Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Abstract

The current enthusiasm for 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.

Unpacking pathways to a circular economy: a study of packaging innovations in Germany

“…More specifically, 1 I am aware of the scholarly debate that challenges the idea that circularity equals sustainability (see for example N. U. Blum et al, 2020;Leipold et al, 2021). Nevertheless, the circular strategies provide a good indication what incumbents perceive to be "sustainable" packaging.…”

Corporate Fashion and Circular Economy – How to Manage Ethical Challenges in Marketing of B2B Textiles

“…However, it is only in the last decade that the concept has gained traction and developed into the mainstream discussion among academics, non-governmental organizations, governmental organizations and business managers as a solution to the grand challenges that humanity faces (EU Com, 2019, 2020. Hence, authors and researchers increasingly discuss and examine the circular economy from different perspectives such as political policies (Leipold et al, 2022), supply chains (Batista et al, 2018;Geissdoerfer et al, 2018), public procurement (Sönnichsen & Clement, 2020), business models (Lewandowski, 2015;Santa-Maria et al, 2021), ecosystems (Konietzko et al, 2020), designers and architectures (Dokter et al, 2021;Münster et al, 2022), incumbent innovation and transformation (Frishammar & Parida, 2019;Zhu et al, 2022), managerial dynamic capabilities (Khan et al, 2020;Köhler et al, 2022) and barriers/drivers (Kirchherr et al, 2018;Ritzén & Sandström, 2017). Eisenreich et al (2022) provide a review drawing on Porter's value chain approach that gives marketers a different perspective than the traditional linear value chain perspective.…”

Unlocking the potential of circular consumption: The influence of circular habits, environmental concerns and the search for pro‐sustainable information on circular consumption

“…In addition, Lee (2022) found that while environmentally friendly packaging options exist, consumers still choose non-green options. These issues highlight the need for more research and education on circular consumption practices (Arruda et al, 2021;Leipold et al, 2023).…”