Re-thinking the Academic Role in the Circular Economy Discourse

Abstract

The article discusses the debate that calls the academy and the generation of scientific production to contribute to the substantial contributions of public policy from the areas of the Circular Economy - CE, especially for industrial sectors that have a high economic and environmental impact. The bibliometric review (30 years) allows arguing the limitations in the contributions to face the challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the regulation and political instrumentation. The results show investigative biases in the institutional order of the food packaging industry that has massified production towards the consumption of single-use glasses (SUG). The discussion states that the generation of knowledge should re-evaluate social responsibility without bias in thematic trends. Finally, it is proposed that academic contributions should focus on the review of incentives for efficient production that minimizes the massive consumption of materials.