Work

Grassroots initiatives for a bottom-up transition to a circular economy: exploring community repair

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The role of grassroots community initiatives remains an underexplored element in the circular economy (CE) literature. Ignoring social considerations and placing focus on economic and nominally environmental goals detracts from alternative approaches to CE transition. We present an empirical case study of a community repair initiative within a deprived community, as an example of a bottom-up grassroots initiative, and an opportunity to shed light on the complex socioeconomic issues at stake within transitional dynamics. Whilst the contradictions and logics of the broader socioeconomic superstructure shape practices of community repair, we emphasise that the situatedness of such initiatives within the material conditions of the local community should not be overlooked. By focusing on the role of community, CE practices can be repoliticised, fostering collective meaning-making amongst individuals, reshaping their relationship with capitalist modes of production, and facilitating a socially just transition.

Source: Local Environment

DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2025.2467385

Authors: Ben Purvis, Tim Else, Andrea Genovese, Andrea Jimenez, Ram Venkataraman Guru

Institutions: Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield, University of Glasgow

Language: English

Topic: Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Sustainable cities and communities, No poverty, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: European Commission, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme