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Governing the circular economy: multi-level comparative analysis

Explore the fragmented landscape of circular economy regulation through a multi-level comparative analysis, focusing on policy instruments, governance patterns, and the evolving EU Circular Economy Package. Dive into the contested definitions, governance structures, and policy evolution shaping the circular economy landscape.

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Governing the circular economy: multi-level comparative analysis

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  1. Governing the circular economy: multi-level comparative analysis David Benson David Monciardini

  2. The puzzle of CE regulation Regulation and governance issues are everywhere and yet nowhere. In the sense that there is not a real strand of studies and a literature that critically explores and addresses this area. It is fragmented into thousands of bits and pieces. Therefore, a need for a dedicated research agenda….

  3. Overview • Circular economy definition • Circular economy governance • Analysing governance: ‘policy portfolios’ of instruments • Multi-level comparative analysis: global database • Policy layering or packaging? • Case study • EU Circular Economy Package 2018 • Analysis • Conclusions

  4. Circular economy definitions • Contested concept • Builds on earlier conceptions, e.g. closed loop production, industrial ecology, 3Rs…. • Linear to non-linear economic relations • 114 separate definitions! (Kircherr et al. 2017) “… an economic system that replaces the ‘end-of-life’ concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes” Kirchherr et al. (2017: 229)

  5. Circular economy governance • Governance = ‘any pattern of rule that arises when the state is dependent upon others or when the state plays little or no role’ (Bevir 2009: 3) • Circular economic governance = patterns of rule for supporting non-linear (circular) production and consumption? • Analysing governance – policy instruments (e.g. Jordan et al. 2012) • Regulation, MBIs, voluntary, information, institutions • ‘Policy portfolios’ (Howlett et al. 2015) • Policies increasingly characterised by complex packages of different instruments • What patterns of CE policy portfolios are emerging globally? • Are CE portfolios incrementally ‘layered’ on to old policy, ‘patched’ through adjustment or emerging fully formed (‘packaged’)? • Multi-level governance – global database • Policy portfolios that promote non-linear production and consumption – resource reduction, reuse, recycling, recovering value

  6. Global policy portfolio database

  7. European Union: CE policy • Policy strategy • 2018 Circular Economy Package • Circular Economy Action Plan 2015 • Strategy for Plastics • Revised directives • Waste, WEEE, end-of-life vehicles,packaging, landfill, batteries • Information for business • Multi-stakeholder platform • Structural/research funding for waste reduction/management • An ‘ambitious’ new package or just pre-existing measures?

  8. Evolution of CE policy 1 First phase: ‘closed loop economy’ • Early 1970s – EEC waste policy • The Potential for Substituting Manpower for Energy report (European Commission) 1977 • ‘Closed loop economy’ concept (Stahel and Reday-Mulvey 1981) • Waste Framework, Waste Oils and Packaging directives Second phase: ‘sustainable use’ • 6th Environment Action Programme 2002 – sustainable resource use • Thematic Strategies on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Prevention and Recycling of Wastes 2005 • Directives for batteries, WEEE, hazardous substances (RoHS)

  9. Evolution of CE policy 2 Third phase: ‘circular economy’ • 2011 - Roadmap for a Resource Efficient Europe • 2014 – Towards a Circular Economy: A Zero Waste Programme for Europe • 2015 - Circular Economy Action Plan • 2018 - Circular Economy Package

  10. Analysis • Packaging • Some new elements added through the CE Package (Plastics Strategy) • But few novel instruments - soft law innovation? • Layering • Measures added to pre-existing instruments contributing to continuous layering since the 1970s • Path dependence? Incoherence? • Patching = proposed amendments to directives (e.g. waste, packaging) but not new legislation • Current policy is primarily layered on to pre-existing instruments • CE concept itself is not entirely novel

  11. Summary • Growth of the CE globally: circular economy governance • Portfolios at different levels • However, EU CE portfolio is mainly ‘layered’ on to pre-existing instruments rather than fully packaged? • Comparative research into portfolios in the future • Internal coherence of CE instruments (Howlett et al. 2015) • Effectiveness of CE policy portfolios and lesson-drawing Contact us: d.i.benson@exeter.ac.uk

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