Regional projects of public-private partnership in the field of waste management: The transition to a circular economy and sustainable development

Abstract

The concept of sustainable development is one of the dominant concepts in the twenty-first century, based on the need to strike a balance between addressing environmental and natural resource conservation, economic growth and meeting human needs and those of future generations. The concept of circular economy is considered as one of the means of progressive movement in the direction of sustainable development through the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The transition to circular economy is one of the key strategic initiatives of the Russian Government to address the fundamental challenges of sustainable production and consumption, industrial development, construction, waste management, as well as environmental protection and climate change. Although in recent years the concept of circular economy has become increasingly important in the system of public administration, the search and implementation of practical mechanisms of transition to circular economy is relatively limited. The author of the study argues that the implementation of public-private partnership projects can bring significant benefits for the transition to circular economy, which, in turn, will contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals. The paper offers a framework for categorizing public-private partnership as a mechanism for transition to circular economy. The example of regional public-private partnership projects in the sphere of waste management, demonstrates how the framework can adapts the existing parameters of public-private partnership projects (their object and participants, prequalification requirements and tender criteria for private partner selection, public-private partnership agreement terms and financing instruments) to the conditions of their implementation in relation to circular economy and sustainable development goals. The author proposes a series of steps for scaling such public-private partnership projects.