Being circular in a linear economy: practitioners as everyday intermediaries in the transition to a circular economy

Studies about the transition to a circular economy (CE) often focus on high-level questions of resource use and consumption, addressing questions of technical innovation and industrial production. Yet a transition to a circular economy is a societal issue. In this study, we respond to criticisms that the CE often portrays individuals as passive user-consumers, and investigate how smaller-scale actors - people working in the CE at the local level - are engaging in the transition. We present findings from empirical data gathered through thirty semi-structured interviews with professional CE practitioners working in public (local government), private (SMEs – small-medium sized enterprises) and third sector (charities/social enterprises) organisations in the UK. Drawing on insights from sustainability transitions and intermediary actors, we find that individuals working within organisations and small businesses adopt a role as intermediary actors at the smaller scale. We call these actors ‘everyday intermediaries’ and demonstrate how they take on a role to mediate the CE to wider society, working to connect actors, resources and skills across the CE, and to translate the behaviours and practices necessary for a successful transition to CE to the everyday context. We add to the growing body of literature about the contributions of social science in understanding the transition to the CE and empirically demonstrate the active and engaged role of smaller-scale actors in bringing change.