More Than a Numbers Game: Accounting for Circular Economy Performance in Collaborative Initiatives in Cities

This PhD thesis sets out to explore how circular economy performance is managed and accounted for in collaborative initiatives in cities. While no universally agreed definition of circular economy currently exists, it is often referred to as a model of production and consumption that aims at decoupling economic growth from natural resource depletion and environmental degradation. Circular economy is often discussed in opposition to the dominant ‘take-make-use-dispose’ approach whereby natural resources are extracted and converted to products, which are then used and disposed of in a short timeframe. As such, circular economy is frequently debated in both academic and practitioner circles as a means to achieve long-term sustainability.
Cities explore the concept of circular economy in order to increase competitiveness, attract investment, mitigate the consequences of the looming climate crisis, and become ‘future-proof’. As circular economy implementation on a city level requires cross-sector collaboration, various initiatives emerge with a goal to ‘co-develop’, test, and scale circular economy solutions. These collaborative initiatives gather different actors, who represent various and often conflicting interests, visions of urban development, and understandings of circular economy. For these initiatives to reach the desired goals, they require not only effective management but also systems that facilitate information flows, dialogue, and debate. Public sector accounting literature suggests that performance accounting can play such a role in collaborative initiatives.