NANOTECHNOLOGIES AS PART OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY - HOW ARE THEY ACCEPTED BY SOCIETY? A CASE STUDY FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The circular economy concept is based on an economic model of efficient use of primary resources, waste reduction, closing material flows and innovative product design. New materials based on nanotechnology greatly contribute to the realization of such a concept and the reduction of material intensity. However, such materials should be evaluated for their socio-economic and environmental aspects (Purker et al., 2023). Various methodological approaches can be used concerning the impact of nanomaterials, such as risk assessment, life cycle assessment, and socio-economic analysis. Further, willingness to pay (WTP) for products containing nanotechnologies/nanomaterials is investigated. For example, Zhou and Hu (2018) and Liu et al. (2022) conducted WTP for nanotechnologies at the national level, focusing on various types of products. The main objective of our research is to discuss the socio-economic aspects of nanotechnologies in the context of the SDGs. A sub-objective is to present the results of a pilot cross-sectional study conducted in the Czech Republic.