Zero waste according to the Zero Waste International Alliance is an ethical, economical, effective and forward-thinking concept whereby people can change their lifestyles and habits to one that mimics natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources that can benefit others. The aim of the study was to determine the knowledge of the Zero Waste problem (subject of the study) by respondents in selected Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, Slovakia (EU countries) and Ukraine (EU associated country), as well as to verify whether the Zero Waste rules are known and implemented in sustainable activities of residents in the studied countries. The research was carried out using the CAWI method. The research tool was a structured questionnaire. The analysis of data from the countries covered by the study showed a significant relationship between the basic elements in the daily functioning of households related to the protection of the environment through responsible consumption, reuse and recovery of selected products, packaging and materials and food and the concept of Zero Waste. Research has shown that respondents consciously identify these activities with Zero Waste. According to the authors, the results of the research are the basis for public discussion at the European and global level in the field of creating legal regulations and educational programs in the context of waste management.

The level of agricultural development in European Union countries is characterized by great diversity. This is due to differences in natural conditions, the type of agricultural production, agrarian fragmentation, and the level of economic development. The concept of a circular economy is the latest vision of changing the current economic systems, the assumptions of which constitute an alternative to the linear model of resource use. The implementation of the principles of a circular economy aims to create a system that will contribute to the implementation of sustainable development. This could be a strategy to support agriculture in the absence of agricultural land and water resources. This research aimed to identify and assess the spatial diversification of agricultural production-economic conditions and their links with the circular economy at the level of EU countries. The basis for grouping countries was synthetic measures obtained in the areas of agriculture and the circular economy. The analyses were performed for 2012 and 2020. The obtained results indicate the existence of significant spatial dependencies in the development of agriculture and the circular economy. Countries with a higher level of agricultural development were also higher in the ranking of the advancement of the implementation of the circular economy concept.

The actions, decisions and behavior of consumers in a circular economy are defined as a circular consumption system. The circular economy is an alternative economic model to the linear model of production and consumption. This model is in line with the zero waste concept, which according to the Zero Waste International Alliance, is an ethical, economical, efficient and forward-looking concept in which consumer behavior includes buying products, caring for them and then recycling or reusing them. This is closely linked to adopting and committing to the circular business model of extending and reusing products. The aim of the study was to identify and describe consumer behavior and activities related to the zero waste concept. The analysis was conducted in the context of reusable products. The research was based on the CAWI method. The tool used to obtain the information was a structured questionnaire. The survey included 821 respondents from Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. The survey shows that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of consumption not based on choices with a positive attitude towards the environment. In addition, consumer sensitivity to environmental problems is growing. Growing consumer awareness and the promotion of healthy lifestyles by environmental organizations and movements are reversing unfavorable trends in favor of conscious consumption based on rational consumer choices, which translates into economic effects for households. The study found that the behavior of many respondents fits into the zero waste concept, implementing habits on a daily basis that are in line with sustainable consumption.

Polish agriculture is characterized by regional differentiation. These differences affect the production potential, generate income, or development which is an indispensable element of economic efficiency. The aim of the article is to assess the spatial diversification of agriculture potential in relation to the development of voivodeships in Poland using a synthetic measure. Choice of variables in 2009–2018 was conditioned by the availability of data collected in the city system at the Central Statistical Office. Method of Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution was used to build synthetic measures. The synthetic measure of agricultural potential in voivodships in Poland was negatively correlated with the measure of the natural environment, the measure of infrastructure, the number of unemployed and the area of forest land. It was correlated with the area of arable land, number of tractors, cattle population, pigs and the production of milk, basic crops, sugar beet. The measure of the voivodeship development is negatively correlated with the synthetic measure of agricultural potential, area of arable land, arable land and number of people employed in agriculture. Conclusions drawn may allow local governments to define potential directions of optimization of socio-economic development of rural communes.

The interest in rural tourism in Poland and Romania is the result of processes originating from economic and social factors reflecting the needs of both rural inhabitants and tourists. A significant growth in the field of rural tourism leads to implementation of innovative products in the development of tourist services. The aim of the study presented in this paper is to show the essence of innovation as a component of the contemporary tourist industry, and to present the type of innovations that occur in rural tourism in Poland and in Romania. The theoretical part analyses innovation in the field of rural tourism. The empirical part, in turn, presents case studies of tourist businesses in rural areas, taking into account the implemented innovations, in both Poland and Romania. The case studies are presented based on interviews with owners of tourist facilities.

The aim of the study was to characterize and evaluate actions that fit into the concept of multifunctional development of rural areas, and constitute a tourist offer in the field of rural tourism. The conducted research and descriptions of good practices in the field of rural tourism clearly indicate that currently widely understood agritourism is a rich offer, which consists not only of accommodation, but also food and a wide range of accompanying services. All this creates a rich tourist product that uses and promotes the natural and cultural values of a given region and often involves local producers and service providers in a form of cooperation in accordance with the concept of multifunctional development of rural areas. Celem opracowania było dokonanie charakterystyki i oceny przedsięwzięć wpisujących się w koncepcję wielofunkcyjnego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich, które stanowią ofertę turystyczną w obszarze turystyki wiejskiej. Przeprowadzone badania i opisy stanowiące dobre praktyki w zakresie turystyki wiejskiej jednoznacznie wskazują, iż obecnie szeroko rozumiana agroturystyka to bogata oferta, na którą składają się nie tylko baza noclegowa, ale także wyżywienie oraz szeroka gama usług towarzyszących. To wszystko składa się na bogaty produkt turystyczny wykorzystujący i promujący walory przyrodniczo-kulturowe danego regionu i nierzadko angażujący producentów i usługodawców z danego regionu w myśl koncepcji wielofunkcyjnego rozwoju obszarów wiejskich.