Is a circular future compatible with economic growth? Ideas for a 'degrowing circular society'

We need to think of a fair and regenerative circular society rather than simply an eco-efficient circular economy. This is one of the main insights from the Second Utrecht Degrowth Symposium: From Circular Economy to Circular Society held on 15 May. By giving stage to academics and practitioners, the symposium allowed for inspiring and innovative discussions on what a ‘degrowing circular society’ can look like and how it can be achieved in practice. The online event had over 1500 registered people from various sectors including academia, NGOs, public sector, and private companies. Some of the key discussion topics included the current challenges of the circular economy concept and the need to go beyond market-based circular solutions.

The COVID-19 crisis brings a unique opportunity to think about a sustainable transition towards a fair, circular, caring, and regenerative economy that can benefit all members of society. What does it take to get there? In a post-corona manifesto, 170 scholars in the Netherlands recently advocated for a transition to an economy beyond growth. The suggested policies align well with degrowth thinking, such as the reduction of consumption and travel, an economic framework focused on redistribution, and moving away from GDP growth as a societal goal. The concept of degrowth, developed in the 1970s, is increasingly receiving attention from people in the Netherlands and other countries in order to face pressing socio-ecological crises.

Circular economy as the solution?

The symposium aimed to connect this debate with the concept of circular economy, which is often viewed as a solution to many of the socio-ecological problems of the 21st century such as resource scarcity and climate change. By assuming that a circular future is compatible with continued economic growth, the circular economy project is at a considerable risk not only from failing but also from doing more socio-environmental damage than it intends to. Indeed, research presented at the symposium demonstrates that in the presence of continuous economic growth the ecological benefits of a circular economy are simply offset (by the negative effects of economic growth). As the ecological limits of the Earth have already been overshot, an ecologically sustainable future requires a reduction of global GDP.

Beyond efficiency and technology

Moreover, “the current circular discourse is weighing heavily on technology, and we should have a more social discussion,” argued Socrates Schouten, author of the book ‘De Circulaire Economie’, at the symposium. Indeed, by focusing on efficiency and technology alone, the circular economy concept does not address key social and political considerations such as who owns circular technologies, who benefits from them, and who carries the burden and the costs of an ecological transition. This could lead to a circular future that only benefits a handful of people and corporations while leaving the rest of the world behind.

Degrowing circular society as a solution

The speakers at the symposium propose to think of a degrowing circular society as a solution for the key challenges of the 21st century such as rising inequalities and the climate emergency. They said that instead of focusing only on recycling, we should question what drives consumer practices and prioritise strategies to rethink, refuse, reduce, repair, relocalise, democratise and redistribute. The symposium showed that these strategies can be put into practice in ways that overcome the limitations of the concept and practices of the circular economy.

Doughnut Economy

Amsterdam’s Doughnut Model is one example of rethinking policies for a circular city, as it calls to look beyond profit and local impact of activities within a municipality. “How can our city be a home for thriving people in a thriving place, while respecting the wellbeing of all and the health of the whole planet?” This question is at the core of the Doughnut Economy approach, as discussed by Ilektra Kouloumpi (Circle Economy).

Future-proof skills

Other examples of a circular society are cooperative housing models and repair cafés. Joey Hodde from De Ceuvel talked us through his journey of founding De Ceuvel on a heavily polluted old ship-wharf in the North of Amsterdam. “It is now more and more accepted that we are facing an existential crisis: this was the basis from which we departed, resulting in qualitatively different outcomes from profit-oriented initiatives,” he said. Martine Postma, founder and director of the Repair Café International Foundation, agreed that a sustainable future is only possible if we embrace values of community and care. This approach puts human wellbeing at the centre of the economy and redefines what kind of knowledge and skills are being appreciated and rewarded. “We believe that in a circular society, repair skills should be part of everyone’s basic skill set”, she concluded.

Fair, caring and regenerative circular societies

Altogether, the symposium launched a warning to critically examine the underlying assumptions and values behind the concept of circular economy before implementing it widely in policy and practice. The symposium speakers agreed that we cannot face the 21st-century crises with further economic growth. Instead, we need to create fair, caring and regenerative circular societies in which circular solutions and degrowth principles are intertwined to ensure wellbeing for all within the planetary boundaries. 

A detailed overview of the Symposium and videos of all talks can be found here. The event built upon the First Utrecht Degrowth Symposium, which was held in June 2019 and introduced the notion of degrowth to the public in the Netherlands.

The Second Utrecht Degrowth Symposium obtained funding from the Towards a Circular Economy and Society hub of Utrecht University’s strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability.