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Governing the circular economy: multi-level comparative analysis. David Benson David Monciardini. The puzzle of CE regulation.
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Governing the circular economy: multi-level comparative analysis David Benson David Monciardini
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….
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
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)
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
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?
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)
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
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
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