The need for a new heuristic in circular decision-making

Abstract

Based on their concept of the waste-resource paradox Greer et al. (2021b) raise the need for a new heuristic in circular decision-making. In this thesis that need is explored, both looking at why the need exists and how such a heuristic would look like. This is done using an interpretivist exploratory case study involving eight interviews with participants with a background in the circular economy. The study found that there are three main reasons for the need of a new heuristic are: 1) a current lack of transparency in circularity; 2) complexity regarding the circular economy; 3) and a current lack of easy to use and compare tools. While the largest share of participants agreed on the need for the heuristic, a smaller part was against. The main reason against the heuristic was that there is a need for standardisation regarding circularity and the European Union is in the best position to lead that.