ECTS credits ECTS credits: 2
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Hours of tutorials: 2 Expository Class: 6 Interactive Classroom: 8 Total: 16
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary subject Master’s Degree RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Chemistry Engineering, External department linked to the degrees
Areas: Chemical Engineering, Área externa M.U en Economía Circular
Center Faculty of Economics and Business Studies
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
The objective of this course is to provide students with sufficient theoretical and practical knowledge of environmental management tools (standards) applied to the circular economy at the international and European levels. Particular attention will be paid to the role of design and systems thinking, given their priority in ISO requirements and the new EU Ecodesign Regulation. Students will be provided with an overview and demonstrations of the concepts and requirements of the new ISO 59000 series for the Circular Economy. They will also gain an overview of the relationship between ISO standards and related EU regulations.
This course covers the content included in the master's guide: "Environmental Management Systems: Environment and Environmental Management. ISO 14000 Series Standards. EMAS Regulation. GRI and SASB Sustainability Reports. Life Cycle Philosophy: Life Cycle Analysis (methodology and stages).
Application to the analysis of products/processes/services. Environmental Footprints. Circular Economy Indicators: Types, characteristics, and differences."
Topic 1. Environment and Environmental Management. Environmental Management Systems
Topic 2. Design and Ecodesign. Systems Approach (Systems Thinking)
Topic 3. Sustainable Development Goals and Circular Economy
Topic 4. International Standards and Norms. ISO Standards. ISO 14000, ISO 26000. Introduction to the ISO 59000 Series.
Topic 5. ISO 59000 Series Standards.
Topic 6. European Standards and Norms: European Sustainability Reporting Standards (NEIS or ESRS), CSRD Directive, Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products.
Basic bibliography:
Title: Circular Economy
Author: ALVARO SILVA
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP, 2024
ISBN 9798343662375
Additional bibliography:
ISO 59004:2024-05 - Circular economy - Vocabulary, principles, and implementation guidance
ISO 59010:2024-05 - Circular economy - Guide to the transition of business models and value networks
ISO 59020:2024-05 - Circular economy - Measurement and assessment of circular performance
ISO/DIS 59040:2023 - Draft - Circular economy - Product circularity data sheet
COMPETENCIES
COM02 - Generate specific actions in the field of multi-Rs (redesign, remanufacture, repair, redistribute, reduce, reuse, recycle, energy recovery) and develop sustainable technical solutions. Make informed decisions, assessing their ethical consequences, as well as their impact and associated professional responsibility; COM03 - Integrate the fundamentals of ecodesign into the design of products and services.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
HAB01 - Employ the concepts, tools, and methodologies necessary to address the challenges of the transition from the linear to the circular model of the current and future economy. Constructively debate and argue for solutions to these challenges.
HAB05 - Employ tools based on information and communications technologies for environmental assessment to evaluate and compare alternatives for the recovery of waste and residual streams, thereby selecting the most sustainable technology from a holistic perspective and supporting the decision-making process. KNOWLEDGE AND CONTENT
CON06 - Identify and describe the different components of the value chain, as well as the main agents involved in decision-making at different levels, thus adapting the necessary systemic perspective.
CON07 - Identify and describe the different techniques for managing surplus materials (i.e., waste, by-products, etc.), with special emphasis on transformation and recovery techniques. Define waste management strategies based on environmental protection and business efficiency.
CON08 - Recognize the applicable legal framework, as well as the environmental management standards that support said framework (ISO 14000, ISO 26000 family) and the roadmap established by the United Nations through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
CON09 - Recognize the main environmental assessment standards, tools, and methods, such as environmental impact assessment or tools based on life-cycle thinking.
CON10 - Recognize eco-control methods that allow for the analysis of opportunities and risks in ecological matters, such as eco-balances, material flow analysis, or environmental accounting.
