Sustainable Circular Economy and Contract Law: Impacts, Gaps and Opportunities

Katrien Steenmans

Chapter 6 in A Research Agenda for Contract Law, 2026, pp 139-162 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Sustainability requirements within contract law are increasingly researched, but a gap exists in examining the intersections between contract law and particular strategies and tools for achieving sustainable development. One such example is the circular economy, which is encompassed by Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production). The circular economy concept comprises minimising resource use and preventing waste generation and, only where these are unavoidable, should resources and wastes be reused, recycled, and recovered. Achieving a circular economy requires multi-stakeholder participation, including private actors, throughout the supply chain. Contracts are one of the fundamental building blocks for governing these relationships and the distribution of risks in supply chains, yet explorations of the links between contract law and the circular economy concept are still at early stages. This chapter contributes to the nascent scholarship by examining the circular economy-contract law relationship by considering: (1) how does the circular economy concept impact contracts, and (2) how does contract law impact the circular economy? These two questions are discussed through procurement and extended producer responsibility in relation to the first question, and by drawing on consumer protection and sales of goods laws in relation to the second question.

Keywords: Circular Economy; Waste; Contract Law; Extended Producer Responsibility; Remedies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035342570
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