Geothermal project development entails a number of risks, the most significant of which is the geological risk. The introduction of a risk mitigation scheme (RMS) might enable project developers to shift some of the geological risk to public or private entities. Keeping the above in mind, the objective of this study is to examine the development of an effective and financially feasible geothermal risk mitigation scheme in Greece, i.e., a country with no such scheme available. In this respect, the existing status of the geothermal sector in the country is presented, followed by an evaluation of the financial sustainability of a potential RMS, taking into account different insurance premiums, risk coverages, and project success rates. The results indicate that alternative insurance premium, risk coverage, and success rate requirements would result in different financial preconditions for the foundation either of a public or a private fund. Keeping in mind that in most examined scenarios the initial RMS capital is expended before the end of the ending of the scheme, it is suggested that such a plan can only be initiated by the public sector, which is typical of countries with little-developed geothermal markets.

The European Union aims for climate neutrality by 2050, emphasising the circular economy as a key strategy, especially in the construction sector, a significant CO2 emitter. The successful implementation of circular economy practices, such as using low-carbon materials, renovating buildings, and sharing spaces, depends on understanding citizen behaviour and the factors influencing their adoption. The identification of citizens' perceptions and behaviour is the main objective of this study, which is conducted through an empirical survey involving approximately 500 citizens in Greece. The study analyses survey results on citizens' attitudes and motivational factors towards sharing spaces, a practice aligned with the "rethink" circular economy strategy. Using descriptive statistics, this research examines citizens' willingness to share office and living spaces, as well as the factors motivating them. The analysis revealed that Greek citizens are positive about sharing office spaces, but rather negative about sharing residences with non-family members. Moreover, regression models identify socioeconomic and other determinants that, on a statistically significant level, influence Greek citizens' willingness to share spaces, such as age, political ideology, residential location, household size, and environmental concerns. The study is considered important for setting the necessary policies to enhance circularity and the adoption of sharing spaces in Greece.

This paper investigates end-user expectations regarding building thermal insulation materials through a multi-stakeholder survey of 115 respondents across 12 European countries, complemented by statistical analysis and validation with industry manufacturers. The research methodology comprised a literature review of end-user preferences, conceptual model development, survey design, statistical analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test, and a two-phase manufacturer validation. Survey results demonstrate that end-users maintain a functional approach to insulation material selection, prioritizing specifications that deliver tangible, measurable benefits, with a strong emphasis on health and safety considerations, thermal performance, durability, moisture resistance and energy efficiency and relatively low importance assigned to aesthetics and sustainability credentials. The end-user behavior hierarchy ranks technical factors as the most important, followed by economic, environmental, and, lastly, social considerations, a ranking confirmed independently by industry manufacturers. Critically, a sustainability gap is identified: current preferences for environmental specifications remain substantially below levels implied by EU policy goals, yet higher-knowledge respondents show significantly greater appreciation for sustainability criteria, suggesting that education and regulation will progressively reshape market priorities. The manufacturers’ validation identified durability demonstration, moisture resistance, cost competitiveness, and communication as critical development challenges for innovative materials, defining the frontier where material innovation must meet market requirements to enable widespread adoption of sustainable construction solutions.

Scientific evidence underscores the need to adopt a circular economy model in the construction sector to mitigate climate change, with awareness being a crucial enabler. Socioeconomic factors influencing the adoption of circular economy practices represent a significant but underexplored area of research. In this aspect, this study examines citizens’ perceptions of the circular economy and climate change, as well as investigates the socioeconomic factors affecting citizens’ awareness through a quantitative survey conducted in nine European countries (Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the UK). The survey, focusing on citizens’ awareness and behaviour towards the circular economy in the construction sector, was carried out in December 2023, involving approximately 500 participants per country (4,512 in total). Descriptive statistics were used to reveal citizens’ perceptions, while regression models were used to identify the factors influencing citizens’ awareness. The analysis showed that citizens are highly aware of climate change mitigation, and not relatively aware of the circular economy. Regression models revealed that citizens’ awareness depends on factors such as age, education level, relevant work experience, and environmental concerns. This research aims to contribute to understanding citizens’ perceptions to develop targeted strategies that will lead to a more sustainable built environment.

Introduction: Circular economy implementation in the construction sector is expected to increase opportunities for green entrepreneurship and significantly contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the European Union's ambitious target. However, nowadays circularity in the construction sector remains underdeveloped, with limited empirical research investigating individual stakeholders' perspectives. This paper, focusing on the case of Greece, examines the specifications for circular construction products identified as critical by stakeholders, as well as the barriers and drivers shaping current developments in the construction sector toward circularity. Methods: The methodology includes the following steps: a critical literature review on the topics under investigation (specifications, barriers, drivers); development of a questionnaire to explore stakeholders' views; conduction of a quantitative empirical survey targeting Greek key stakeholders from the circular economy and/or the construction sectors. The survey was conducted from October 2024 to April 2025 and involved 100 stakeholders from the research, academic, industrial, policy, and construction sectors. Responses were collected via an online questionnaire or via a hard-copy version distributed at relevant conferences and events. The perceptions of stakeholders were revealed using descriptive statistics, while Kruskal-Wallis H tests were conducted to identify statistically significant differences in responses among stakeholders with varying levels of knowledge of circular economy practices in the construction sector. Results and discussion: The analysis showed that Greek stakeholders prioritize certain specifications of circular economy products, such as safety, energy efficiency, and impacts on human health, over others, such as aesthetics and delivery time. Cost-related aspects, lack of government support, regulatory framework and limited consumer awareness are perceived as the most significant barriers. In parallel, funding for innovation, raising awareness, and enforcement of related regulations are considered key drivers. Variations in perceptions based on stakeholders' knowledge levels suggest the need for targeted educational and policy interventions to bridge knowledge gaps. The paper's findings are considered significant for selecting appropriate strategies and policies to strengthen the implementation of the circular economy in the construction sector.