Behavioral change for the circular economy: A review with focus on electronic waste management in the EU

By Keshav Parajuly, Colin Fitzpatrick, O. Muldoon, R. Kuehr. 2020

230 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In recent years, electrical and electronic products (e-products) have been central to the discussion of resource sustainability due to their growing demand, use of critical resources, and challenges in managing the resulting waste stream (e-waste). As such, the concept of circular economy, which seeks to ‘design out’ waste by better products, practices and business models, is deemed to be very relevant for e-products. The nature of circular systems mandates a collective effort of businesses, consumers, and governments. While the techno-economic sides of the circular economy have attracted large attention in recent years, the role of consumer behavior – a critical factor in defining the long-term success of ‘sustainable production and consumption’ initiatives – remains less explored. In this context, this paper explores the potential of integrating lessons from behavioral sciences to facilitate circular economy in e-waste management. It offers a review of prominent behavioral theories and their application in the context of sustainable consumption and pro-environmental behaviors. Finally, the paper identifies opportunities for behavioral interventions in improving e-waste management and in achieving a more circular economy.

Subfields: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Strategy and Management

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/9094ba25e0b26e854252d7ad44df1ed1ead925d4