Interrogating the circular economy: the moral economy of resource recovery in the EU

The concept of the circular economy has gained increasing prominence in academic, practitioner and policy circles and is linked to greening economies and sustainable development. However, the idea is more often celebrated than critically interrogated. Analysis shows the concept circulates as an idea and ideal, exemplified by industrial symbiosis and extended product life. Yet, its actual enactment is limited and fragile. Instead, circular economies are achieved mostly through global recycling networks which are the primary means by which wastes are recovered as resources. European policies eschew these circuits. Resource recovery through global recycling networks is regarded as a dirty and illegal trade. In…

• DU
  Durham University
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council

  Awards: RES 000-23-0007, ES/E002196/1