Will the Circular Economy Remain Unloved?

Abstract

Despite widespread policy attention on the circular economy (CE) transition there is growing evidence of systemic inertia in the consumer context. One recent study suggests a “Titanic effect”, where the current direction of travel is unsustainable and circularity is neither accessible nor desirable to wider audiences. Across academic and grey literature, CE barriers are framed not only as technical or regulatory, but also as behavioural, cultural, and emotional. Trust, confidence, and meaning repeatedly emerge as missing enablers of change, yet policy and scholarship continue to overlook the importance of the role of consumer-brand relationships and emotions in motivating consumers. Drawing on the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and the marketing construct of Brand Love (BL), this article argues that the CE remains largely unloved with consumers beyond niche innovations such as Repair Cafés and pre-loved clothing. We propose that BL, defined as deep, enduring emotional attachment beyond satisfaction or loyalty, functions as a mediating relational mechanism that enables niche circular innovations to diffuse and overcome CE inertia. BL acts as a soft “relational infrastructure” in consumer–brand relationships, referring to the trust-based relationships and emotional attachments that make collective change possible beyond formal systems and policies. This soft infrastructure supports the diffusion of niche innovations and motivates consumers to switch to circular products and services with confidence. Since existing BL research has been shaped by linear consumption logic, we suggest further academic studies are needed to adapt BL to circular practices and business models.