@owen

Thank you very much.