Regional monitoring frameworks for the circular economy: implications from a territorial perspective

Abstract

Progress in implementing circular solutions in European regions has so far been limited. This is partly due to the multifaceted territorial contexts characterizing the continent. Ultimately, the understanding of territorial dynamics is key to envisage a successful transition to a circular economy (CE). However, CE discussion from a regional standpoint is still limited and CE frameworks that can be applied to monitor and measure the CE potential in a specific territory remain at a rather theoretical level. This paper contributes to this research gap by (1) presenting a regional monitoring framework across three case studies; (2) analysing the respective territorial patterns from a CE perspective. The three case studies include the central cross-border Scandinavian area, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and the Duchy of Luxembourg. The results reveal that circular initiatives are generally designed on the basis of available local resources and, depending on these, regional strategies seek to optimize the technical and/or biological cycles of local economies. Furthermore, the increasing levels of waste generation observed in all case studies challenge traditional waste policy approaches, generally centred on end-of-life management, in favour of more ambitious initiatives aimed at optimizing use of resources and preventing waste.