Resilience and the circular economy: Opportunities and Risks
Updated on 26.06.2023
This report provides a first structural analysis of the relationship between resilience and the circular economy (CE). It explores how the circular economy increases social-ecological resilience, dives into potential trade-offs between the two, and highlights the labour market characteristics that are prerequisites for both a more circular and resilient economy.
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Based on these findings, the report gives recommendations to help businesses, governments and educators develop and implement CE strategies which enhance resilience.
Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions
There are seven key principles that are important in building up resilience so that the system will recover when cities change to CE. The report also illustrates which CE strategies contribute to greater resilience and which do not. Essentially, applying resilience thinking to shape the transition towards circularity may be the optimal approach to ensure this new economic paradigm creates positive value for both society and planet. Local authorities can work together with businesses and other stakeholders to adapt these key principles when designing and implementing Circular Systemic Solutions (CSS) making sure the proposed CSS contributes to better social-ecological resilience of the territory.
CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
built environment, CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
CEAP2 key product value chain
e.g. chemicals, cosmetics, bio-based industries
e.g. electrical engineering, furniture and interior, textile and fashion
e.g. B2B services
e.g. healthcare
including bio-based economy
e.g. re-use of public spaces and facilities in urban areas
digital tools facilitating CE transition
<5 000
large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000
large metropolitan area >1.5 million, metropolitan area 1.5 million-500 000
predominantly urban regions, intermediate and predominantly rural regions, refer to TERCET typology NUTS 3 region
e.g. commercial, residential, service, industrial
