Circular Economy

Karen Delchet-Cochet is an environmentalist specializing in sustainable development, environmental issues and the circular economy, within business. She has a PhD in Environmental Sciences and has written many articles on the circular economy, responsible purchasing, and the integration of corporate social responsibility in business strategies. She has worked as a consultant and a project head, and is a teacher-researcher at ISC Paris Business School, France. Since 2015, she has been the head of their Lab of Pedagogical Innovation.

• Foreword xiiiFrançois-Michel LAMBERTIntroduction xviiKaren DELCHET-COCHETPart 1. The Circular Economy, Between Framework and Stakes 1Chapter 1. The Circular Economy: Historical Perspective and Contemporary Issues 3Franck AGGERI1.1. Introduction 31.2. From the origins of the reflections on the circular economy to its inclusion on the public agenda 41.2.1. The reasons for the enthusiasm 51.2.2. Circular economy as a new rational utopia 71.3. Is the circular economy really a new practice? 81.3.1. Circular economy, mode 1 81.3.2. Circular economy, mode 2 91.4. Obstacles to the circular transition to mode 2 101.4.1. Local value creation 111.4.2. The need for a new industrial policy 111.5. References 12Chapter 2. The Circular Economy and Lifecycle 13Christian BRODHAG2.1. Resources 142.2. Environmental context 162.2.1. The global question 182.3. Methods to address the circular economy 202.3.1. Historical background: from industrial ecology to circular economy 202.3.2. The lifecycle approach 202.3.3. Eco-design 222.4. Political and normative processes 222.4.1. The European and French approaches. 222.4.2. ISO standardization 242.5. Conclusion 252.6. References 26Chapter 3. Circular Economy: Transformation of the Labor Market and Change in Human Resources Management Practices 29David MORIEZ3.1. Introduction 293.2. The circular economy, labor market and jobs 313.2.1. The circular economy: a response to the regionalization of unemployment 323.2.2. The circular economy: a response to structural unemployment 353.2.3. The circular economy: “green jobs” and “greening jobs” 363.3. The circular economy and human resources management practices 383.3.1. Green human resources management (green HRM) 383.3.2. Green human resources management practices393.4. Conclusion 413.5. Appendix 1 423.6. Appendix 2 433.7. Appendix 3 473.8. References 48Chapter 4. The Role of Education in the Ecological and Circular Transition: Current Situation and Prospects 53Dominique BONET FERNANDEZ4.1. Introduction 534.2. Findings and challenges for universities and companies 544.2.1. Multidisciplinary challenges, requiring a review of training courses 554.2.2. The companies and universities concerned 554.3. How to meet the skills and training needs of the circular economy? 564.3.1. From Green Plan to education for sustainable development 564.3.2. A wide range of skills 574.3.3. Towards new practices 574.4. An initiative provided by the French Virtual University for Environment and Sustainable Development 604.5. The proposed 2019 law on the generalization of education on issues related to the preservation of the environment and biological diversity and climate change within the framework of global boundaries 614.6. Legislative proposals to be closely monitored 624.7. Conclusion 644.8. References 65Chapter 5. Boosting the Circular Economy through Proximity: The New Competences of Local Authorities 67Karine FABRE and Alexis POKROVSKY5.1. What scale for proximity? 685.2. Understanding the territorial levels: sharing of competences in the context of waste management 705.2.1. Historical expertise in waste management acquired by municipalities 705.2.2. Territorial tiering of competences 715.3. The levers for steering the circular economy 745.3.1. An increasingly environmentally oriented public procurement 755.3.2. Some examples of public practices or policies: between responsible purchasing and waste reduction at source 765.4. Conclusion 775.5. References 77Part 2. Circular Economy: A Few Tools and Approaches 79Chapter 6. Example of a Pioneering Approach to the Circular Economy: Cradle to Cradle 81Anne DE BÉTHENCOURT6.1. The origins of Cradle to Cradle 826.1.1. Thus, Cradle to Cradle was born826.1.2. The founding principle: design differently and “upcycle” to create “positive loops” 836.1.3. Counter false good ideas 856.2. Creating resilient models 856.2.1. High-performance business models 856.2.2. The material passport, a key factor in traceability 866.2.3. Promoting the abundance of renewable energies 866.2.4. A recognized approach 866.2.5. A demanding approach 876.3. Some examples of C2C certified products 886.3.1. Carpets 886.3.2. Buildings 886.3.3. Fashion 896.3.4. Cleaning products 906.4. Conclusion 916.5. References 91Chapter 7. From the Circular Economy to Industrial and Territorial Ecology Approaches: What Modes of Governance to Ensure their Sustainability? 