Conceptualizing the Circular Economy: R-framework Question

Abstract

Despite its rich history, the circular economy (CE) must be more firmly conceptualized. Various definitions of CE are oftenconnected with specific R-frameworks, which differ significantly. This divergence could be caused by the fact that CE is related to otherpredecessors’ concepts, for example, industrial ecology, waste management, cleaner production, and reverse logistics, some of which alsoused R-frameworks. This article aims to find the most frequently used R-principles in the context of CE, including identifying possiblefactors influencing the author’s choice of the selected R-framework. For this purpose, 128 articles (related to R-frameworks and CE) wereanalyzed. The potential relationship between selected factors (e.g., authors’ nationality, the publication’s year, or journal) and the selectedR-framework was tested using chi-square tests. The results show that only the nationality of the authors can influence the choice of theR-framework and that the 3R principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) are most often discussed in the context of the CE. Results show that the3R framework is dominant in Asian publications (which is logical due to the longer recognition of this framework) and also in Europeanpublications. However, lately, there is a visible growing trend in using the 10R framework in European publications; thus, it may be a matterof time before other frameworks become dominant. As a result, it can be stated that the 3R and 10R framewors are well-used frameworksthat can serve as the basis for defining and conceptualizing the CE. One official definition of CE that would use a selected R-frameworkshould be stated to clearly define what CE is.