CLASSROOM CLASSES: In these classes, taught simultaneously to all students (both in-person and online), the theoretical foundations of each topic are presented, taking into account the previously established objectives and the skills students must acquire. Presentations (lectures) (supported by audiovisual materials) will be available in the virtual classroom at the end of each topic. These presentations combine theoretical explanations with proposals, discussions, and resolution of theoretical and practical questions to encourage student participation and attention, as well as facilitate their learning and the assimilation of concepts. Students will be offered the opportunity to complete a quiz related to the topics explained in class via the virtual classroom. These quizzes will be graded and will be included in the Assignments/Activities section. Prestigious speakers/researchers will be included, if possible, to address topics related to the subject matter.
PRACTICAL CLASSES: These seminar classes will focus on the study, discussion, and/or resolution of practical cases (problem solving). The instructor will provide the students with pre-study sessions, encouraging independent study, the use of bibliographic sources in English, and debate. All materials covered in the seminars will be available in the virtual classroom prior to the seminar so that students can prepare their content individually and/or in groups (preliminary study). Students will receive a grade that will be included in their grade for the Assignments/Activities section.
TUTORED CLASSES: These tutorial sessions are designed to encourage students' independent work and teamwork activities, fostering cooperative and collaborative learning, where the students themselves will proactively teach and learn. Each student has two hours of group tutorials, which will be used to develop a practical case (group work). Discussion will be encouraged during the first hour of tutoring. Each group will submit a short final report on the case study and give a brief oral presentation outlining the results of the study. Both will be graded by the instructor and will be included in the Assignments/Activities section. Each student will receive a grade for the Tutoring section, which will reflect their attitude and participation in the debate.
The student grade is a weighted average of the student's performance in:
a) Objective Question Exam (20% of the grade). The exam will consist of a multiple-choice questionnaire with short questions about the concepts explained in class.
b) Assignments/Activities (60% of the grade). Students will receive a score for all assignments (individual and group) and for the questionnaires they complete and submit. The report and oral presentation of the group case study account for 1/3 of the grade for this section.
c) Group tutoring (10% of the grade) will be evaluated based on the student's attitude/participation in the debate and the development of the group tutoring classes.
d) Active participation (10% of the grade) will be evaluated based on the student's attitude, interest, and personal work in both lectures and seminars.
The subject will be passed with a minimum final grade of 5. Before the exam is taken, students will be informed of the grades obtained in sections b) and c). If they do not pass the subject on the first attempt, they will be re-evaluated on section a) on the second attempt and the grades for sections b), c) and d) will be maintained. The grades for sections b), c) and d) will not be maintained from one course to the next, so repeating students will have to redo the group tutorials and the corresponding assignments for the subject.
In cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for the Evaluation of Student Academic Performance and the Review of Grades will apply.
The "International Standards" course is a compulsory subject worth 2 ECTS (LEVEL 3) and belongs to LEVEL 2 "Metrics and Indicators" (5 ECTS) of Module 3 (LEVEL 1) of the master's degree "Tools and Instruments for the Circular Economy."
The number of in-person hours is 16, distributed among the following activities: Lecture, Case Studies, Seminars, Preliminary Study, Tutored Classes, Collaborative Learning, Group Work, Debate.
The number of hours of individual work is 34.
The total number of student work hours is 50.
It is recommended to keep up with the subject matter in order to obtain good results in the continuous assessment, which has a significant impact on the final evaluation.
a) Classes and all teaching materials will be taught primarily in Spanish and Galician, although English sources will also be used.
b) The materials necessary for lectures and seminar work will be delivered well in advance.
c) The University of Santiago de Compostela's learning management system will be used for the delivery of materials, as well as for other activities such as testing.
d) For activities conducted online, MS Teams will be used in conjunction with the learning management system. For these activities, it is recommended that computer equipment with a microphone and camera be available.
In cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for the Evaluation of Student Academic Performance and the Review of Grades will apply.
Pastora Maria Bello Bugallo
Coordinador/a- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816789
- pastora.bello.bugallo [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: Temporary PhD professor
| Monday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:30-20:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Computer room 7 |
| Tuesday | |||
| 16:30-20:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Computer room 7 |
| Wednesday | |||
| 16:30-20:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Spanish | Computer room 7 |
| Thursday | |||
| 16:30-20:30 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Spanish | Computer room 7 |
| 12.05.2025 16:30-20:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Computer room 7 |