Transitioning towards circular households: Exploring influential factors and constraints

The adoption of household circular economy practices is fundamental for sustainable consumption, yet this area remains underexplored, with individuals unaware of the societal impact they can make. While previous research has examined the drivers and barriers linked with the implementation of circular strategies in organizations, eco-industrial parks, and cities, there is limited understanding of the factors influencing household circular economy activities. Thus, the present work aims to identify what drives and inhibits individuals from fostering circular economy progress at the household level. This study is supported by a triangulation approach, combining an integrative literature review with the results derived from semi-structured interviews with householders. The literature review helped categorize the data obtained through the interviews, while outlining the existing theories. The findings of the interviews indicate that the drivers and barriers could vary between consumer stages – i.e., customer, user, end of life product holder. The householders can be negatively influenced by the lack of awareness, poor reputation, and a circular market offer with insufficient quality. The adoption process of circular economy-related practices depends on the attitude of each individual and can be driven by the possibility to reduce the cost of living, and the ability of the product to include digestible information, regarding its sustainability performance. Householders identified several recommendations that could promote circularity, such as implementing subsidies with reduced bureaucracy to alleviate initial financial pressures and improving transparency and disclosure of product sustainability (e.g., through a sustainability score). This research can capacitate policymakers and practitioners with insights into the factors that foster circular economic progress at the household level, outlining a structure tailored towards the desired consumer role.