Complex Cornwall #3: A place-based approach to the circular economy

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Based on 7 years of research and practice-work in Cornwall and the wider Southwest of England, this seminar will explore a place-based approach to the circular economy (CE). While the CE has become a popular economic policy and business discourse, it rarely includes the specifics of places, including their ecological, sociological and governance dimensions. Having worked with numerous SMEs, community groups and policymakers in the Southwest, I will provide insight into the motivations by people – many of whom see themselves as activists – of wanting to establish a circular economy. What have they been doing, and how is it different to environmental and sustainability activism, which has been around for a long time? I will reflect on the challenges and contradictions of the circular economy discourses and practices I have encountered. Ultimately, I ask: in what way is it possible to establish a place-based circular economy and how would that look like?

Steffen Böhm is Professor in Organisation & Sustainability at University of Exeter Business School, based in the Sustainable Futures sub-department on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall. His research focuses on the political economy & ecology of the sustainability transition. His most recent books are: Ecocultures: Blueprints for Sustainable Communities (Routledge), Negotiating Climate Change in Crisis (Open Book Publishers) and Climate Activism (Cambridge). More details at steffenboehm.net