Circular Economy Transition on the Debate: Big Dreams but Harsh Realities

Florin-Constantin Mihai ()
Additional contact information
Florin-Constantin Mihai: UAIC - Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași = Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza din Iași

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: This paper aims to reveal some discrepancies in scientific discourse related to the circular economy subtopics and to recognize some of the current and relevant shortcomings in an antagonism approach that requires more attention from scientists, policymakers, and civil organizations to reach a cohesion level between downstream and upstream measures of circular economy initiatives. These subtopics refer to the lack of basic waste management services and sanitation around the world; circular ambitions on "papers" and massive pollution in open environments; recycling and resource recovery between formal; informal, and criminal organizations; progress towards a circular economy transition and deficient waste-related statistics; Plastics Treaty between high and less ambitious countries; circular business models and greenwashing risks; smart cities and neglected rural communities. These subtopics are interlinked for circular economy discourse from local to global levels while this literature review paper reveals some pathways to overcome such societal discrepancies that act as an impediment towards a functional global circular economy.

Keywords: Circular economy; Environment; Zero-waste; Pollution; Circular Economy Pollution Environment Zero-waste; Circular Economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06-25
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05141046v1
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Journal of Circular Economy, 2025, 3 (1), ⟨10.55845/MJAM2116⟩

Downloads: (external link)
https://hal.science/hal-05141046v1/document (application/pdf)

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:hal:journl:hal-05141046

DOI: 10.55845/MJAM2116

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().