The Impossibilities of the Circular Economy: Separating Aspirations from Reality

The fifth Factor X publication from the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), The Impossibilities of the Circular Economy provides an overview of the limits to the circular economy, emphasising the relationship between integrated resource use and more systemic leadership-management approaches.

On a European level, the book ties into the recent European Green Deal and aims to empower actors across sectors and EU member countries to transition from existing linear models of value capture and expression to more systemic-circular solutions of value capture and expression. The volume provides a hands-on contribution towards building the knowledge and skill sets of current and future decision-makers who face these complex-systemic crises in their day-to-day business. The book further provides access to best practices from cutting-edge research and development findings, which will empower decision-makers to develop a more sustainable and equitable economy.

Providing solutions for a more sustainable economy, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of natural resource use, sustainable business, environmental economics and sustainable development, as well as decision-makers and experts from the fields of policy development, industry and civil society.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available

under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial- No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Harry Lehmann is General Director of the Environmental Planning and Sustainability Strategies Division of the German Federal Environment Agency. He was an early member and is now the President of the Factor 10 Club for resource productivity and sustainable use of natural resources. He is one of the founders of Eurosolar, and since 2011 he has been Executive Chairman of the World Renewable Energy Council.

Christoph Hinske is Associate Professor of System Leadership-Management, SAXION University of Applied Sciences, School of Finance and International Business; Founder of 360° Dialogues. He lectures on societal transformations at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and advises Global Action Networks, financial institutions and Transformation Networks. He is a fellow at the European School of Governance.

Victoire de Margerie is the Founder and Vice-Chairman of the World Materials Forum and Executive Chairman of Rondol. She has spent 35 years in the Materials Industry in Canada, France, Germany, UK and USA, first as an Executive and since 1999 as a Board Director (now Arkema and Eurazeo). She was elected an Academician at the National Academy of Technologies of France in 2020.

Aneta Slaveikova Nikolova is the Climate Policy Lead, Environment and Development Division, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNESCAP. Ms Nikolova heads a climate action team focusing on climate finance, Paris Agreement implementation and review of national GHG reduction commitments. She has vast experience in sustainable development policy and advocacy, capacity development and technical assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition.