Contested discourses of a circular plastics economy in Europe
Prioritizing Material, Economy, or Society
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7763609 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nur Gizem Yalçın (0000-0002-0842-2246, Ghent University, corresponding author), Erik Paredis (0000-0001-7162-293X, Ghent University), Melanie Jaeger-Erben, Melanie Jaeger‐Erben (0000-0003-4744-3370, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 219-239 |
| Publication date | 2024-02-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0964-4016 • E-ISSN: 1743-8934 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09644016.2023.2192145 |
| OpenAlex | W4360866210 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 21 |
The European Union has made the development of a circular economy one of the central ambitions of its Green Deal, in which plastics are a defined priority. Current policies, however, have drawn criticism that the narrow focus on techno-innovation opportunities and economic growth falls short of addressing multifaceted socio-ecological challenges, overlooks trade-offs between proposed solutions, and conceals conflicts of interest among different actors. This paper contributes to opening-up the critical political debate on the circular plastics economy using discourse analysis. Looking at how arguments are framed, which priorities are defined, and how actors take positions, we identify three circular plastics economy discourses in Europe: ‘Plastic fantastic’ (material-focused), ‘Circular economy will fly us to the moon’ (plastics economy-focused), and ‘Even plastic flowers are dead in this system’ (socio-ecological systems-focused). Our paper demonstrates that the circular plastics economy is inherently political and is actively imagined, built, and created through discursive mechanisms
Circular economy · Economics · Economy · Political economy · Political science · Microplastics and Plastic Pollution · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Sustainable Supply Chain Management
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A typology of circular economy discourses
Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities
The Subject and Power
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Petrochemical transition narratives
Future-Proofing Capitalism
Circular futures
Diversifying and de-growing the circular economy
Narrating plastics governance
A decade of discourse analysis of environmental politics
Transforming ecological modernization 'from within' or perpetuating it? The circular economy as EU environmental policy narrative
Measurementality' in Biodiversity Governance
The Circular Economy at a Crossroads
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |