How Do We Change What We Cannot Describe? A Comprehensive Framework of User Behaviours in a Materials’ Circular Economy

Abstract

A circular economy is critical to addressing current unsustainable resource extraction, consumption and waste. Research has hitherto focused predominantly on the supply-side, particularly design, production and circular business models. However, the demand-side is essential in realising benefits from upstream activities. While circular consumption research is emerging, a clear and comprehensive picture of user behaviours required in a circular economy is still lacking. To address this, the research adopted a transdisciplinary integration approach, engaging over 100 Australian circular economy stakeholders from the public, private, research and civil sectors. The output of the research integration was a comprehensive Framework of User Circular Behaviours, containing 59 distinct user behaviours, clearly labelled, categorised and defined. The Framework organises user behaviours according to three phases of product interaction (get, use, pass on), and more specifically by their function in a circular economy. A preliminary model of the inter-relationships between these user behaviours and up- and downstream circular activities was also produced. The Framework contributes to existing circular consumer literature in three ways: it provides both greater breadth and depth of behaviours than existing models; it clarifies when performance of the behaviours can be considered circular; and includes precise definitions to provide clarity and enable consistency in terminology. The Framework has many benefits. It can enable translation between different stakeholders, connect research on production/business models with research on consumers/users and be utilised to organise and accumulate evidence of barriers and enablers of these behaviours and the interventions that work to change them.