Abstract
Despite decades of technological innovation and political discourse, the transition towards the circular economy remains slow and fragmented. Why not now? This project—part of a forthcoming book based on transcribed and critically annotated interviews with leaders from the automobile, textile, architecture, consumer electronics, and other sectors—asks this question from an anthropological perspective. It investigates why, despite widespread recognition of the urgency, both production and consumption systems remain largely linear and resistant to change. The problem space is shaped by human-driven inertia. Industrial systems remain locked into “take-make-dispose” models, reinforced by marketing practices that valorize novelty and growth. Consumers often distrust repaired or remanufactured products, stigmatizing repair and sustaining a desire for the new. Skills shortages—particularly in repair, refurbishment, and maintenance—further limit the feasibility of keeping products in circulation. Emotional resistance, ranging from fear of change to frustration at inconvenience, compounds these issues, while institutional inertia and path dependency make transformation even harder. These obstacles illustrate that cultural, behavioral, and emotional factors are as decisive as technological or economic ones. The solution space emphasizes empowerment at the grassroots level. A successful circular economy requires cultural transformation that revalues repair, embraces sharing practices, and supports informal and community-based initiatives. End users must be repositioned as active participants rather than passive consumers, through education, community repair initiatives, open-access skills training, and policy support for right-to-repair movements. By highlighting both obstacles and pathways to empowerment, this project argues for a socially embedded circular economy where cultural initiatives are as critical as technological advances.
Presenters
Michael LeubeAdjunct Professor, School of Architecture/ Design, IE University, Madrid, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
CIRCULAR ECONOMY, CULTURAL INERTIA, ANTHROPOLOGY, BUILT ENVIRONMENT, CONSUMPTION, PRODUCTION, REPAIR, REUSE, RIGHT TO REPAIR, SHARING ECONOMY, SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS, INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS, BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, END-USER EMPOWERMENT, ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
