REGIONAL PERFORMANCES IN THE CONTEXT OF A TRANSITION TOWARDS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: STRUCTURING THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

Abstract

In the light of the Europe 2020 strategy, a new economic concept aiming to provide a sustainable development pathway by transforming the production cycle and optimizing the use of resources becomes more and more promising. Toiling with the current sustenance issues of the widespread linear “take-make-waste” economic model, the circular economy concept promises to generate major economic, societal and environmental changes, by enabling an integrated recirculation of resources in the value chains. This paper elaborates an approach to capture the multidimensionality of the concept by developing an adaptable assessment framework to support further empirical analysis and potential implementation actions. Defined as CMEF framework, the proposed taxonomy aligns with constructs characterising sustainability science, addressing a prospective and an operational dimension. In this regard, the integrated propositional analysis is used to enforce the duality of the model, ensuring a broad understanding of the conceptual background, while providing the decision making organisms with tools to identify the priorities and real chances of success.