Lack of social impact in urban circular economy transitions

The research finds that social impacts are rarely considered in studies of circular cities, and when they are, the focus is limited primarily to governance and employment, particularly regarding informal sector workers. The authors argue that the lack of a coherent overview of social consequences hinders effective policy decision-making and that further research is required to understand effects on health, culture, and human aspirations.

• Literature on circular cities rarely considers social impacts; when they are addressed, the scope is limited to governance practices and employment, with a specific focus on workers in the informal sector.
• There is a deficiency in research regarding how circular economy transitions affect culture, health, and the fears and aspirations of people.
• The fragmented nature of evidence regarding the intended and unintended social consequences of 'circular cities' can obstruct effective practice and policy decision-making.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Lack of social impact in urban circular economy transitions. https://www.sei.org/publications/lack-social-impact-urban-circular/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Lack of social impact in urban circular economy transitions. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/lack-social-impact-urban-circular/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Lack of social impact in urban circular economy transitions |date=24 September 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/lack-social-impact-urban-circular/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021lack, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Lack of social impact in urban circular economy transitions}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/lack-social-impact-urban-circular/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }