Velenturf, APM orcid.org/0000-0003-2635-0546 and Purnell, P orcid.org/0000-0002-6099-3804 (2021) Principles for a Sustainable Circular Economy. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27. pp. 1437-1457. ISSN 2352-5509
Abstract
The pressure that the human species exerts on the natural environment through the extraction of materials and generation of wastes is widely recognised. Circular economy has emerged as a potential solution to make better use of resources. Positioned as a technology-focused concept that can generate economic gains while alleviating pressure on the environment, circular economy enjoys a positive reception by organisations in public, private and civic sectors and, increasingly, academia alike. However, concerns have been raised regarding some purported circular economy practices being promoted as ‘sustainable’ yet resulting in detrimental impacts on environment and society. We briefly revisit the systems ecology literature that construed the context for both circular economy and sustainable development. Values and principles in core sustainable development literature are analysed to offer a foundation against which circular economy can be discussed. We then analyse and critically reflect upon the strengths, shortcomings and theoretical flaws within the values and principles that emerged from the evolving circular economy literature. We propose a value framework and set of ten principles for the design, implementation and evaluation of a sustainable circular economy. We finish with a call for action for both practitioners and a research agenda for academia.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Circular economy; Sustainable development; Sustainable transition; Natural capital; Social equity; Economic prosperity |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/L014149/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/L014149/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/K015834/1 Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult Not Known |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Feb 2021 12:58 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 22:35 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.spc.2021.02.018 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:171262 |