Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy
(2023) In Journal of Industrial Ecology 27(1). p.6-18- Abstract
The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical... (More)
The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.
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- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- industrial ecology, narratives, policy relevance, research agenda, science policy, sustainability
- in
- Journal of Industrial Ecology
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 6 - 18
- publisher
- MIT Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85145295836
- ISSN
- 1088-1980
- DOI
- 10.1111/jiec.13346
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 8314ea7c-0623-4893-8954-eac9401b05bd
- date added to LUP
- 2023-02-09 14:53:50
- date last changed
- 2023-10-26 14:52:08
@article{8314ea7c-0623-4893-8954-eac9401b05bd, abstract = {{<p>The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.</p>}}, author = {{Leipold, Sina and Petit-Boix, Anna and Luo, Anran and Helander, Hanna and Simoens, Machteld and Ashton, Weslynne S. and Babbitt, Callie W. and Bala, Alba and Bening, Catharina R. and Birkved, Morten and Blomsma, Fenna and Boks, Casper and Boldrin, Alessio and Deutz, Pauline and Domenech, Teresa and Ferronato, Navarro and Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro and Giurco, Damien and Hobson, Kersty and Husgafvel, Roope and Isenhour, Cynthia and Kriipsalu, Mait and Masi, Donato and Mendoza, Joan Manuel F. and Milios, Leonidas and Niero, Monia and Pant, Deepak and Parajuly, Keshav and Pauliuk, Stefan and Pieroni, Marina P.P. and Richter, Jessika Luth and Saidani, Michael and Smol, Marzena and Peiró, Laura Talens and van Ewijk, Stijn and Vermeulen, Walter J.V. and Wiedenhofer, Dominik and Xue, Bing}}, issn = {{1088-1980}}, keywords = {{industrial ecology; narratives; policy relevance; research agenda; science policy; sustainability}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1}}, pages = {{6--18}}, publisher = {{MIT Press}}, series = {{Journal of Industrial Ecology}}, title = {{Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346}}, doi = {{10.1111/jiec.13346}}, volume = {{27}}, year = {{2023}}, }