We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Toxic growth in the circular economy: is the EU Plastics Strategy a bad policy?
Summary
Researchers traced the relational history of the European Commission's Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, examining whether this flagship plastics governance policy effectively addresses the growing global plastics problem. They argued that the strategy's circular economy framing may perpetuate 'toxic growth' by prioritizing recycling and reuse over fundamental production reduction, raising questions about the policy's adequacy as a response to plastic pollution.
One of the most important global agenda setters on how to treat and regulate the growing plastics problem is the European Commission (EC). This chapter traces a relational history of the EC’s Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, a key policy document guiding European plastics governance. Based on a content analysis of the Strategy’s documentary record, this chapter finds that there has been a shifting emphasis from an initial focus on addressing the externalities of plastics, towards a more holistic consideration of transitioning the entire sector to circular systems predicated on recycling in recent years. This has consequences for the future development of the plastic sector, as well as the imagined place and role of plastics in society. The Strategy relies on utopian visions of the circular economy to facilitate ‘toxic growth’ in global plastic production, which leads to further lock-in to fossil fuel infrastructures and an escalating circulation of polluting materials.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Plastics: are they part of the zero-waste agenda or the toxic-waste agenda?
This review critically examines whether plastics can be compatible with a zero-waste circular economy or whether they fundamentally belong to a toxic-waste agenda. Researchers trace the history of plastic production, highlighting that only 9% of the 8.3 billion tonnes produced since the 1950s has been recycled. The study argues that without dramatic changes to production, consumption, and waste management practices, plastics will continue to pose escalating environmental and health threats.
An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy
Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.
Plastic Waste Recycling is Insufficient to Mitigate Plastic Pollution: the Need for a Paradigm Shift
This review argues that plastic waste recycling is fundamentally insufficient to address global plastic pollution and calls for a paradigm shift away from end-of-pipe solutions toward upstream production reduction. The authors examine the structural limitations of current recycling strategies and the economic and policy barriers that prevent meaningful plastic pollution mitigation.
Exploring Plastic-Management Policy in China: Status, Challenges and Policy Insights
Researchers reviewed China's plastic management policies and found that despite being the world's largest plastic producer, existing regulations remain insufficient, recommending strengthened extended producer responsibility and circular economy approaches to control plastic pollution.
European Circular Economy Policy-Making in Sustainability and Resource Management Development
This study analyzed the development of circular economy policy across EU countries using circularity indicators, finding that high circularity scores do not necessarily correlate with lower environmental impact. The EU as a whole consumes the majority of global materials and generates 43% of emissions, highlighting gaps between circularity metrics and actual sustainability.