Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
UK Government Policy and the Transition to a Circular Nutrient Economy. / Yuille, Andy; Rothwell, Shane; Blake, Lynsay et al.
In: Sustainability, Vol. 14, No. 6, e3310, 11.03.2022.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - UK Government Policy and the Transition to a Circular Nutrient Economy
AU - Yuille, Andy
AU - Rothwell, Shane
AU - Blake, Lynsay
AU - Forber, Kirsty J.
AU - Marshall, Rachel
AU - Rhodes, Richard
AU - Waterton, Claire
AU - Withers, Paul J. A.
PY - 2022/3/11
Y1 - 2022/3/11
N2 - The “circular economy” is an increasingly influential concept linking economic and environmental policy to enable sustainable use of resources. A crucial although often overlooked element of this concept is a circular nutrient economy, which is an economy that achieves the minimization of nutrient losses during the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food and other products, as well as the comprehensive recovery of nutrients from organic residuals at each of these stages for reuse in agricultural production. There are multiple interconnecting barriers to transitioning from the current linear economic system to a more circular one, requiring strongly directional government policy. This paper uses interpretive policy analysis to review six UK government strategies to assess their strengths and weaknesses in embracing nutrient circularisation. Our analysis highlights the acute underrepresentation of the circular nutrient economy concept in these strategies as well as the potential to reorient the current policy towards its development. We find significant barriers to transition presented by ambiguity in key policy terms and proposals, the use of inappropriate indicators, the lack of a systematic approach to key sustainability objectives, and the presence of a “techno-optimist imaginary” throughout the strategies. We develop these findings to make recommendations to help integrate definitions, objectives, and activities across the policy domains necessary for the operational development of a circular nutrient economy.
AB - The “circular economy” is an increasingly influential concept linking economic and environmental policy to enable sustainable use of resources. A crucial although often overlooked element of this concept is a circular nutrient economy, which is an economy that achieves the minimization of nutrient losses during the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food and other products, as well as the comprehensive recovery of nutrients from organic residuals at each of these stages for reuse in agricultural production. There are multiple interconnecting barriers to transitioning from the current linear economic system to a more circular one, requiring strongly directional government policy. This paper uses interpretive policy analysis to review six UK government strategies to assess their strengths and weaknesses in embracing nutrient circularisation. Our analysis highlights the acute underrepresentation of the circular nutrient economy concept in these strategies as well as the potential to reorient the current policy towards its development. We find significant barriers to transition presented by ambiguity in key policy terms and proposals, the use of inappropriate indicators, the lack of a systematic approach to key sustainability objectives, and the presence of a “techno-optimist imaginary” throughout the strategies. We develop these findings to make recommendations to help integrate definitions, objectives, and activities across the policy domains necessary for the operational development of a circular nutrient economy.
KW - circular economy
KW - nutrients
KW - UK government
KW - policy
KW - clean growth
KW - agriculture
KW - interpretive policy analysis
KW - sustainability
U2 - 10.3390/su14063310
DO - 10.3390/su14063310
M3 - Journal article
VL - 14
JO - Sustainability
JF - Sustainability
SN - 2071-1050
IS - 6
M1 - e3310
ER -