Obsolescence as a Governance Object: A Circular Economy Framework for Regulated Infrastructure
Pardalis, Georgios LU and Palm, Jenny LU
(2026)
In Journal of Circular Economy
4.
p.1172-1179
- Abstract
- Circular economy (CE) policy has largely developed around product markets, where ecodesign, repairability requirements, and extended producer responsibility now form a substantial regulatory layer. In regulated energy infrastructure, where replacement decisions are shaped by depreciation schedules, regulatory review cycles, and procurement rules, these tools have made limited progress. This perspective aims to explain why, and to identify what would be required to address it. Developing a conceptual argument from the electricity sector and generalizing it to regulated network infrastructure, anddrawing on recent work on smart grid governance and the economics of infrastructure regulation, the paper distinguishes two modes through which... (More)
- Circular economy (CE) policy has largely developed around product markets, where ecodesign, repairability requirements, and extended producer responsibility now form a substantial regulatory layer. In regulated energy infrastructure, where replacement decisions are shaped by depreciation schedules, regulatory review cycles, and procurement rules, these tools have made limited progress. This perspective aims to explain why, and to identify what would be required to address it. Developing a conceptual argument from the electricity sector and generalizing it to regulated network infrastructure, anddrawing on recent work on smart grid governance and the economics of infrastructure regulation, the paper distinguishes two modes through which obsolescence is produced. In product markets it is openly recognized and targeted by policy; in regulated infrastructure it is generated by institutional mechanisms whose mandates do not include lifecycle outcomes, leaving the premature replacement of functioning assets untreated as a governable issue. The paper shows that this institutional mode is structurally resistant to self-correction, and argues that bridging the gap requires defining obsolescence as an explicit governance object, with a clear institutional locus and a mandate for lifecycle outcomes, rather than extending existing CE instruments. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/20dc06cd-a0b9-42c3-849e-1e25fa0ea4a9
- author
- Pardalis, Georgios
LU
and Palm, Jenny
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-06-04
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- energy transition, infrastructure governance, asset lifetimes, circular economy policy, Obsolescence Governance
- in
- Journal of Circular Economy
- volume
- 4
- pages
- 1172 - 1179
- publisher
- Roskilde University
- ISSN
- 2752-163X
- DOI
- 10.55845/joce-2026-41392
- project
- Resistance and power - on smart grids for the many people II
- Electricity transition through intermediaries? Consultants in the smart grid development
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 20dc06cd-a0b9-42c3-849e-1e25fa0ea4a9
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-05 08:15:35
- date last changed
- 2026-06-08 14:03:55
@article{20dc06cd-a0b9-42c3-849e-1e25fa0ea4a9,
abstract = {{Circular economy (CE) policy has largely developed around product markets, where ecodesign, repairability requirements, and extended producer responsibility now form a substantial regulatory layer. In regulated energy infrastructure, where replacement decisions are shaped by depreciation schedules, regulatory review cycles, and procurement rules, these tools have made limited progress. This perspective aims to explain why, and to identify what would be required to address it. Developing a conceptual argument from the electricity sector and generalizing it to regulated network infrastructure, anddrawing on recent work on smart grid governance and the economics of infrastructure regulation, the paper distinguishes two modes through which obsolescence is produced. In product markets it is openly recognized and targeted by policy; in regulated infrastructure it is generated by institutional mechanisms whose mandates do not include lifecycle outcomes, leaving the premature replacement of functioning assets untreated as a governable issue. The paper shows that this institutional mode is structurally resistant to self-correction, and argues that bridging the gap requires defining obsolescence as an explicit governance object, with a clear institutional locus and a mandate for lifecycle outcomes, rather than extending existing CE instruments.}},
author = {{Pardalis, Georgios and Palm, Jenny}},
issn = {{2752-163X}},
keywords = {{energy transition; infrastructure governance; asset lifetimes; circular economy policy; Obsolescence Governance}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
pages = {{1172--1179}},
publisher = {{Roskilde University}},
series = {{Journal of Circular Economy}},
title = {{Obsolescence as a Governance Object: A Circular Economy Framework for Regulated Infrastructure}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.55845/joce-2026-41392}},
doi = {{10.55845/joce-2026-41392}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2026}},
}