93Valérie FERNANDES7.1. Introduction 937.2. Leverages and obstacles to the sustainability of ITE approaches: findings and analysis 947.2.1. Circular economy and ITE approaches: definition and key elements 947.2.2. Success factors and obstacles to the sustainability of ITE approaches 967.3. The modes of governance of ITE approaches 997.3.1. Key elements 997.3.2. The modes of governance of ITE approaches 1007.4. Articulation of ITE approaches on the same territory: the example of the La Rochelle territory 1027.4.1. Presentation of the three approaches 1027.4.2. Challenges, risks and opportunities 1047.5. Conclusion 1087.6. References 108Chapter 8. Sharing Economy, a Driving Force of the Circular Economy? 111Catherine LEJEALLE8.1. Introduction 1118.2. Web 2.0 disrupts consumption practices 1128.2.1. Arguments over definitions 1128.2.2. Mapping the sharing economy 1148.3. The circular economy in Moore’s chasm 1158.3.1. The pillars of the circular economy and the role of consumption 1158.3.2. Adoption of the circular economy: consumer behavior 1168.3.3. Moore’s chasm to cross 1178.4. The uses of the sharing economy 1188.4.1. Motivations 1188.4.2. Percolation of uses 1208.5. Conclusion 1218.6. References 122Chapter 9. The Circular Economy from the Perspective of Voluntary Standardization 125Anne BENADY, Melodie MERENDA and Mérylle AUBRUN9.1. Why and how has voluntary standardization appropriated the concept of the circular economy? 1259.1.1. A need expressed by economic actors 1259.1.2. Towards an ISO standard 1289.2. The main principles of the XP X30-901 standard 1299.2.1. Structure and content of the reference framework 1309.3. The circular economy project management standard, a suitable tool for evaluating, enhancing and improving projects 1339.3.1. Towards a “Circular Economic Assessment” 1339.3.2. First feedback from users 1349.4. References 135Part 3. Activity Sectors through the Prism of the Circular Economy 137Chapter 10. Circular Economy and Construction 139Vincent AUGISEAU10.1. Introduction 13910.2. Global environmental issues related to construction 13910.3. Sixteen elements of definition 14110.3.1. Three principles of the circular economy according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation 14310.3.2. Definitions from the six levers for a transition to a circular economy according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation 14410.3.3. Definitions according to a strategy similar to an R scale 14510.3.4. Definitions according to the stages of a building’s lifecycle 14610.3.5. Definitions of the circular economy close to that of sustainable development 14710.3.6. Cross-referenced analysis of definitions 14810.4. Policies and projects aiming to apply the concept of the circular economy to construction 14810.4.1. Policies 14810.4.2. Research and development projects 14910.4.3. Construction and urban development projects 15010.5. Four main limitations 15010.5.1. An uncertain delimitation of the scope of the circular economy between waste management and sustainable development 15110.5.2. Low consideration of the territorial context 15210.5.3. A scale for the application of the circular economy concept that is too narrow 15310.5.4. Insufficient coordination between the circular economy and spatial planning 15310.6. Conclusion 15410.7. References 154Chapter 11. Understanding the Concept of Waste to Avoid its Production 159Yvon PESQUEUX11.1. Introduction 15911.2. Waste defined as that which crosses a boundary 16111.3. The ambiguity of waste 16311.4. Institutional definitions of waste 16411.5. Lifecycle analysis 16911.6. Conclusion: arguing about boundaries 17111.7. References 173Chapter 12. When Fashion Brands Try to Adopt a Circular Economy 175Bénédicte BOURCIER-BÉQUAERT, Karen DELCHET-COCHET and Valérie FERNANDES12.1. Introduction 17512.2. State of play 17712.2.1. The circular economy: main principles and application in companies 17712.2.2. CE in textile companies in France: a waste-based approach 17912.3. Methodology 18212.4. Results 18312.4.1. There is a collector and… a collector 18312.4.2. A still partial implementation of the CE 18412.5. The limits of the actions implemented 18712.6. Conclusion 18912.7. References 190Chapter 13. The Circular Economy and Packaging: Challenges and Avenues for Reflection 193François CABARET13.1. Division function 19513.1.1. Bulk goods 19613.1.2. The sale in unit packaging 19713.1.3. Sales in the so-called family or “giant” promotional packaging 19713.2. Protection function 19713.3. Marketing and communication functions 20013.4. Service functions 20113.5. Reflection points 20213.6. Conclusion 20213.7. References 203Chapter 14. The Circular Economy and Toy Sector 205Karen DELCHET-COCHET and Coralie DAMAY14.1. The toy sector between impact and innovation 20614.1.1. The main characteristics of the toy sector 20614.1.2. The circular economy in the toy sector: a lifecycle perspective 20814.2. A toy is more than “just a product” 21314.2.1. Toys, the company’s flagship products 21314.2.2. A brief historical return 21414.2.3. The role of the toy in educating the future consumer? 21514.2.4. Toys and environmental education 21514.2.5. The toy, a role to be redefined 21614.3. To conclude: proposals for rethinking our relationship with toys 21814.4. References 219Postface 223Jean-Louis BERGEYList of Authors 227Index 229