Rolling with the Resistance to the Circular Economy? A Contribution to Sustainable Consumption and Social Engagement

Strategical documents on circular economy increasingly mention aspects of social justice, inclusion, and multistakeholder engagement. However, defining the social aspects of the circular economy has been a difficult task. Therefore, circular economy and social enterprise need to be combined, leading to the emergence of a new term: ‘social circular economy’. The fundamental premise of the social circular economy is that enhancing personal well-being can go hand in hand with improving society and the environment. First, this chapter gives an overview of different views on the social circular economy, including their strong points and weaknesses. Second, this chapter explores the skills needed for the green transition. Given the increasing focus on systemic approaches to the green transition, specific skills are required from all stakeholders to adequately value our planet and take appropriate action to protect it. The third part of this chapter focuses on the ability to tolerate climate change anxiety and still being able to undertake action. Since a circular economy transition can only be accomplished by combining the material, strategic, and consumer perspectives, this chapter ends with a discussion of research results on consumer perspectives on the circular economy.