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The regional scale provides an important focus of research into the geographies of sustainability transitions. To date, this debate has been separate from research into the potential of a circular economy to drive sustainable economic development at the regional scale. Both literatures recognise the importance of collaboration between policymakers and industry, with network-building feasible at the regional scale seen as favourable for developing collaborations. However, insufficient consideration has been given in circular economy debates to the contrasting scalar contexts of regionally based public and private sector stakeholders. This article addresses the potential for a regional-scale sustainability transition based on circular economy strategies (especially industrial symbiosis) given scalar constraints on the agency of regionally based public and private sector stakeholders. The research draws on interviews and observations in two case study regions: North Humberside, England and Styria, Austria. Cross-sectoral scalar constraints outweigh the apparent embeddedness of companies in their respective regions, even with the formal regional scale of governance in Austria. We recommend better integration of different policy sectors and more empowerment to policymakers at the regional level for more spatially nuanced policies.
Newsholme et al. (Fri,) studied this question.