Circular Economy Frameworks, Composite Materials and Multi-scale Homogenization Theories: State of the Art

The world has faced numerous environmental degradation and resource depletion difficulties because of conventional economic and developmental paradigms. In this context, the circular economy emerges as a useful framework for transition towards sustainable development. Researchers and institutions have been investigating the circular economy paradigm extensively as a potential way to improve the sustainability of our economic system, increase resource efficiency and support low-carbon development strategies to balance industrial expansion with envi- ronmental and human health. Composites have become popular in civil engineering and structures due to their several advantages, such as lightweight, high strength, resistance to crack propagation and chemical reactions, corrosion resistance, high impact strength, sustainability, durability, flexibility and long life. Because of these benefits, usage of composites in engineering has grown which has increased need for a simple, effective, precise and workable technique for analysing them. Two sepa- rate techniques that are commonly used in numerical frameworks for the analysis of composite materials are macro-mechanical analysis and micro-mechanical analysis. Each of these approaches has its own limitations and disadvantages. As a result, many multi-scale approaches that consider linked analysis at the macro and micro-scales are used for composite analysis. This study aims to present a concise overview of the state-of-the-art related to the circular economy and composite and recyclable material that support it. Furthermore, it introduces homogenization theories and multi-scale approaches necessary to evaluate composite behaviour.