Expertise and approach

Transforming consumer behaviour towards sustainability is critical in achieving the goals of a circular economy, with respect to demand, consumption and purchasing, as well as related to the use phase of a product or service and disposal at the end of the product life. Policy makers are aware of this, and various policies have been introduced to change consumer behaviour through monetary incentives as well as behavioural interventions such as nudging, and to chang waste management structures. Yet, it is not sufficient to target consumer behaviour in isolation as consumers are part of a larger production and consumption system. Indeed, consumers are but one part of agents of change of the transition. This system starts with the design of a product and includes marketing and disposal infrastructure.

The research line includes a variety of research topics, starting with a better understanding of consumption as phenomenon from a systems perspective, and the barriers and drivers to consumers to change to a circular society. This includes the tools and technologies to enable consumers and stakeholders to build sustainable production and consumption systems (including re-use, recycling, and disposal). From a policy perspective, it includes the development of metrics and indicators for managing the transition and results, as well as the assessment, design and evaluations of policies and law to shape the transition.

This research line focuses on the understanding of the role of producers in the transition process to a circular economy and the development of policies, monitoring tools, legal tools and business models to change the production patterns, in addition to the technological challenges associated with the required changes in resource use, production process and product design.

Within this research line, topics of attention are the redesign of products and value chains to meet circularity principles and the question how these changes, when sound from a technological and sustainability point of view, can be adopted by society.  Further, it includes the innovation in and improvement of the energy and resource efficiency of production through the development of new circular processes, recovering materials by closing element loops including municipal, industrial and agricultural waste streams. It also requires the development of monitoring and indicators to measure progress, and understand synergies and trade-off’s in the transition towards a circular economy. The analysis and evaluation of policy and law in shaping the transition through e.g. economic, regulatory or behavioural instruments is key to guide the transition.

In practice most circular activities focus on new techniques of recycling. There is still limited innovation beyond recycling, aiming at the so-called higher R’s like re-use, repair, remanufacture, rethink. New initiatives often faced difficulties breaking through because of economic challenges. To support the transition to a circular economy the focus should shift initially to the higher R’s with more impact, while recycling remains a necessary and ultimate response strategy.

However, this shift of focus can conflict with basic principles of our current economic, legal, political and cultural systems focused on (economic) growth. These larger systemic issues have not received a lot of attention. Yet, if a resource-efficient circular society is to be successful and sustainable, such a broader foundation in society is necessary.

This research line focuses on the conflict between economic, legal political and cultural principles on the one hand and circularity principles and sustainability on the other, by investigating the economic, technical, social, and regulatory frameworks that need to be adopted to support circularity principles while contributing to wellbeing, social justice and environmental sustainability for all.