Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Resources, Conservation & Recycling journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/resconrec Full length article Policies for transitioning towards a circular economy: Expectations from the European Union (EU) Kris Hartley a , Ralf van Santen b, *, Julian Kirchherr b a The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong b Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, Utrecht, 3584 CB, The Netherlands ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Circular economy Sustainability Public policy ABSTRACT The circular economy is a much discussed pathway towards sustainability. While some scholarly work has been carried out on barriers towards a circular economy, there are relatively few academic studies on policies that may accelerate a transition towards a circular economy. Those that focus on policies mostly scrutinize existing policies. The study at hand utilizes data from semi-structured interviews with 47 public and private sector circular economy experts from the European Union to explore expectations regarding circular economy policies, with expectations possibly going beyond existing policies. Expectations identifed via this work include more robust standards and norms in production, expansion of circular procurement, tax relief for circular products, liberalization of waste trading and its facilitation through virtual platforms, support for eco-industrial parks, and awareness campaigns. The set of policy recommendations is presented from a life-cycle perspective that is ne- cessary for a transition towards a circular economy. The study aims to contribute to the nascent body of circular economy literature concerning policies and may be of particular interest to practitioners. 1. Introduction In the linear model of industrial production, inputs are extracted, combined and processed, consumed, and discarded (described by Merli et al. (2018 as “take-make-dispose” system). Policy eforts to promote sustainability have focused primarily on the last stage of the linear process, through waste management, recycling, and reuse. While line- arity is deeply institutionalized, there is growing interest among pro- ducers, governments, and researchers in abandoning the linear model by adopting a circular economy (CE) model (defnitions discussed in Section 2.1). Despite wider in-principle support for CE transition, most academic studies fnd that uptake is lagging (Masi et al., 2018; Adams et al., 2017; Liu and Bai, 2014; Xue et al., 2010). The global economy is only nine percent circular (with Europe twelve percent and China two percent), and the linear model is still systemically “baked in” (Circle Economy, 2019; p. 8). This inertia invites a more robust understanding about facilitative public policies that promote CE principles. This article as- sumes the defnition of public policy as “a theoretical or technical in- strument that is formulated to solve specifc problems afecting, directly or indirectly, societies across diferent periods of times and geo- graphical spaces” (Estrada, 2011). The related academic literature focuses primarily on existing policies (further outlined in Section 2.2), while few studies probe the realm of hypotheticals – policies that would have the support of sta- keholders but are not yet in wide use. Utilizing data from 47 in-depth interviews with CE experts in the EU, this study elicits novel ideas about CE policies that have not been integrated holistically in academic stu- dies or fully implemented in practice. The following research question guides this study: which policy measures do EU-based CE experts in business, government, and academia propose for facilitating CE tran- sition? The article proceeds as follows. The second section reviews the academic literature’s treatment of the CE concept and policies to ac- celerate CE transition. The third section describes the methodology of data collection and analysis. The fourth section presents and discusses fndings, organized into eight policy recommendations. The fnal sec- tion ofers concluding remarks and outlines research implications. 2. Literature review 2.1. Definition of circular economy This literature review begins with a brief synopsis of scholarly ef- forts to defne CE. With roots in the “3R framework” (reduce, reuse, and recycle; see Pearce and Turner, 1990), the concept of CE has no https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104634 Received 3 June 2019; Received in revised form 8 November 2019; Accepted 3 December 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: hartley@eduhk.hk (K. Hartley), ralfvansanten@gmail.com (R. van Santen). Resources, Conservation & Recycling 155 (2020) 104634 0921-3449/ © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. T