The paper analyzes the impact of energy consumption on the three pillars of sustainable development in 74 countries. The main methodological challenge in this research is the choice of a single integral indicator for assessing the social component of sustainable development. Disability-adjusted life year (DALY), ecological footprint, and GDP (Gross domestic product) are used to characterize the social, ecological, and economical pillars. The concept of physics, namely the concept of density (specific gravity), is used. It characterizes the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume, i.e., reflects the saturation of a certain volume with this substance. Thus, to assess the relationship between energy consumption and the three foundations of sustainable development, it is proposed to determine the energy density of the indicators DALY, the ecological footprint, and GDP. The reaction to changes in energy consumption is described by the elasticity of energy density functions, calculated for each of the abovementioned indicators. The state of the social pillar is mostly dependent on energy consumption. As for the changes in the ecological pillar, a 1% reduction in energy consumption per capita gives only a 0.6% ecological footprint reduction, which indicates a low efficiency of reducing energy consumption policy and its danger for the social pillar. The innovative aspect of the research is to apply a cross-disciplinary approach and a calculative technique to identify the impact that each of the pillars of sustainable development imposes on energy policy design. The policy of renewable energy expansion is preferable for all sustainable development pillars.

In order to elaborate the concept of an industrial ecosystem for circular economy for old industrial coal mining regions in Ukraine, we apply Corrine Beaumont's Lean Tribe Canvas model. The concept is based on combination of several approaches, including smart shrinking, urban mines, smart specialisation. The main idea of this concept is to organize an integrated industrial ecosystem for processing of accumulated waste of coal mining and enrichment for decades using innovative technologies for retrieving energy and other products during waste processing, as well as restructuring abandoned housing and unused industrial infrastructure. This should slow down decline of mining settlements, allow to reducing effects of anthropogenic impact on the environment in these regions, as well as mitigate social tension in the places where closed coal mines and related businesses were located. The mining town of Bílytske in Donetsk oblast was chosen as an example to assess technical, social and economic feasibility of a project based on the stated concept.