The limits of waste as a resource: a critique and a proposition towards a new scalar imagination for the circular economy model

Stylianos Zavos; Olli Pyyhtinen

doi:10.1093/cjres/rsae013

The limits of waste as a resource: a critique and a proposition towards a new scalar imagination for the circular economy model

Stylianos Zavos
, Olli Pyyhtinen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

21 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In the article, we critically confront the idea of waste-to-resource at the heart of the circular economy. We discuss some of the blind spots and shortcomings of three circular economy principles: designing out waste, emulating natural systems and decoupling economic growth from resource use. We suggest that their limitations are intimately connected to a scalar reasoning ruled by strict, disjunctive categories. Instead, we advance a flat, relational, trans-scalar approach and propose that the potential of a sustained circular economy promise requires a novel scalar imagination attentive to its multiple co-constituted spatialities, social relations and fluid materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	683-697
Number of pages	15
Journal	Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society
Volume	17
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsae013
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2024
Publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

This work was financially supported by the European Union [ERC, WasteMatters, grant number: 101043572] and the Research Council of Finland [grant number: 350191]. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Research Council Executive Agency or any other funder named. Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them.

Funders	Funder number
European Commission
European Research Council Executive Agency
European Research Council	101043572
Research Council of Finland	350191

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

circular economy
flat ontologies
resources
scales
waste

Publication forum classification

Publication forum level 2

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development
Sociology and Political Science
Economics and Econometrics

Access to Document

10.1093/cjres/rsae013Licence: CC BY

The limits of waste as a resourceFinal published version, 535 KBLicence: CC BY

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2024120410750Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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The limits of waste as a resource: a critique and a proposition towards a new scalar imagination for the circular economy model

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Publication forum classification

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Cite this