Global circular networks and couplings

Exploring the global architecture of the circular economy

Abstract

Geographical research on the global economy has largely failed to conceptualize processes of circular change, while geographical issues are rarely considered in scholarship on the circular economy. Therefore, in this paper, we conceptualize a globally integrated circular economy and identify the key mechanisms of circular (de-)couplings. We provide a novel framework for understanding these changes by combining four essential dimensions - actors, resources,  functions and geography - which we illustrate with empirical examples. This can inform human geographic research approaches to the topic and policy making at different levels on how to rethink global entanglements and drive circularity-oriented changes.