From sufficiency principles to circular economy strategies

Abstract

The ecological crisis, marked by the transgression of planetary boundaries, necessitates a reevaluation of sustainability paradigms, including the integration of sufficiency and circular economy principles. Traditional sustainability models, reliant on technological solutions and market mechanisms, inadequately address the root causes of ecological degradation, such as overconsumption and economic expansion. This research advocates for a paradigm shift toward sufficiency and explores its integration with circular economy practices. Utilizing a review of the literature, we examine how sufficiency drives circular economy. We implement a two-stage search-protocol-driven selection in Web of Science and a qualitative complement focused on recent work - yielding a corpus of 113 articles. From this evidence, we develop a sufficiency-centred framework with three tiers: core pillars (limit setting; operational and normative thresholds; transparency and accountability), implementation guidelines (co-efficiency and product-service systems under weak sustainability; absolute caps, longevity, repair, and degrowth-aligned metrics under weak sustainability), and outcomes (relative gains with rebound risk versus absolute reductions within planetary limits). The framework clarifies how sufficiency reorients circular strategies from recycling toward preventing demand, extending product lifetimes, and retaining value at higher orders. We conclude with actionable implications for governance and stakeholder engagement, and identify barriers and enablers shaping sufficiency-driven transitions in firms and policy.