WHAT IS THE IDEAL SCENARIO FOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY TO OCCUR? A CASE STUDY OF THE CIRCE PROJECT

Abstract

Goal: The circular economy (CE) strategy has risen as an alternative to linear systems, since it can reduce material and human footprint by introducing systemic solutions. How-ever, there is still a huge gap of circularity, once 90% of the world resources which enter the production chain are wasted. In order to fill in this gap, it is necessary to tackle the barriers which prevent the world from implementing and improving circular initiatives. Thus, following this trend, the present work aimed to identify the key conditions for the implementation of CE initiatives, to draw an Ideal Scenario for circular economy to thrive. Design / Methodology / Approach: The present work consisted of a case study of the CircE project, hence, a qualitative research. The data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with the representatives of this project, in addition to an analysis of the CircE project documents. Results: Some of the results found consisted of an overview of the CircE project; key conditions for CE to thrive; and the ideal scenario for Circular Economy to thrive, draw from the analysis of these results. Limitations of the investigation: Some limitations of the present work consisted of diffi-culties to access the data due to confidentiality issues of the project researched. Practical implications: The outcome of the present work, the Ideal Scenario, represented a guideline of the steps that should be taken with stakeholders’ effort, especially the gov-ernment ones, to encourage the development of circular economy initiatives. Originality / Value: The CircE project is a recent initiative in the Circular Economy field, hence very relevant to be analyzed, but with no scientific publications yet. In addition, the scientific literature regarding the implementation of CE is limited, most of the existent documents concern reports of organizations. Hence, the present work aims to contribute to the scientific production on the field.