Conclusions

Sustainability and competitiveness have long been the subject of debate, and it has become clear by now that they can be achieved at the same time, creating a win-win situation for businesses and the environment. In this context, the circular economy (CE) draws a desirable future end state of an economic system that is fully circular, sustainable and also competitive. It stands thus in the tradition of related earlier sustainability concepts. Many academic, policy and private debates recognize that the current way of living is not sustainable. Since the eighties of the past century, science has addressed the issue of ""(un-) sustainability"".