Journal of Circular Economy

An applied scholarly journal on circular economy

View PDF

We are keen to help you publish your research.

If you have any questions about the Journal of Circular Economy, please reach out to editor@circulareconomyjournal.org

Problematising Value Retention for a Circular Economy: Dilemmas and New Value Balancing Principles

Iulian Barba Lata, Mark Wiering, Sjors Witjes

Abstract

The circular economy is a viable alternative for our current economy; while scholarly work and policy documents problematise current principles and practices, the desirable changes are often treated as fitting in natural transition pathways. Until now, the circular economy has failed to realise its transformative potential, in practice representing at best a matter of laboriously weighing different and seemingly opposite sets of values. What are the building blocks in terms of value creation and retention, and how to upscale new value-balancing practices to a system level? This contribution problematises the concept of value in a fragmented circular transition landscape by drawing on narrative-based and transdisciplinary approaches, and their potential consequences for governing the circular economy.

Keywords

Circular Economy; Value Retention; Value Regimes; Transdisciplinary Research; Narrative-based Approaches

References

Appadurai, A. (1986) Introduction: commodities and the politics of value. In: Appadurai, A. (Ed.), The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 3–63.
Calisto Friant M, Vermeulen WJV, and Salomone, R. (2020). “A typology of circular economy discourses: Navigating the diverse visions of a contested paradigm”. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 161.
CEAP (2020). A new Circular Economy Action Plan For a cleaner and more competitive Europe. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Brussels, 11.3.2020
Corvellec H, Stowell A, Johansson N (2021) “Critiques of the circular economy”. J Ind Ecol. 1–12. Cramer, JM. Implementing the circular economy in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area: The interplay between market actors mediated by transition brokers. Bus Strat Env. 2020; 29: 2857– 2870. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2548
Dalhammar, C. (2016). “Industry attitudes towards ecodesign standards for improved resource efficiency.” Journal of Cleaner Production 123: 155-166.
Ferasso, M, Beliaeva, T, Kraus, S, Clauss, T, Ribeiro-Soriano, D. (2020) “Circular economy business models”: The state of research and avenues ahead. Bus Strat Env. 29: 3006– 3024.
Franca, C. L., Broman G., Robèrt K., Basile G. and Trygg L. (2017). “An approach to business model innovation and design for strategic sustainable development.” Journal of Cleaner Production 140: 155-166. Geels, F. W., & Schot, J. (2007). Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways. Research policy, 36(3), 399-417
Ghinoi S, Silvestri F, and Steiner B (2020) “The role of local stakeholders in disseminating knowledge for supporting the circular economy: a network analysis approach”. Ecological Economics, 169.
Gollnhofer J, Weijo H, and Schouten J (2019) “Consumer Movements and Value Regimes: Fighting Food. Waste in Germany by Building Alternative Object Pathways”. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(3), 460–482.
Halewood M. and Michael M. (2008) “Being a Sociologist and Becoming a Whiteheadian: Toward a Concrescent Methodology”. Theory, Culture & Society 25(4): 31–56. Hickel, J. (2020). Less is more: How degrowth will save the world. Random House.
Hobson K (2020) ‘Small stories of closing loops’: social circularity and the everyday circular economy. Climatic Change 163(1), 99–116.
Hobson K, and Lynch N (2016) “Diversifying and de-growing the circular economy: Radical social transformation in a resource-scarce world”. Futures 82, 15–25.
Kazancoglu, I., Kazancoglu Y., Yarimoglu. E and Kahraman A. (2020) “A conceptual framework for barriers of circular supply chains for sustainability in the textile industry”. Sustainable Development 28(5): 1477-1492.
Kirchherr, J., et al. (2017). “Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling 127: 221-232.
Law J. (2004) After method: mess in social science research. London: Routledge. Linnér, B. O., & Wibeck, V. (2019). Sustainability transformations across societies: Agents and drivers across societies. Cambridge University Press.
Lüdeke-Freund, F., Gold, S. and Bocken, N.M.P. (2019), “A Review and Typology of Circular Economy Business Model Patterns”. Journal of Industrial Ecology 23:36-61.
Moreau V, Sahakian M, van Griethuysen P, and Vuille F (2017) “Coming Full Circle: Why Social and Institutional Dimensions Matter for the Circular Economy”. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 21(3), 497–506.
PBL (2022) Voortgangsbericht circulaire economie. 4470. Den Haag, The Netherlands, Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving.
Porter M & Kramer M (2011) “Creating Shared Value”. Harvard Business Review, January–February 2011: pp 1-17.
Prendeville, S, Cherim E, and Bocken N (2018) “Circular Cities: Mapping Six Cities in Transition”. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 26, 171–194. Rockström, J., Gaffney, O., Rogelj, J., Meinshausen, M., Nakicenovic, N., & Schellnhuber, H. J. (2017). “A roadmap for rapid decarbonization”. Science, 355(6331), 1269-1271. Shove, E. (2014) “Putting practice into policy: reconfiguring questions of consumption and climate change”. Contemporary Social Science 9(4): 415–429. UNFCC (2022) Climate Action Event Concept Note “Human Settlements”. COP 27. United Nations (2015). Paris Agreement. Paris, France, United Nations Environmental Programme. Vermeulen, W. J. and Witjes, S. (2020) History and mapping of transdisciplinary research on sustainable development issues: Dealing with complex problems in times of urgency. In Transdisciplinarity For Sustainability (pp. 6-26). Routledge. Visseren-Hamakers, I.J. and Kok, M. 2022. The urgency of transforming biodiversity governance. In: Visseren-Hamakers, I.J. and Kok, M. (Eds.) 2022.Transforming Biodiversity Governance. Cambridge University Press.
Zink, T. & Geyer R. (2017) “Circular economy rebound”. J Ind Ecol 21(3):593–602.

X

DSRPT is an education technology start-up in stealth mode.
Circular Economy is our first venture. We are on a mission to disrupt higher education. If you wish to learn more about us, drop us a message: dsrpt@circular-economy.org