Mapping the social dimension of the circular economy

Abstract

The circular economy concept has been promoted as a response to increasing resource scarcity and as a driver of the transition towards a more sustainable economic system. The predominant focus of most circular economy-related approaches is, however, within the environmental and economic dimension, whereas social aspects, such as labour practices, human rights or community well-being, have only been peripherally and sporadically integrated into the circular economy concept. To achieve a truly sustainable alternative to the current economic system, a more balanced integration of the social sustainability dimension is essential. This study addressed this gap by thoroughly investigating the social dimension of sustainability as part of the circular economy concept by means of a two-step research design. Based on a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed English language research papers, interrelations of the identified social aspects were explored through causal loop modelling, mapping the extant intellectual territory at the intersection of social sustainability and circular economy. By identifying both overarching and actor-specific social aspects, this paper laid the groundwork for a clearer conceptual integration of the social dimension into the circular economy. Thereby, the problem of scattered coverage of social issues was highlighted, and collaboration was identified as main facilitator of a circular economy. Education, participation and legislative support emerged as central leverage points for the transformation towards a sustainable circular economy. Given the blurred boundaries between often-used social, economic and environmental indicators, more de facto social factors, beyond those closely related to economic or ecological factors, should be considered, and a stronger normative stance in future research is encouraged.