Critical Approaches to Circular Economy Research: Time, Space and Evolution

Helen Holmes (), Harald Wieser () and Julia Kasmire ()
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Helen Holmes: University of Manchester
Harald Wieser: University of Manchester
Julia Kasmire: University of Manchester

Chapter Chapter 4 in Sustainable Consumption and Production, Volume II, 2021, pp 55-74 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter takes a critical approach to circular economy research, focusing upon time, space and evolution. It explores the varying roles of products in the CE and the divergent claims in CE discourse relating to the temporal reconfiguration of material flows. The discussion of alternative CE strategies reveals a fundamental tension that sets strict limits on their mobilisation as complementary solutions to environmental pressures. Following this, we continue our focus on material flows to question the spaces and scales in which CE traditionally occurs, considering the everyday embeddedness of CE and practices of circularity which are often hidden or invisible. The final section turns attention to how material flows drive change within complex adaptive systems, specifically focusing on how such systems can respond to changes in material flow in unexpected and undermining ways over different temporal or spatial scales.

Keywords: Circular economy; Temporality; Materiality; Evolution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-030-55285-5_4

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-55285-5_4

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