Lack of Congruence Between European Citizen Perspectives and Policies on Circular Economy

Abstract

The concept of circular economy has become a catchphrase for describing redesign of economies and industries towards better sustainability. The consideration of consumers holds a prominent role in the concept, yet consumers" concerns and hopes are not well accounted for. This article takes a forward-looking approach to the relationship between consumers and policies on circular economy. It analyses an extensive and systematically collected corpus of European citizen visions on desirable and sustainable futures from this perspective, and compares the outcomes to newly adopted circular economy policies in Europe. The article argues that European policies on circular economy should increasingly connect to energy and climate issues as well as social topics, if they are to build congruence between citizen and policy understandings, and thereby raise public acceptance for the concept.

Circular Economy in the Triple Helix of Innovation Systems

“…Another interesting observation in our topic modelling is that, although consumers are often understood to have an important part to play in the circular economy equation, they are quite absent from these conceptualisations. It is quite likely that research on and actions towards circular economy would benefit from incorporating research questions, approaches and findings from sustainable consumption and life styles studies, especially because recent evidence shows that consumer expectations and the objectives of current circular policies lack congruence [16].…”

“…Additionally, scholars investigated changes required in interorganisational practices and cooperation [35,36], brought up the social and institutional implications that society-wide transformation towards circular economy will require and cause [11,37,38], and critically evaluated the limitations of current CE approaches [39] and the underlying politics of it [40]. Recent empirical research [16] indicates that there is discrepancy between future expectations of consumers and current European policies on CE.…”

“…CE is expected to become a mainstream business priority in the foreseeable future [14], affecting public-private relations and innovation. Recent applications of the concept through policy programmes set priorities for innovation activities for industry in Europe [15,16] and even create government-led policies as in China [8,17].…”

Consumption in the Circular Economy: A Literature Review

“…Studies offered new ways of understanding specific solutions [141]; they inquired about how everyday life would exist in a circular future [142], and what aspects defined consumption in this particular context [143,144]. Only two papers questioned the socio-political consequences of the circular economy and inquired about equity in this context [7,24]. The papers investigating meaning in the context of circular solutions, and explored notions of specific circular solutions [158], ideas, societal codes [149], shared and individual meanings, and understandings of the different solutions offered [148].…”

“…Less attention seems to have been paid to how consumption and consumers would affect or be affected by the circular economy [2]. As suggested by Hobson et al [6] the circular economy might translate into significant changes in people's everyday lives, but there seems to be little understanding of such alterations in the scientific literature, and the policies promoting the circular economy [7]. Among such changes are the and social equity, to the benefit of current and future generations.…”