Geography and Time: Two Underexplored Barriers to a Circular Economy

Jonas Grafström

doi:10.55845/joce-2026-41371

Authors

Jonas Grafström Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden & The Ratio Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5952-6379

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55845/joce-2026-41371

Keywords:

Circular Economy, Spatial Frictions, Geography, Material Lifespans, Intertemporal Dynamics, Time

Abstract

Circular economy researchers have catalogued barriers across technological, institutional, economic, and cultural dimensions, yet two structural dimensions remain systematically underexplored: geography and time. Drawing on two recent papers, one on spatial frictions in scaling circular systems and one on time as a structural barrier, in this perspective it is argued that both dimensions introduce compounding constraints. The spatial structure of circular systems shapes whether material recovery is economically viable and institutionally coherent. The temporal structure determines when recovered materials re-enter the economy and how economic actors value delayed returns. Geography and time do not provide a complete account of why circular economy transitions stall, but they are two pieces of a larger and still partly unmapped puzzle. Identifying them more precisely should help researchers and policymakers see where conventional barrier frameworks fall short.

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