Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Sina Leipold; Anna Petit-Boix; Anran Luo; Hanna Helander; Machteld Simoens; Weslynne S. Ashton; Callie W. Babbitt; Alba Bala; Catharina R. Bening; Morten Birkved; Fenna Blomsma; Casper Boks; Alessio Boldrin; Pauline Deutz; Teresa Domenech; Navarro Ferronato; Alejandro Gallego-Schmid; Damien Giurco; Kersty Hobson; Roope Husgafvel; Cynthia Isenhour; Mait Kriipsalu; Donato Masi; Joan Manuel F. Mendoza; Leonidas Milios; Monia Niero; Deepak Pant; Keshav Parajuly; Stefan Pauliuk; Marina P.P. Pieroni; Jessika Luth Richter; Michael Saidani; Marzena Smol; Laura Talens Peiró; Stijn van Ewijk; Walter J.V. Vermeulen; Dominik Wiedenhofer; Bing Xue

doi:10.1111/jiec.13346

Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Sina Leipold^*
, Anna Petit-Boix
, Anran Luo
, Hanna Helander
, Machteld Simoens
, Weslynne S. Ashton
, Callie W. Babbitt
, Alba Bala
, Catharina R. Bening
, Morten Birkved
, Fenna Blomsma
, Casper Boks
, Alessio Boldrin
, Pauline Deutz
, Teresa Domenech
, Navarro Ferronato
, Alejandro Gallego-Schmid
, Damien Giurco
, Kersty Hobson
, Roope Husgafvel

Cynthia Isenhour, Mait Kriipsalu, Donato Masi, Joan Manuel F. Mendoza, Leonidas Milios, Monia Niero, Deepak Pant, Keshav Parajuly, Stefan Pauliuk, Marina P.P. Pieroni, Jessika Luth Richter, Michael Saidani, Marzena Smol, Laura Talens Peiró, Stijn van Ewijk, Walter J.V. Vermeulen, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Bing Xue

^*Corresponding author for this work

Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Autonomous University of Barcelona
University of Freiburg
Illinois Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
University of Southern Denmark
University of Hamburg
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
University of Hull
University College London
University of Insubria
University of Technology Sydney
Cardiff University
Aalto University
University of Maine
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Aston University
Ikerbasque Basque Foundation for Science
Lund University
Aalborg University
Flemish Institute for Technological Research
University of Bonn
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Utrecht University
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
Technical University of Berlin
ESCI-UPF
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
University of Manchester

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Industrial Ecology
Volume	27
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	6-18
Number of pages	13
ISSN	1088-1980
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346
Publication status	Published - 2023

Bibliographical note

The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. We express our gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group ‘Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy’ [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Keywords

Industrial ecology
Narratives
Policy relevance
Research agenda
Science policy
Sustainability

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Leipold, S., Petit-Boix, A., Luo, A., Helander, H., Simoens, M., Ashton, W. S., Babbitt, C. W., Bala, A., Bening, C. R., Birkved, M., Blomsma, F., Boks, C., Boldrin, A., Deutz, P., Domenech, T., Ferronato, N., Gallego-Schmid, A., Giurco, D., Hobson, K., ... Xue, B. (2023). Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 27(1), 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346

@article{72abcfd10c5a45099fc9f3085853bbba,

title = "Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy",

abstract = "The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars{\textquoteright} insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.",

keywords = "Industrial ecology, Narratives, Policy relevance, Research agenda, Science policy, Sustainability",

author = "Sina Leipold and Anna Petit-Boix and Anran Luo and Hanna Helander and Machteld Simoens and Ashton, \{Weslynne S.\} and Babbitt, \{Callie W.\} and Alba Bala and Bening, \{Catharina R.\} and Morten Birkved and Fenna Blomsma and Casper Boks and Alessio Boldrin and Pauline Deutz and Teresa Domenech and Navarro Ferronato and Alejandro Gallego-Schmid and Damien Giurco and Kersty Hobson and Roope Husgafvel and Cynthia Isenhour and Mait Kriipsalu and Donato Masi and Mendoza, \{Joan Manuel F.\} and Leonidas Milios and Monia Niero and Deepak Pant and Keshav Parajuly and Stefan Pauliuk and Pieroni, \{Marina P.P.\} and Richter, \{Jessika Luth\} and Michael Saidani and Marzena Smol and Peir{\'o}, \{Laura Talens\} and \{van Ewijk\}, Stijn and Vermeulen, \{Walter J.V.\} and Dominik Wiedenhofer and Bing Xue",

note = "The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. We express our gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group {\textquoteleft}Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy{\textquoteright} [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT\_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.1111/jiec.13346",

language = "English",

volume = "27",

pages = "6--18",

journal = "Journal of Industrial Ecology",

issn = "1088-1980",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "1",

}

Leipold, S, Petit-Boix, A, Luo, A, Helander, H, Simoens, M, Ashton, WS, Babbitt, CW, Bala, A, Bening, CR, Birkved, M, Blomsma, F, Boks, C, Boldrin, A, Deutz, P, Domenech, T, Ferronato, N, Gallego-Schmid, A, Giurco, D, Hobson, K, Husgafvel, R, Isenhour, C, Kriipsalu, M, Masi, D, Mendoza, JMF, Milios, L, Niero, M, Pant, D, Parajuly, K, Pauliuk, S, Pieroni, MPP, Richter, JL, Saidani, M, Smol, M, Peiró, LT, van Ewijk, S, Vermeulen, WJV, Wiedenhofer, D & Xue, B 2023, 'Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy', Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13346

TY - JOUR

T1 - Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

AU - Leipold, Sina

AU - Petit-Boix, Anna

AU - Luo, Anran

AU - Helander, Hanna

AU - Simoens, Machteld

AU - Ashton, Weslynne S.

AU - Babbitt, Callie W.

AU - Bala, Alba

AU - Bening, Catharina R.

AU - Birkved, Morten

AU - Blomsma, Fenna

AU - Boks, Casper

AU - Boldrin, Alessio

AU - Deutz, Pauline

AU - Domenech, Teresa

AU - Ferronato, Navarro

AU - Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro

AU - Giurco, Damien

AU - Hobson, Kersty

AU - Husgafvel, Roope

AU - Isenhour, Cynthia

AU - Kriipsalu, Mait

AU - Masi, Donato

AU - Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.

AU - Milios, Leonidas

AU - Niero, Monia

AU - Pant, Deepak

AU - Parajuly, Keshav

AU - Pauliuk, Stefan

AU - Pieroni, Marina P.P.

AU - Richter, Jessika Luth

AU - Saidani, Michael

AU - Smol, Marzena

AU - Peiró, Laura Talens

AU - van Ewijk, Stijn

AU - Vermeulen, Walter J.V.

AU - Wiedenhofer, Dominik

AU - Xue, Bing

N1 - The authors would like to thank all experts participating in the initial survey. We express our gratitude for the financial support of this research by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, research group ‘Circulus – Opportunities and challenges of transition to a sustainable circular bio-economy’ [031B0018], the European Research Council Horizon 2020 programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810).

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.

AB - The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers.

KW - Industrial ecology

KW - Narratives

KW - Policy relevance

KW - Research agenda

KW - Science policy

KW - Sustainability

U2 - 10.1111/jiec.13346

DO - 10.1111/jiec.13346

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85145295836

SN - 1088-1980

VL - 27

SP - 6

EP - 18

JO - Journal of Industrial Ecology

JF - Journal of Industrial Ecology

IS - 1

ER -

Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

OpenUrl availability

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Cite this