Circular Economy Business Models: A Critical Examination

Charles J. Whalen and Katherine A. Whalen

Journal of Economic Issues, 2020, vol. 54, issue 3, 628-643

Abstract: In recent decades, increasing numbers of scholars and practitioners have rejected the conventional, “linear” view of economic activity (centered on “take, make, and dispose”) in favor of a “circular economy” perspective, which emphasizes the need for humans to live in harmony with Earth’s ecological system. As a consequence, various contemporary business models claim to draw inspiration from this new perspective. However, our critical examination reveals that many of these models say little about—and, on their own, may contribute little to achieving—ecological sustainability. We conclude by stressing the need for public policies that enable society to pursue what institutionalists call “higher efficiency.”

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00213624.2020.1778404 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mes:jeciss:v:54:y:2020:i:3:p:628-643

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/MJEI20

DOI: 10.1080/00213624.2020.1778404

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Economic Issues from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().