Research on the circular economy: A critique of the field

2019, Kirchherr & Santen

Abstract

This article was published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling, which features contributions from research which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal emphasizes the transformation processes involved in a transition toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. Emphasis is upon technological, economic, institutional and policy aspects of specific resource management practices, such as conservation, recycling and resource substitution, and of “systems-wide” strategies, such as resource productivity improvement, the restructuring of production and consumption profiles and the transformation of industry.

This article focuses on existing CE literature, which the authors argue needs to massively change if the research community is to impact business practice. The authors present five critical observations regarding this literature.