Diversifying and de-growing the circular economy: Radical social transformation in a resource-scarce world

Hobson, Kersty; Lynch, Nicholas

doi:10.1016/j.futures.2016.05.012

Cited by 349 publications

(277 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…However, Pomponi & Moncaster (2016) in a meso-level framework developed through a meta-analysis, do include societal and behavioural aspects. Hobson & Lynch (2016) stress that considering resource efficiency measures in isolation is detrimental because the complexities of consumer behaviour are poorly understood with respect to new circular business models. Similarly, Pomponi & Moncaster (2016) stress that macro-level CE must take a future-oriented and multidisciplinary approach.…”

Section: Limitations Of a Ce Approach For Citiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circular Cities: Mapping Six Cities in Transition

Prendeville

Cherim²,

Bocken³

2018

Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions

294

206

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Abstract:Urbanisation and climate change are urging cities to chart novel paths towards sustainability. European cities are increasingly looking to the circular economy (CE) as one route to achieve a sustainable future. The CE concept describes how flows of resources moving through economies can be 'closed'. The aim of this article is to explore how emergent 'circular cities' are adopting CE as a strategy. We found that leadership of the agenda, building adaptable future visions, using experimental approaches (such as living labs), developing contextual knowledge about resource use, and engaging with diverse stakeholders to be important. However, we also identify that there is a lack of consensus on what a circular city constitutes and a need to untangle how a circular city might be developed in practice. The research contributes to the field by outlining emergent cases, a set of common strategies, and providing an initial conceptualisation of a circular city.

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Section: Limitations Of a Ce Approach For Citiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circular Cities: Mapping Six Cities in Transition

Prendeville

Cherim²,

Bocken³

2018

Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions

294

206

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“…[73]. Second, by following incumbent pathways, the VVEA reproduces and strengthens the incumbent socio-material institutions creating social, e.g., governance-related, and material, e.g., infrastructural or technological, lock-ins and rendering alternative approaches of P recycling less probable in the future [20,74].…”

Section: Scenario 2: the Regime Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition of the Swiss Phosphorus System towards a Circular Economy—Part 2: Socio-Technical Scenarios

Jedelhauser¹,

Mehr

Binder

2018

Sustainability

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Abstract:A transition towards a circular economy of phosphorus (P) in Switzerland is a multi-faceted challenge as P use is subject to a variety of influencing factors comprising policy interventions, consumption trends, or technological innovations on different spatial scales. Therefore, scenarios for P use that take into account both the social and the technical dimension of change are needed for investigating possible pathways of a transition towards more sustainable P futures. Drawing on the multi-level perspective of transition theory, we develop scenarios on the landscape level, i.e., a balanced and healthy human diet, on the regime level, i.e., P recovery from sewage sludge (ash) and meat and bone meal, and on the niche level, i.e., urine separation. Based on the P system of the year 2015, we assess the quantitative implications of the scenarios for the Swiss P system. While scenario 1 mainly affects the agricultural system by reducing the overall P throughput, scenario 2 significantly changes P use in waste management, because P losses to landfills and cement plants decrease and the production of secondary P increases. Scenario 3 shows little quantitative impact on the national P system. From a qualitative transition perspective, however, urine separation entails fundamental socio-technical shifts in the wastewater system, whereas P recovery from sewage sludge (ash) represents an incremental system adaptation. The combination of flow-and transition-oriented research provides more general insights into how a circular economy of P can be reached. Furthermore, the analysis of P recycling scenarios reveals that transition processes in Switzerland are embedded in a global resource economy. Thus, a sole focus on concepts of national P self-sufficiency and the reduction of Switzerland's P import dependency tend to fall short when analysing the economisation of secondary P materials in the face of transnational resource flows and markets.

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“…This ideology sits in stark contrast to the largely policy-driven and business-led approach that characterises the CE. Critics of the CE argue that it is limited by this bias towards technological solutions and overlooked and complex social and cultural issues, such as consumer behaviour (Hobson and Lynch 2016). Therefore, hints of a more radical CE are perceived at the nexus of the CE and makerspace movements, blending the resource benefits the CE brings to society with the social value embraced by the makerspace movement.…”

Section: Synergies For Circular Makerspaces: Ideologies Visions Attmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the contrary, negative effects such as continued over-consumption as well as high environmental rebound effects, can be linked to both the CE (Murray, Skene, and Haynes 2015;Edbring, Lehner, and Mont 2016;Hobson and Lynch 2016;Hobson 2016) and makerspace (Ritzer and Jurgenson 2015) movements respectively. sustainable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%