The evolving concept of circularity: from a circular economy to a circular society in 60 years

Jette Raasens and Eveline van Leeuwen

Chapter 2 in Regions, Cities and the Circular Economy, 2024, pp 44-60 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The circular economy is increasingly contested by researchers and activists, as it runs the risk of being used for greenwashing for economic activities that might be (only) partly more efficient, but still promote a global increase in material use. It is to a large extent reliant on recycling - a loop that does not affect the amount of demand, as the others do, but only deals with some of the consequences. Also, it does not really affect the producers, merely the consumers. Unlike a circular economy, a circular society involves all players in society. It aims at redistributing costs and benefits of production and consumption in a fair way, within planetary boundaries both now and in the future. In this chapter, the evolution of the concept of circularity between the 1960s and 2020s is described, resulting in a recommendation to view the circular economy as an essential part of a much-needed circular society.

Keywords: Business and Management; Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Environment; Geography; Politics and Public Policy Sustainable Development Goals; Urban and Regional Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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