Deep sustainability in the plastics sector?: A critical discourse analysis of circular economy narratives

This article examines how actors in the plastics industry frame and implement circular economy (CE) strategies through a deep sustainability (DS) lens. Using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, we evaluate sustainability reports of twelve companies across four value chain layers against five DS criteria. The results show a predominance of efficiency- and innovation-focused narratives, while sufficiency, justice, and integrity of system boundaries remain marginal. This is often supported by governance concepts that focus on feedstock security and compliance, though there are emerging signs of engagement at the paradigmatic level. Without sufficiency-oriented measures and just governance, we run the risk of reproducing unsustainable dynamics within the circular economy. By applying DS criteria to CE discourses, technology assessment can identify leverage points for enforcing sufficiency, justice, and governance to achieve systemic transformation.