How Can We Measure the Prioritization of Strategies for Transitioning to a Circular Economy at Macro Level? A New Approach

Patricia Guarnieri (), Lucio Camara e Silva, Fazli Haleem, Augusto Bianchini, Jessica Rossi, Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, Sami Farooq, Edgar Reyes, André Luiz Nascimento Reis and Barbara de Oliveira Vieira
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Patricia Guarnieri: Faculty of Economics, Business, Accounting and Public Policies, University of Brasília—UnB, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
Lucio Camara e Silva: Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Caruaru 55014-900, Brazil
Fazli Haleem: Department of Management Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Sheringal 18000, Pakistan
Augusto Bianchini: Department of Industrial Engineering DIN, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Jessica Rossi: Department of Industrial Engineering DIN, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Brian Vejrum Wæhrens: Center for Industrial Production, Department of Materials and Production, The Faculty of Engineering and Science, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg Øst, Denmark
Sami Farooq: School of Management Sciences, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Swabi 23640, Pakistan
Edgar Reyes: Faculty of Economics, Business, Accounting and Public Policies, University of Brasília—UnB, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil
André Luiz Nascimento Reis: Superintendent at Brazilian Post Office, Brasília 70002-900, Brazil
Barbara de Oliveira Vieira: Faculty of Economy, Business Administration and Accounting, Department of Management, University of Brasília—UnB, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-31

Abstract: This paper aims to develop and validate a questionnaire to measure the prioritization of strategies to transitioning towards a circular economy and to compare different countries. We proposed a questionnaire based on a five-level ordinal scale to evaluate the 24 strategies of the circular economy under a set of ten criteria given technical issues, as well as social, environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability. Each strategy was defined and evaluated by the participants on the same scale, who are stakeholders involved in the transition towards a circular economy. The validation was conducted by two main procedures, including semantic validation through 17 experts from five countries and statistical validation by 347 survey respondents from 25 countries. The results show that the questionnaire seems a reliable and valid tool to analyze which circular economy strategies countries, regions and cities prioritize. Few studies have been conducted to validate instruments about the circular economy; they are focused at the micro level, (industry). Studies that validate measurement instruments regarding the circular economy at the macro level are lacking. This study is the first one to validate the circular economy instrument at the macro level. It can help researchers and practitioners from public and private sectors from a variety of organizations in proposing actions to enable the transition and create performance indicators.

Keywords: circular economy; strategies; sustainability; transition; validation of an instrument (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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