Navigating Diverse Understandings of a Circular Economy

This chapter discusses the diversity of understandings of the circular economy (CE). Views about the CE differ according to on an actor’s position in society. In our research we analysed contrasts between the perceptions of scientists and practitioners, between different governmental levels, between industry and market sectors and waste categories, and between civil society and policymakers. We illustrate this diversity with a matrix of CE discourses and compare it to the 10 Rs hierarchy. Our research includes European and national contexts, as well as local CE policy contexts, perceptions from within industry, and a global survey of citizen’s perceptions of the CE. We observe tendencies to limit the discourse to a waste management and resources depletion agenda. Our research work shows that our typology of CE discourses is very helpful when analysing and comparing the CE discourses in policymaking and economic practices. It has enabled us to identify the dominance of the Technocentric Circular Economy view in policy and market initiatives. One of the key challenges is whether and how CE initiatives can be more practically connected to the sustainable development agenda with its clear social fairness and shared prosperity aspirations.