In an era characterized by rapid economic growth, globalization, and pressing environmental challenges, the role of education in advancing sustainability has become paramount. This paper's primary focus is on sustainability, aiming to provide meaningful insights into the function of educational attainment, specifically lifelong learning, in promoting sustainable development. The paper's novel approach lies in its data-driven perspective, utilizing international indices to quantify the relationship between educational metrics and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This paper adopts a quantitative, index-based methodology to compare lifelong learning performance across four countries with similar economic circumstances, utilizing sustainability indicators from the SDG Index, Youth Progress Index, and Social Progress Index. The key findings reveal that while Estonia exhibited leading performance, Hungary's index value declined between 2016 and 2022. In contrast, Turkey demonstrated the most substantial improvement during this period, despite starting from the lowest point. The paper emphasizes the importance of carefully managing educational incentives and innovations to strengthen the alignment between sustainability and lifelong learning, particularly in addressing specific sustainability challenges through targeted ESG strategies.

Urban lighting systems contribute significantly to energy consumption and light pollution, raising environmental and societal concerns. This paper explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence (abbreviation: AI)-driven adaptive urban lighting as a sustainable solution, framed within a multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions. At the landscape level, increasing urbanization and global sustainability targets exert pressure for energy-efficient practices, while traditional street lighting regimes remain largely rigid and resource-intensive. At the niche level, we propose a novel adaptive lighting system integrating real-time Internet of Things (abbreviation: IoT) sensor data and machine learning algorithms to dynamically adjust illumination based on traffic, pedestrian activity, weather conditions, and ambient light. Studies demonstrate that the proposed approach can significantly reduce energy use while minimizing light pollution, without compromising safety or visibility. The results indicate that such niche innovations, supported by AI and renewable energy integration, have the potential to influence broader regime change and contribute to sustainable urban development. This research highlights the importance of combining technological innovation with socio-technical frameworks to address pressing urban environmental challenges, offering insights for policymakers, urban planners, and energy managers seeking to balance efficiency, safety, and ecological impact.

This paper investigates regional repair centres as catalysts for circular economy transitions, highlighting their infrastructural and institutional roles. Building on the concept of craft-based regeneration, it considers how trades such as tailoring, cobbling, tinsmithing, and carpentry can be revitalized through localized repair and reuse networks. These centres are envisioned not only as hubs for material recovery but also as inclusive spaces fostering vocational training, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and opportunities for older or marginalized workers to re-engage in economic activity. Using a descriptive narrative approach and the PESTEL framework, the paper examines enabling conditions and barriers. Positioned at the intersection of sustainability policy, labour inclusion, and ESG commitments, repair hubs are presented as hybrid models aligning ecological goals with social innovation and regional development. By integrating traditional craft heritage with circular infrastructures, the paper offers a novel framework for analysing circular labour systems and outlines policy pathways for scaling such initiatives.

The circular economy (abbreviation: CE) has become a dominant policy and research paradigm in recent years, emphasizing sustainability through waste minimization, repair, reuse, and the extension of product lifecycles. While the technical and systemic dimensions of CE have been extensively studied, its social and cultural implications, particularly regarding labour, heritage, and intergenerational knowledge, remain underexplored. This narrative literature review investigates how the transition to a CE creates renewed relevance for traditional crafts and the role of older generations in knowledge preservation and economic participation. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship across sustainability studies, economic geography, gerontology, and cultural heritage research, the review identifies three converging dynamics: (i) the resurgence of manual, repair-oriented professions aligned with circular principles; (ii) the reintegration of older craftspeople as active contributors to local economies and knowledge ecosystems; and (iii) emerging models of intergenerational learning that facilitate the transfer of tacit, experience-based knowledge. The findings suggest that traditional craft skills constitute a critical but undervalued resource in CE strategies and that older workers and craftspeople could serve as a bridge between historical sustainability practices and contemporary innovation. However, the review also identifies significant institutional, educational, and economic barriers to realizing this potential. Overall, the paper contributes to the conceptual expansion of CE by framing it not only as a material and technological transition, but also as a socio-cultural transformation rooted in knowledge continuity, vocational reinvention, and intergenerational learning.

The popularity of asbestos-containing products stemmed from their fire resistance, thermal insulation properties, and mechanical strength. However, their well-documented adverse health effects led to the prohibition of their use in many countries. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive examination of the often-overlooked social dimensions associated with asbestos, with a specific focus on the affected population’s circumstances and the potential solutions accessible to them. Its analysis encompasses legal regulations concerning asbestos, societal awareness, and the economic implications of asbestos removal from the perspective of those impacted. The findings highlight that the remediation of asbestos-containing products is often contingent on the financial and social conditions of the affected population, posing significant challenges for the economic sector and environmental protection efforts. This research contributes to the development of integrated approaches that address social, economic, and environmental dimensions in tandem. Its originality lies in situating the concepts of social sustainability and socially oriented environmental development within the context of asbestos-related policies. The findings suggest that achieving asbestos-free environments is feasible only through the integration of social dimensions, taking into account the economic and social conditions of the affected communities.

The European Union’s transition towards a circular economy necessitates profound technological, institutional, and societal transformations. Regional circular economy knowledge hubs are emerging as potential instruments to facilitate this transition, particularly within EGTC-based cross-border cooperation networks, although their practical implementation remains limited. This paper employs Multi-Level Perspective to explore the prospective role of such hubs, situating them within broader socio-technical landscapes, regional regimes, and niche innovations. Analysis suggests that knowledge hubs could enable the alignment of local competencies, industrial experimentation, and policy frameworks, fostering the development of resilient, regionally embedded circular economy models. By bridging emerging niche practices and established regional structures, these hubs may support the stabilization of sustainable innovations, enhance cross-border learning, and promote inclusive regional development. The research also identifies potential challenges, including institutional fragmentation, uneven resource distribution, and varying levels of stakeholder engagement, which could constrain their future effectiveness. Policy implications highlight the importance of strategically supporting experimental, multi-level initiatives, reinforcing the institutional embedding of knowledge hubs, and encouraging the replication and scaling of successful practices across regions. Although largely conceptual, regional circular economy knowledge hubs could represent a strategic pathway for advancing green transition, enhancing regional resilience, and promoting socially responsible, sustainable development across European territories.