According to the recent Spanish legislation, the amount of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) by weight must be reduced by at least 70% by 2020. However, the current behavior of the stakeholders involved in the waste management process make this goal difficult to achieve. In order to boost changes in their strategies, we firstly describe an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on regulation measures and economic incentives which incorporate universities as a key new actor in order to create a 3Rs model (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in the C&D waste management with costs savings. The target areas are focused mainly on producer responsibility, promotion of low-waste building technologies and creation of green jobs to fulfill three main objectives: valorization of inert wastes, elimination of illegal landfills and stimulation of demand for recycled C&D wastes. To achieve this latter goal, we have also designed a simulation model—using the Systems Dynamic methodology—to assess the potential impact of two policies (incentives and tax penalties) in order to evaluate how the government can influence the behavior of the firms in the recycling system of C&D waste aggregates. This paper finds a broader understanding of the socioeconomic implications of waste management over time and the positive effects of these policies in the recycled aggregates market in order to achieve the goal of 30% C&D waste aggregates in 12 years or less.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the availability and use of IT solutions for strategic knowledge management (SKM) and the universities’ performance, measured in terms of scientific production. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and the knowledge-based theory, the authors develop a conceptual framework for exploring the effect of SKM based on IT on the organisation’s performance that they empirically test by applying panel data methodology to a sample of 70 Spanish universities over the period 2011-2014. Findings: The authors confirm that the SKM based on IT influences the university’s performance. This effect is positive in the case of the IT solutions referred to the infrastructure of data grouping and more evident when the university’s performance is measured by indicators more directly related to scientific quality. Contrary to expected, the percentage of training and research staff that uses institutional tools of collaborative work is negatively related with the universities’ capacity of publication. Practical implications: The authors followed the system dynamics approach to identify a causal diagram and a flow sequence that lets them group universities in three different profiles in the knowledge management (KM) flow diagram. Originality/value: First, the authors develop a conceptual framework for exploring the effect of SKM based on IT on the organisation’s performance that could be applicable to analyse the case of other knowledge-driven organisations. Second, in contrast with the large number of studies dealing with SKM and performance focused on firms, the authors analyse universities. Third, the authors’ empirical approach used the panel data methodology with a large sample of universities over the period 2011-2014.