Original title: Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions
The circular economyAn approach to the economy focused on keeping products and materials in use instead of treating them as waste. is an idea about how to make products and materials circulate rather than become waste. The researchers collected 114 definitions and sorted them using 17 dimensions, or aspects to compare. Most definitions emphasized reducing, reusing and recycling, but often did not say that the whole system needs to change. Social fairness and the needs of future generations were barely mentioned.
Imagine a family trying to agree on what “cleaning the house” means. One person means putting things away, while another means fixing the clutter-causing habits and making sure everyone shares the work. In this paper, the different cleaning plans stand for different definitions of the circular economy: many focus on reducing, reusing and recycling, while broader changes and social fairness often go unmentioned.
Businesses, policymakers and consumers may use “circular economy” while meaning different things. The paper shows that many definitions emphasize economic prosperity, while social equity and future generations barely appear, making it harder to agree on what the concept should achieve.
The abstract describes an analysis of 114 definitions coded on 17 dimensions. It does not establish how these definitions affect real-world policies, businesses or outcomes, or whether the patterns apply beyond the definitions examined. The authors present the possible collapse of the concept as a concern, not as a demonstrated result.
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Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions — Julian Kirchherr, Denise Reike, Marko P. Hekkert — Resources Conservation and Recycling — doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.