A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems

doi:10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2015.09.007

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A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems

Journal Article•DOI•

A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems

Patrizia Ghisellini¹, Catia Cialani², Sergio Ulgiati³, Sergio Ulgiati⁴•Institutions (4)

University of Bologna¹, Dalarna University², Beijing Normal University³, Parthenope University of Naples⁴

15 Feb 2016-Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier)-Vol. 114, Iss: 114, pp 11-32

TL;DR: In this paper, un estudio en donde se proporciona una revision extensa de la literatura de las two ultimas decadas, con el proposito de captar las principales caracteristicas y perspectivas of la CE (Economia circular): origenes, principios basicos, ventajas and desventajas, Modelado e implementacion of CE in los diferentes niveles (micro, meso, and macro) in todo el world.

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About: This article is published in Journal of Cleaner Production.The article was published on 2016-02-15. It has received 3121 citations till now.

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Journal Article•DOI•

The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm?

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Martin Geissdoerfer¹, Martin Geissdoerfer², Paulo Savaget¹, Nancy Bocken², Nancy Bocken¹, Erik Jan Hultink² - Show less +2 more•Institutions (2)

University of Cambridge¹, Delft University of Technology²

01 Feb 2017-Journal of Cleaner Production

TL;DR: This article conducted an extensive literature review, employing bibliometric analysis and snowballing techniques to investigate the state of the art in the field and synthesise the similarities, differences and relationships between both terms.

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3,508 citations

Cites background from "A review on circular economy: the e..."

...Several authors, like Andersen (2007), Ghisellini et al. (2016), and Su et al. (2013) attribute the introduction of the concept to Pearce and Turner (1989)....
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...The circular economy has received increased attention in academic research with a range of reviews on the topic by Andersen (2007), Ghisellini et al. (2016), Lieder and Rashid (2016), and Su et al. (2013)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions

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Julian Kirchherr¹, Denise Reike¹, Marko P. Hekkert¹•Institutions (1)

Utrecht University¹

01 Dec 2017-Resources Conservation and Recycling

TL;DR: In this paper, the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift.

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Abstract: The circular economy concept has gained momentum both among scholars and practitioners. However, critics claim that it means many different things to different people. This paper provides further evidence for these critics. The aim of this paper is to create transparency regarding the current understandings of the circular economy concept. For this purpose, we have gathered 114 circular economy definitions which were coded on 17 dimensions. Our findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift. We further find that the definitions show few explicit linkages of the circular economy concept to sustainable development. The main aim of the circular economy is considered to be economic prosperity, followed by environmental quality; its impact on social equity and future generations is barely mentioned. Furthermore, neither business models nor consumers are frequently outlined as enablers of the circular economy. We critically discuss the various circular economy conceptualizations throughout this paper. Overall, we hope to contribute via this study towards the coherence of the circular economy concept; we presume that significantly varying circular economy definitions may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.

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3,018 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Conceptualizing the Circular Economy: An Analysis of 114 Definitions

[...]

Julian Kirchherr¹, Denise Reike¹, Marko P. Hekkert¹•Institutions (1)

Utrecht University¹

15 Sep 2017-Social Science Research Network

TL;DR: The findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift, which may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.

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1,381 citations

Cites background or methods from "A review on circular economy: the e..."

...…concepts such as the green economy one (Loiseau et al., 2016) and it has also been raised against CE in various CE review articles we identified (Ghisellini et al., 2016; Lieder and Rashid 2016; Blomsma and Brennan, 2017; Sauvé et al., 2016; Murray et al., 2017; Geissdoerfer et al., 2017;…...
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...Ghisellini et al. (2016) also consider works that were not peer-reviewed in their literature review on CE....
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...We initially chose the 3R framework as the most prominent R framework for our coding (King et al., 2006; Brennan et al., 2015; Ghisellini et al., 2016); it is also at the core of the 2008 Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC, 2008)....
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...Economic prosperity is most frequently mentioned by practitioners (53% of definitions) who are oftentimes said to view CE as a pathway to boost growth (Lacy et al., 2015; Ghisellini et al., 2016)....
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...First, we retrieved definitions from the CE literature sample developed by Ghisellini et al. (2016) which is said to be representative for writings on CE (Ghisellini et al., 2016)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Barriers to the Circular Economy : Evidence From the European Union (EU)

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Julian Kirchherr¹, Laura Piscicelli¹, Ruben Bour², Ruben Bour¹, Erica Kostense-Smit², Jennifer Muller², Anne Huibrechtse-Truijens², Marko P. Hekkert¹ - Show less +4 more•Institutions (2)

Utrecht University¹, Deloitte²

01 Aug 2018-Ecological Economics

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the first large-N-study on circular economy barriers in the EU (208 survey respondents, 47 expert interviews) and find that cultural barriers, particularly a lack of consumer interest and awareness as well as a hesitant company culture, are considered the main barriers by businesses and policy-makers.

