Barriers toward circular economy transition: exploring different stakeholders' perspectives

Circular economy (CE) attempts to improve the environmental and economic performance of existing production systems and particularly waste management through the introduction of principles of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, redesign, and remanufacture. There are still many challenges regarding its implementation. This article investigates the barriers to adopting CE practices in the Brazilian waste management system. In the empirical research first stage, a workshop was conducted with researchers and managers. In the second stage, 1 year later, interviews were conducted in 22 organizations across different categories of the waste system. The outcomes indicate that barriers are more related to the implementation of CE practices, and the lack of legislation enforcement and coordination of distinct levels of government. New dimensions for explaining barriers to CE in developing countries also emerged from field research as the low market value of some residues and the informality in the system.