Abstracts for Session 4
Circular Economy, Circularity Paradigm, and Local Space
Title: A critical reflection on the role of the circular economy and the circularity paradigm to rethink sustainable tourism futures
Author: Lucia Tomassini and Elena Cavagnaro
Affiliation: NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
The interest in the Circular Economy is steadily growing. The Circular Economy is at the core of legislative initiatives inside and outside Europe. In 2020 the European Commission launched the new Circular Economy Action Plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe. The United Nations identified the Circular Economy Action Plan as a best practice to prompt the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite this institutional attention and the fact that ‘circularity’ is an ancient archetype that human beings have used through the centuries to make sense of life on Earth, the implications of the Circular Economy for the tourism and hospitality sector are still largely unexplored and under theorised. Hence, this presentation discusses the potential - and challenges - of the Circular Economy to critically rethink sustainable tourism futures, global (im)mobilities as well as the responsibilities of tourism in the local space where it takes place. In doing so, it combines a theoretical reflection with the first exploratory findings of a collaborative project on Circularity Hospitality in Friesland (The Netherlands) in which several entrepreneurs participated.
The Circular Economy and the circularity paradigm seem a promising driver for critically rethinking the future of tourism, hospitality, and mobilities – a future that a growing majority of scholars and practitioners hope will be sustainable. The presence of a Circular Economy in the socio-relational space of tourism and hospitality can activate a multiplicity of novel relations, connections, and networks among stakeholders, can prompt regenerative processes of placemaking as well as setting new practices of sustainable tourism and mobility. Hence, our study examines the paradigm of ‘circularity’ as an alternative approach to the market-oriented neoliberal capitalism and a growth-oriented attitude. By envisioning the effects of the Circular Economy — originally conceived purely in terms of product eco-efficiency — and of circular regenerative processes within a multidimensional sector as the one of tourism and hospitality, this study explores sustainable tourism futures through the lens of circularity and shares how hospitality entrepreneurs negotiate its implications for their businesses.
Our study contributes to the current debate on the Circular Economy by developing further knowledge on its implications with regards to tourism and mobility. It does so by situating the circularity paradigm within the broader debate on global issues, justice, and sustainable development. We conclude that the future development of a Circular Economy in tourism and hospitality can prompt the re-thinking of the whole structure of services creating value via multiple inclusive regenerative loops, taking place in the dimension of the ‘local’.
Title: Stakeholders’ sustainability discourses of a tourist project in rural Sweden
Authors: Jörgen Elbe and Ioanna Farsari
Affiliation: Dalarna University
Sustainability is a concept that has been dominating developmental and political debates during at least the last two decades. It is a contested concept, flexible enough to match diverse or even conflicting viewpoints and interests. In tourism, this vagueness is related to the value-based character of the sustainable tourism concept. The concept is often related to broad and sweeping ethical and ideological considerations and to a simplified and harmonic view on sustainable development where inescapable conflict of interests between social, cultural, economic and environmental issues are neglected. The aim of this research is to critically discuss discourses of sustainability of a disputed tourist project in rural Sweden as communicated in mass media. More specifically, the research is examining the case of Sälen mountain resort and look on how the development process of a new international airport, inaugurated in 2020, was presented and debated in newspapers. The project was considered controversial with many proponents as well as opponents raising conflicting interests and points of view. We have analysed material in newspapers for the period 2011-2019. Preliminary findings indicate that the project of the development of an international airport is presented as hopeful and good with indications of intrinsic though utilitarian values. Pro-growth discourses around increasing numbers of international tourists and job generation, or even of positive environmental impacts are evident in the media. Opposition on the other hand, comes as debate articles and develops around tax-payers money, responsibility to future generations and environmental concerns. Discourses of weak and strong approaches and pro-growth vs degrowth become part of the discussion of the results to inform the theoretical framework of analysis. As this transportation project and the discourses around it analysed rely a lot on the premise of growth and international tourism, aspects of circularity become also part of the discussion. The role of an international airport as a transportation mega-project to compensate for rurality and peripherality as well as social sustainability is evident also in the discourses. Aspects of locality and proximity are ignored in these discourses and pinpoint its relevance to circularity paradigm and its contribution in advancing sustainability discourses.