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774 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The circular economy: New or Refurbished as CE 3.0? — Exploring Controversies in the Conceptualization of the Circular Economy through a Focus on History and Resource Value Retention Options

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Denise Reike¹, Walter J.V. Vermeulen¹, Sjors Witjes²•Institutions (2)

Utrecht University¹, Radboud University Nijmegen²

01 Nov 2017-Resources Conservation and Recycling

TL;DR: In this article, the authors take a focus on the historical development of the concept of circular economy and value retention options (ROs) for products and materials aiming for increased circularity and conclude that policymakers and businesses should focus their efforts on realization of the more desirable, shorter loop retention options, like remanufacturing, refurbishing and repurposing, yet with a view on feasibility and overall system effects.

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Abstract: Over the last decade, the concept of the circular economy has regained attention, especially related to efforts to achieve a more sustainable society. The ‘revival’ of the circular economy has been accompanied by controversies and confusions across different actors in science and practice. With this article we attempt at contributing to advanced clarity in the field and providing a heuristic that is useful in practice. Initially, we take a focus on the historical development of the concept of circular economy and value retention options (ROs) for products and materials aiming for increased circularity. We propose to distinguish three phases in the evolution of the circular economy and argue that the concept – in its dominant framing – is not as new as frequently claimed. Having established this background knowledge, we give insights into ‘how far we are’ globally, with respect to the implementation of circularity, arguing that high levels of circularity have already been reached in different parts of the globe with regard to longer loop value retention options, such as energy recovery and recycling. Subsequently, we show that the confusion surrounding the circular economy is more far reaching. We summarize the divergent perspectives on retention options and unite the most common views a 10R typology. From our analyses, we conclude that policymakers and businesses should focus their efforts on realization of the more desirable, shorter loop retention options, like remanufacturing, refurbishing and repurposing – yet with a view on feasibility and overall system effects. Scholars, on the other hand, should assist the parties contributing to an increased circular economy in practice by taking up a more active role in attaining consensus in conceptualizing the circular economy.

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762 citations

Cites background or result from "A review on circular economy: the e..."

..., 2013), contrasted it with the linear economy (Pitt and Heinemeyer, 2015) or explained its related concepts (Murray et al., 2015; Ghisellini et al., 2014)....
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...‘decoupling’ of resource use from economic growth, thereby contributing to sustainable development (UNEP, 2011; McKinsey and Company, 2015; EC, 2015; OECD, 2016; EMAF, 2016a,b; Ghisellini et al., 2014; Geissdoerfer et al., 2017)....
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...Finally, recycling typically requires high energy inputs for collection and re-processing which may supersede the retained value (Ghisellini et al., 2014; King et al., 2006; Reh, 2013; Stahel, 2010)....
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...of ‘regenerative systems’ shows considerable overlap with IE principles (Iung and Levrat, 2014; Ghisellini et al., 2014)....
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...It is either used for any form of avoiding the use of newly mining materials or resources (Ayres and Ayres, 1996; Ghisellini et al., 2014): ‘any recovery for any purpose’ (Bakker et al....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Social Entrepreneurship Reserach: a Source of Explanation, Prediction and Delight

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Johanna Mair¹, Ignasi Marti Lanuza¹•Institutions (1)

University of Navarra¹

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Abstract: Social entrepreneurship, as a practice and a field for scholarly investigation, provides a unique opportunity to challenge, question, and rethink concepts and assumptions from different fields of management and business research. This paper puts forward a view of social entrepreneurship as a process that catalyzes social change and/or addresses important social needs in a way that is not dominated by direct financial benefits for the entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurship is seen as differing from other forms of entrepreneurship in the relatively higher priority given to promoting social value and development versus capturing economic value. To stimulate future research the authors introduce the concept of embeddedness as a nexus between theoretical perspectives for the study of social entrepreneurship. Different research methodologies and their implications are discussed.

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2,804 citations

"A review on circular economy: the e..." refers background in this paper

...The so-called Zero Emission Strategy (Tan et al., 2005; Mair and Marti, 2006; Jenkins, 2006; Schnitzer and Ulgiati, 2007; Figge et al., 2014) pursues the maximization of the value of goods coupled to zero (or decreased) environmental impacts....
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Abstract: General system theory or, more simply, system theory is essentially a body of abstract concepts and mathematical techniques which can be applied to analysis and design of a wide variety of physical systems. This paper presents a brief exposition of some of the basic concepts of system theory and sketches its principal problems and techniques. The discussion centers on the notion of state and state-space methods. Among the problems touched upon are those of characterization and identification, optimal control and system equivalence.

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Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Source of Explanation, Prediction, and Delight

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Johanna Mair¹, Ignasi Marti¹•Institutions (1)

University of Navarra¹

01 Feb 2006-Journal of World Business

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors put forward a view of social entrepreneurship as a process that catalyzes social change and addresses important social needs in a way that is not dominated by direct financial benefits for the entrepreneurs.

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University of New South Wales¹

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TL;DR: In this article, the economics of pollution and optimal depletion rates for natural resources are discussed, and a comprehensive and popular textbook for undergraduate students of environmental economics is presented. The book deals fully with the orthodox theorems of the economics, and also appeals to geographers and environmentalists.

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2,120 citations