Principles for a sustainable circular economy

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Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

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Going in Circles for Sustainability: Patching Up the Circular Economy's Flaws

This review identifies weaknesses in the conceptual grounding of circular economy and its relation to sustainable development, arguing for a revised set of values and principles for the design, implementation and evaluation of a sustainable circular economy. It proposes a framework of ten principles covering the relation between nature and society, reduced resource use, transformational production, multi-dimensional value creation and prosperity, transforming consumption, citizen participation, coordinated and multi-level change, plurality of solutions, revised political economy, and whole system assessments.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Limited conceptual grounding

The limited conceptual grounding of circular economy can lead to the implementation of practices that are detrimental to sustainability.

Weak relationship with sustainable development

This restricts the implementation of fully circular practices, especially those that call for more radical changes in human behavior.

Lack of comprehensive value system

This can lead to unsustainable practices being implemented under the circular economy banner.

Absence of whole system assessments

It is essential to take a whole system perspective to evaluate the wider implications of specific circular practices before their implementation.

Rating Explanation

This is a strong and thought-provoking review that makes a significant contribution to the field, urging for more comprehensive implementation of the principles of sustainable development into the principles and practices of circular economy. However, some ideas such as the ability to restore or regenerate natural capital are still questionable in the light of limited scientific evidence, requiring deeper critical reflection and analysis.

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