Title: Lessons from Canada’s 1st Circular Economy Platform
Author: Statia Elliot
Affiliation: University of Guelph
Signs that our planet is in distress, from global climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic, are overwhelming, and call for transformative action to build back better. In response, a circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems (Macarthur, 2021). However, moving from concept to practise is complex. Most initiatives focus on reducing and recycling, not repairing or re-manufacturing (Barreiro-Gen & Lozano, 2020), thus limiting potential contributions to sustainability. This case study tracks a micro-level circular-economy program to understand barriers and to identify effective strategies to advance economic circularity.
With a goal to lead sustainable development, the city of Guelph established Canada’s 1st circular economy platform, supported by a $5 million government investment to advance Canada’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (Khan, 2021), a local initiative with national aspirations. Guelph’s platform accelerates the transition to sustainability by focusing on two sectors: environment and food. Food is fundamental to life, yet many experience food insecurity even in developed nations, food waste creating greenhouse gases in landfills instead of realizing its potential value. Key to successful activation are restaurants, as supply chain partners, change agents and educators. Canada’s largest B-corporation restaurant chain created a circular food experience beginning with waste grain from a brewery upcycled as feedstock for a fish farm; waste became natural fertilizer for potatoes and yeast; all coming together as a circular meal of smoked trout, sourdough and a pint of local beer. Lovely, but limited.
Lessons learnt include the importance of collaborative efforts of innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers, technological support through a smart city initiative, and leadership commitment. However, scaling-up micro initiatives remains a significant barrier to expanding circularity. Significant public sector investment is required to advance transportation, technology, infrastructure, traceability, and bio-friendly packaging if circular economies are to flourish. The hospitality sector can play a lead role not by creating its own circle but by facilitating hub-spoke connectivity for local circular economies to succeed.
Title: Lessons from Canada’s 1st Circular Economy Platform
Author: Statia Elliot
Affiliation: University of Guelph
Signs that our planet is in distress, from global climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic, are overwhelming, and call for transformative action to build back better. In response, a circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems (Macarthur, 2021). However, moving from concept to practise is complex. Most initiatives focus on reducing and recycling, not repairing or re-manufacturing (Barreiro-Gen & Lozano, 2020), thus limiting potential contributions to sustainability. This case study tracks a micro-level circular-economy program to understand barriers and to identify effective strategies to advance economic circularity.
With a goal to lead sustainable development, the city of Guelph established Canada’s 1st circular economy platform, supported by a $5 million government investment to advance Canada’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (Khan, 2021), a local initiative with national aspirations. Guelph’s platform accelerates the transition to sustainability by focusing on two sectors: environment and food. Food is fundamental to life, yet many experience food insecurity even in developed nations, food waste creating greenhouse gases in landfills instead of realizing its potential value. Key to successful activation are restaurants, as supply chain partners, change agents and educators. Canada’s largest B-corporation restaurant chain created a circular food experience beginning with waste grain from a brewery upcycled as feedstock for a fish farm; waste became natural fertilizer for potatoes and yeast; all coming together as a circular meal of smoked trout, sourdough and a pint of local beer. Lovely, but limited.
Lessons learnt include the importance of collaborative efforts of innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers, technological support through a smart city initiative, and leadership commitment. However, scaling-up micro initiatives remains a significant barrier to expanding circularity. Significant public sector investment is required to advance transportation, technology, infrastructure, traceability, and bio-friendly packaging if circular economies are to flourish. The hospitality sector can play a lead role not by creating its own circle but by facilitating hub-spoke connectivity for local circular economies to succeed.
Norðurslóð 2 (E-building- 206)
600 Akureyri, Iceland