Abstract
Following a waste and recycling management crisis exacerbated by an international waste export ban, Australia has belatedly begun a “turn” to the circular economy (CE). In addition to waste and landfill, climate-related forces and disruptions to the economy, including bushfires and COVID related, have further driven government, civil society, and business circular initiatives. In parallel with the mainstream circular green growth discourse, other circular actors have begun promoting a circular “growth agnostic” Doughnut Economics (DE) agenda. In a context of weak federal and state circular policy, this study asks representatives of key sector intermediary organizations how circularity can and might develop in Australia. In addition to a general discussion and policy review, this chapter includes themes from a qualitative interview study with a purposive sample of 20 representatives (n = 20) from a range of intermediary organizations on the challenges and benefits of going beyond mainstream circular economics. The study finds reasons for hope but also potential barriers and also key levers of change that will be critical to sustainable change. The conclusion draws insights for other countries recently embarking on the circular transition.
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Melles, G. (2022). A Sustainable Circular Economy for Australia: Bringing the Circular Economy into the Doughnut. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Doni, F., Salvia, A.L. (eds) Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68074-9_114-1
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