Contesting Consumerism with a Circular Economy?

The circular economy (CE) concept has recently entered the public discourse. A CE should contest the reproduction of a so-called linear economy. However, it is largely promoted as a normative top-down fix for business models and waste management. A branch of CE research calls for critical revisions of the concept to support the integration of social aspects. A related shortcoming is the lack of definition of the change that CE can bring about. Two research questions guide the work presented in this article: (1) What should be included in a socio-cultural and institutional framing to study CE? (2) What could leverage an alternative CE? We address the first question by proposing practice-driven institutionalism as a relevant perspective, focusing on studying consumption practices — practical engagements and alternative logics. We further apply a practice-driven institutional framework to an empirical study of cases from sources in a city in Norway, where consumption and production practices are highly embedded in consumerism. For the second question, we describe consumerism and its institutional dimension as the backdrop against which practical engagements are negotiated. Finally, we identify aspects of alternative logics bundled with these practical engagements. In conclusion, the article proposes a practice-driven institutional approach to socio-culturally frame CE and to identify grammars of practice that can leverage change that does not rehearse consumerism. In the specific case of our study, we highlight contextualizing use-value through social relations as a critical part of an alternative CE.