Circular strategies for social housing associations: Lessons from a Dutch case

Manon Eikelenboom,Gjalt De Jong,Thomas B Long

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126024

Manon Eikelenboom, Gjalt De Jong + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126024

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Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore how social housing associations can introduce circular strategies and integrate social elements, next to ecological elements, within these strategies. In order to investigate this aim, this paper first explores the circular strategy options that can be adopted by housing associations. Thereafter, the paper explores how social elements can be integrated within these strategies via the establishment of relationships with communities in the network of housing associations. By performing an in-depth case study, we identified potential circular strategies for housing associations and indicate how community relationships could be established within these strategies. The findings highlight that community relationships in the vision formulation and activities involved in the execution of circular strategies may assist in creating synergies between the ecological aims of circular strategies and the perspectives and needs of communities. On the other hand, the results indicate that not establishing relationships with communities or only establishing relationships in the strategy outcomes may be detrimental to both community needs and the ecological aims of circular strategies.

Highlights

The circular economy is a promising approach to help reduce global sustainability pressures (European Commission, 2014)
We propose that housing associations may be able to integrate social elements, next to ecological elements, within circular strategies by building relationships, which involve two-way interactions, with communities within the networks in which circular strategies are situated
This paper highlighted a case of exemplar circular strategies within the context of a social housing association

Summary

Introduction

The circular economy is a promising approach to help reduce global sustainability pressures (European Commission, 2014). Research and practice has prioritized the environmental aims of the circular economy at the expense of wider social implications (Geissdoerfer et al, 2017) This is an important limitation as recent literature indicates the importance of social elements within the circular economy, including social benefits, such as human well-being and social equity, societal perspectives and societal stakeholders, such as NGOs and local communities (Inigo and Blok, 2019; Kirchherr et al, 2017; Murray et al, 2017). They may result in negative social implications, for example, by requiring more expensive production practices, potentially limiting accessibility to low-income communities.

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