Transition to a Sustainable Circular Plastics Economy in The Netherlands: Discourse and Policy Analysis

The circular economy (CE) has become a key sustainability discourse in the last decade. The Netherlands seeks to become fully circular by 2050 and the EU has set ambitious circularity targets in its CE Action Plan of 2015. The plastics sector, in particular, has gained a lot of attention as it is a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 190
Main Authors: Calisto Friant, Martin, Lakerveld, Dirkjan, Vermeulen, Walter, Salomone, Roberta
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2022
MDPI
Subjects:
Analysis
Consumption
Economic aspects
Economic policy
Environment and Society
Environmental aspects
Environmental policy
Environmental Sciences
Environmental studies
Humanities and Social Sciences
Plastics
Plastics industry
Political aspects
Political science
Production processes
Recycling
Sustainability
Sustainable development
United Kingdom
Netherlands
ISSN:2071-1050, 2071-1050
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The circular economy (CE) has become a key sustainability discourse in the last decade. The Netherlands seeks to become fully circular by 2050 and the EU has set ambitious circularity targets in its CE Action Plan of 2015. The plastics sector, in particular, has gained a lot of attention as it is a priority area of both the EU and Dutch CE policies. However, there has been little research on the different and often contested discourses, governance processes and policy mechanisms guiding the transition to a circular economy and society. This paper aims to fill these gaps by asking what circular discourses and policies are being promoted in the Netherlands and what sustainability implications and recommendations can be drawn from it. It does so through a mix of media analysis, policy analysis, semi-structured interviews, and surveys using Q-methodology. Results indicate a dominance of technocentric imaginaries, and a general lack of discussion on holistic, and transformative visions, which integrate the full social, political, and ecological implication of a circular future. To address those challenges, this research brings key policy insights and recommendations which can help both academics and practitioners better understand and implement the transition towards a sustainable circular plastics economy.
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content type line 14
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su14010190