Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Sina Leipold; Anna Petit‐Boix; Anran Luo; Hanna Helander; Machteld Simoens; Weslynne S. Ashton; Callie W. Babbitt; Alba Bala; Catharina R. Bening; Morten Birkved; Fenna Blomsma; Casper Boks; Alessio Boldrin; Pauline Deutz; Teresa Domenech; Navarro Ferronato; Alejandro Gallego‐Schmid; Damien Giurco; Kersty Hobson; Roope Husgafvel; Cynthia Isenhour; Mait Kriipsalu; Donato Masi; Joan Manuel F. Mendoza; Leonidas Milios; Monia Niero; Deepak Pant; Keshav Parajuly; Stefan Pauliuk; Marina P. P. Pieroni; Jessika Luth Richter; Michael Saidani; Marzena Smol; Laura Talens Peiró; Stijn van Ewijk; Walter J. V. Vermeulen; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Bing Xue

doi:10.1111/jiec.13346

Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Sina Leipold
, Anna Petit‐Boix
, Anran Luo
, Hanna Helander
, Machteld Simoens
, Weslynne S. Ashton
, Callie W. Babbitt
, Alba Bala
, Catharina R. Bening
, Morten Birkved
, Fenna Blomsma
, Casper Boks
, Alessio Boldrin
, Pauline Deutz
, Teresa Domenech
, Navarro Ferronato
, Alejandro Gallego‐Schmid
, Damien Giurco
, Kersty Hobson
, Roope Husgafvel

Cynthia Isenhour, Mait Kriipsalu, Donato Masi, Joan Manuel F. Mendoza, Leonidas Milios, Monia Niero, Deepak Pant, Keshav Parajuly, Stefan Pauliuk, Marina P. P. Pieroni, Jessika Luth Richter, Michael Saidani, Marzena Smol, Laura Talens Peiró, Stijn van Ewijk, Walter J. V. Vermeulen, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Bing Xue

Chair of Environmental Politics University of Jena Jena Germany
Sostenipra, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA‐UAB) ‐ Maria de Maeztu Excellence Center Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
Department of Environmental Politics Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ‐ UFZ Leipzig Germany
Chair of Societal Transition and Circular Economy University of Freiburg Freiburg i. Br. Germany
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago Illinois USA
Golisano Institute for Sustainability Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester New York USA
UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change of ESCI‐UPF Barcelona Spain
Group for Sustainability and Technology ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland
Department of Green Technology University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences Universität Hamburg Hamburg Germany
Department of Design NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
Department of Environmental Engineering Technical University of Denmark Kgs. Lyngby Denmark
Department of Geography, Geology and Environment University of Hull Hull UK
Institute for Sustainable Resources University College London London UK
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences University of Insubria Varese Italy
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, UK; UK Supergen Bioenergy Hub, United Kingdom
Professor of Resource Futures University of Technology Sydney Sydney Australia
Cardiff University
Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Aalto University Finland
Department of Anthropology, Climate Change Institute University of Maine Maine USA
Institute of Forestry and Engineering Estonian University of Life Sciences Tartu Estonia
Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain and Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Faculty of Engineering Mechanics and Industrial Production Mondragon Gipuzkoa Spain
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) Lund University Lund Sweden
Department of Planning, Research Group “Design for Sustainability,” Aalborg University Copenhagen Denmark
Separation and Conversion Technology Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) Mol Belgium
Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
Chair of Industrial Ecology University of Freiburg Freiburg i. Br. Germany
Section of Thermal Energy (TES), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Nils Koppels Allé 403, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences Cracow Poland
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering University College London (UCL) London UK
Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development Utrecht University CB Utrecht Netherlands
Institute of Social Ecology University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
Chair of Circular Economy and Recycling Technology Technische Universität Berlin Berlin Germany

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

83 Citations (SciVal)

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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 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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	6-18
Journal	Journal of Industrial Ecology
Volume	27
Issue number	1
Early online date	27 Dec 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346
Publication status	Published - Feb 2023

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Industrial Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Industrial Ecology.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/], which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Acknowledgements & Funding: The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. They authors also express their gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group ‘Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy’ [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Keywords

sustainability
science policy
narratives
policy relevance
research agenda
industrial ecology

Access to Document

10.1111/jiec.13346Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Leipoldetal_2023_VoR
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Industrial Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Industrial Ecology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/], which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Final published version, 690 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Cite this

Leipold, S., Petit‐Boix, A., Luo, A., Helander, H., Simoens, M., Ashton, W. S., Babbitt, C. W., Bala, A., Bening, C. R., Birkved, M., Blomsma, F., Boks, C., Boldrin, A., Deutz, P., Domenech, T., Ferronato, N., Gallego‐Schmid, A., Giurco, D., Hobson, K., ... Xue, B. (2023). Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 27(1), 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346

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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{\textquoteright} 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.",

keywords = "sustainability, science policy, narratives, policy relevance, research agenda, industrial ecology",

author = "Sina Leipold and Anna Petit‐Boix and Anran Luo and Hanna Helander and Machteld Simoens and Ashton, \{Weslynne S.\} and Babbitt, \{Callie W.\} and Alba Bala and Bening, \{Catharina R.\} and Morten Birkved and Fenna Blomsma and Casper Boks and Alessio Boldrin and Pauline Deutz and Teresa Domenech and Navarro Ferronato and Alejandro Gallego‐Schmid and Damien Giurco and Kersty Hobson and Roope Husgafvel and Cynthia Isenhour and Mait Kriipsalu and Donato Masi and Mendoza, \{Joan Manuel F.\} and Leonidas Milios and Monia Niero and Deepak Pant and Keshav Parajuly and Stefan Pauliuk and Pieroni, \{Marina P. P.\} and Richter, \{Jessika Luth\} and Michael Saidani and Marzena Smol and Peir{\'o}, \{Laura Talens\} and \{van Ewijk\}, Stijn and Vermeulen, \{Walter J. V.\} and Dominik Wiedenhofer and Bing Xue",

note = "Copyright {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. Journal of Industrial Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Industrial Ecology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/], which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. Acknowledgements \& Funding: The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. They authors also express their gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group {\textquoteleft}Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy{\textquoteright} [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT\_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).",

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month = feb,

doi = "10.1111/jiec.13346",

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Leipold, S, Petit‐Boix, A, Luo, A, Helander, H, Simoens, M, Ashton, WS, Babbitt, CW, Bala, A, Bening, CR, Birkved, M, Blomsma, F, Boks, C, Boldrin, A, Deutz, P, Domenech, T, Ferronato, N, Gallego‐Schmid, A, Giurco, D, Hobson, K, Husgafvel, R, Isenhour, C, Kriipsalu, M, Masi, D, Mendoza, JMF, Milios, L, Niero, M, Pant, D, Parajuly, K, Pauliuk, S, Pieroni, MPP, Richter, JL, Saidani, M, Smol, M, Peiró, LT, van Ewijk, S, Vermeulen, WJV, Wiedenhofer, D & Xue, B 2023, 'Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy', Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346

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AU - Leipold, Sina

AU - Petit‐Boix, Anna

AU - Luo, Anran

AU - Helander, Hanna

AU - Simoens, Machteld

AU - Ashton, Weslynne S.

AU - Babbitt, Callie W.

AU - Bala, Alba

AU - Bening, Catharina R.

AU - Birkved, Morten

AU - Blomsma, Fenna

AU - Boks, Casper

AU - Boldrin, Alessio

AU - Deutz, Pauline

AU - Domenech, Teresa

AU - Ferronato, Navarro

AU - Gallego‐Schmid, Alejandro

AU - Giurco, Damien

AU - Hobson, Kersty

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AU - Isenhour, Cynthia

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AU - Masi, Donato

AU - Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.

AU - Milios, Leonidas

AU - Niero, Monia

AU - Pant, Deepak

AU - Parajuly, Keshav

AU - Pauliuk, Stefan

AU - Pieroni, Marina P. P.

AU - Richter, Jessika Luth

AU - Saidani, Michael

AU - Smol, Marzena

AU - Peiró, Laura Talens

AU - van Ewijk, Stijn

AU - Vermeulen, Walter J. V.

AU - Wiedenhofer, Dominik

AU - Xue, Bing

N1 - Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Industrial Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Industrial Ecology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/], which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. Acknowledgements & Funding: The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. They authors also express their gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group ‘Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy’ [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).

PY - 2023/2

Y1 - 2023/2

N2 - 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.

AB - 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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KW - science policy

KW - narratives

KW - policy relevance

KW - research agenda

KW - industrial ecology

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JO - Journal of Industrial Ecology

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ER -

Lessons, narratives and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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