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The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm?

The circular economy concept has gained momentum both among scholars and practitioners. However, critics claim that it means many different things to different people. This paper provides further evidence for these critics. The aim of this paper is to create transparency regarding the current understandings of the circular economy concept. For this purpose, we have gathered 114 circular economy definitions which were coded on 17 dimensions. Our findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift. We further find that the definitions show few explicit linkages of the circular economy concept to sustainable development. The main aim of the circular economy is considered to be economic prosperity, followed by environmental quality; its impact on social equity and future generations is barely mentioned. Furthermore, neither business models nor consumers are frequently outlined as enablers of the circular economy. We critically discuss the various circular economy conceptualizations throughout this paper. Overall, we hope to contribute via this study towards the coherence of the circular economy concept; we presume that significantly varying circular economy definitions may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.

Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions

There have long been calls from industry for guidance in implementing strategies for sustainable development. The Circular Economy represents the most recent attempt to conceptualize the integration of economic activity and environmental wellbeing in a sustainable way. This set of ideas has been adopted by China as the basis of their economic development (included in both the 11th and the 12th ‘Five Year Plan’), escalating the concept in minds of western policymakers and NGOs. This paper traces the conceptualisations and origins of the Circular Economy, tracing its meanings, and exploring its antecedents in economics and ecology, and discusses how the Circular Economy has been operationalized in business and policy. The paper finds that while the Circular Economy places emphasis on the redesign of processes and cycling of materials, which may contribute to more sustainable business models, it also encapsulates tensions and limitations. These include an absence of the social dimension inherent in sustainable development that limits its ethical dimensions, and some unintended consequences. This leads us to propose a revised definition of the Circular Economy as “an economic model wherein planning, resourcing, procurement, production and reprocessing are designed and managed, as both process and output, to maximize ecosystem functioning and human well-being”.

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The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context

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Conceptualizing the Circular Economy: An Analysis of 114 Definitions

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Economics of natural resources and the environment

Preface 1. Human economic activity: an environmental impact assessment 2. The three horsemen of the modern apocalypse: climate, pollution and habitat 3. Water, energy and the green paradox 4. Business and biology: can we learn from nature? 5. Current schools of sustainable thinking: origins, strengths and weaknesses 6. The circular economy 7. Design to redesign 8. Generic barriers to change 9. Transition to a sustainable economy 10. Appropriate indicators of a sustainable transition Appendix: a brief guide to thermodynamics Glossary About the authors Index

Sustainable Economics: Context, Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st-Century Practitioner

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Keith Skene

Papers

The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context

Sustainable Economics: Context, Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st-Century Practitioner

Transition to a sustainable economy

The circular economy

Current schools of sustainable thinking: origins, strengths and weaknesses