Circular Economy – a Conceptual Review and Analysis of Implications for Swedish Development Cooperation

Sammanfattning

Working Paper, May 2021


Circular economy is increasingly discussed in Swedish, European and
international public policy making. This report provides a review of the
circular economy concept and discusses its potential implications for
Swedish development cooperation.
There is no standard definition of a circular economy. While it was
originally perceived as primarily a strategy for reducing waste, the use of
the circular economy concept is considerably broader today. An indicative
example is the European circular economy action plan from 2020, which
is envisioned to make a
“decisive contribution to achieving climate neutrality by
2050 and decoupling economic growth from resource
use, while ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the
EU and leaving no one behind”.
The Swedish action plan on circular economy from 2021 also covers a
broad agenda, including product design, sustainable consumption, nontoxic and circular flows, innovation and circular business models.