The concept of sustainability can therefore be presented as supporting a process of complex problem-solving as regards the current challenges but also encourages and promotes the needs to address multiple stakeholders and their expectations (Feil and Schreiber 2017; Proctor 2014; Beder 2006). This is underpinned by principles such as participation and equity which have been developed within disciplines such as environmental management to increase the sharing of knowledge and collaboration amongst stakeholders (Lewis and Maslin 2018; Feil and Schreiber 2017; Mulvihill and Harris Ali 2017; Beder 2006). This requires an approach which supports increasing intragenerational prosperity and quality of life but also undertakes a restorative approach to safeguard intra and inter-generational needs (Mulvihill and Harris Ali 2017; Beder 2006).
In terms of its acceptance as an issue which needs addressing by government, business and societal stakeholders, sustainability has become increasingly institutionalised within these areas and have shaped different behaviours and decision-making to a greater degree (Lewis and Maslin 2018; Mulvihill and Harris Ali 2017; Geissdoerfer et al 2017).
2.2 The Circular Economy
The Circular Economy has gained increased levels of attention through the work and support of institutions such as the European Union and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (European Union [EU] 2019; Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017a). The concept of the Circular Economy and its application to production and consumption processes has developed to include different features from a range of concepts which include the shift to a closed loop system (Moreno et al 2016; Braungart and McDonough 2009). The range of theories relating to the circular economy include the shift from the cradle-to-grave to the cradle-to-cradle approach (Braungart and McDonough 2009); biomimicry (Benyus 2002); looped economy (Stahel 2010) and the blue economy (Pauli 2017) and these provide a variety of models and a process of continuous improvement which can be adapted to the contexts of businesses. The circular economy undertakes a methodology of continuous improvement which includes the application of increased knowledge, which may be gained through collaborations with other stakeholders, and the motivation of businesses to apply these changes (Pauli 2017; Moreno et al 2016).
The main components of the circular economy relate to its restorative and regenerative design which aims to reduce the amount of waste and energy by closing loops and thus reducing the level of leaks and emissions (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017a; Moreno et al 2016; Braungart and McDonough 2009). This requires a production design which assesses where these leaks and emissions occur and how these can be reduced or eliminated (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017a; Pauli 2017; Moreno et al 2016). In addition to this, issues such as maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing and recycling are made more robust to not only ensure that these take place but to ensure that there is a higher volume of activity in these areas (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017a; Pauli 2017; Moreno et al 2016; Braungart and McDonough 2009).
The academic research as regards the circular economy has included an evaluation of specific areas of this concept such as closed loop value and supply chains (Govindan et al 2015); circular business models (Bocken et al 2016; Moreno et al 2016); and circular product design (Pauli 2017). These different approaches to the Circular Economy arguably mirror the different approaches to operations management where there is a drive towards the reduction of waste in the operations process through continuous improvement and focusing on the business priorities (Jacobs and Chase 2017; Slack et al 2016). The development and adaptation of the Circular Economy into these va
