Improving regional waste management using the circular economy as an epistemic object

ABSTRACT

The transition to a circular economy (CE) has become the focus of both academics and non-academics in later years. However, there is still confusion about how to interpret this concept and whether or not it is a revitalisation of pre-existing ideas. During a 2-year project, the CE was used in a collaborative research project as a way to establish a dialogue about waste management on a regional level. A diverse group of participants were invited to meetings and workshops to discuss improvements to waste management. The CE was interpreted in different ways due to the diversity of the participants. The theories of boundary objects and epistemic objects are used in this paper to show how the CE can be an abstract and flexible concept that still contributes to concrete improvements to waste management. In such a way, the CE presents normative goals that function as a catalyst for environmental improvement. This paper shows how research and practice can be bridged using workshops to introduce such an abstract idea while still contributing to change in practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Circular economy
• epistemic object
• waste management
• interactive research
• cross-sector collaboration

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the project team members, Bo Bergbäck, Louise Sörme and Ann-Christin Bayard, for including me in the project. Also, thanks to The Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Research & Charity. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joacim Rosenlund

Joacim Rosenlund has a PhD in environmental science from Linnaeus University in Sweden and is currently working as a senior lecturer in environmental science. Previous and current research concerns cross-sector collaboration in environmental science, the circular economy and the societal relevance of research. He has a background in sociology from Lund and Gothenburg universities.