12.13 Value transitions for a circular economy

Aim of the project

During the last decades sustainability has received more and more attention, with new business models and markets coming to the fore. While these developments are important, they remain insufficient to fundamentally transform existing economic systems. The sustainability transition is characterized by a tension between competing value systems: a dominant regime focused on economic efficiency and growth, and emerging frameworks that emphasize e.g. ecological integrity and intergenerational justice. Although these alternative values are gaining prominence, they have not yet displaced prevailing normative foundations. This study argues that a deeper transformation is required—one that can be understood as a moral revolution. Such a revolution entails a fundamental shift in societal norms and values that define what is considered right, acceptable, and honourable. Framing the transition toward a circular economy (CE) as a moral revolution allows us to ask not only how change occurs, but also what kind of change is necessary and which actors can bring it about. In response, this study reconceptualizes the notion of the “moral entrepreneur” and situates it within the CE transition, leading to the central research question: ‘what values are moral entrepreneurs driven by, that can lead to a moral revolution for the transition towards a circular economy?’