Towards clean material cycles: Is there a policy conflict between circular economy and non-toxic environment?

Lately, the idea of ‘non-toxic’ (or ‘clean’) material cycles has become increasingly popular as a starting point for the consideration of circular economy strategies among leading regulating actors, such as the European Commission (2017). However, it should be apparent that, by default, circular economy aspirations awaken a potential policy conflict between increased circulation of resources and reduction of exposure to hazardous substances (human- and eco-toxic substances of concern). Here, we build upon the great tradition of Waste Management & Research editorials on the topic debated, and not least on the recent opinion piece by Stanisavljevic and Brunner (2019). We argue that non-toxic material cycles are indeed a desirable vision, but that they will not come naturally in a world of circulated material resources – at least not without major supply chain disruptions and persistent conscious efforts. Let us elaborate.