1st Edition
by Karen Delchet-Cochet (Editor)
The circular economy is an exciting topic, both for the present and the future since it is nothing more than a system overhaul, to paraphrase the Ellen MacArthur Foundation1. At a time of climate change, the collapse of biodiversity, and increasing inequality, “the Earth is reacting to human actions”, explained Bruno Latour in his inaugural lesson to Sciences Po2,3 students in 2019. We are facing a second “Galilean revolution”. For Lacy and Rutqvist, “transitioning to the circular economy may be the biggest revolution and opportunity in our global economy”4. However it is also necessary to understand what the circular economy means, which we believe is already too often reduced to a system adaptation.
Beyond the interest and topicality of the subject, the need for a collective work originates from a triple observation. The first observation is the absolute need to engage experts from different disciplines in a dialogue to collectively address the many challenges we face both in terms of resources and equity. Most of the time, we remain confined to our fields of research or expertise. The topic of the circular economy is, by nature, transdisciplinary. In other words, “it goes beyond the silos between disciplines”5. It, therefore, requires perspectives and proposals between them, i.e., interdisciplinary. The second observation is the need for academic research to inform operational debate and implementation. The French legislative calendar for 2019 was conducive to discussions in terms of the circular economy.
