Varieties of framing the circular economy and the bioeconomy: unpacking business interests in European policymaking
Sandra Eckert
Abstract
This article analyses policy framing as a means of interest politics in the context of the European Union’s circular economy and bioeconomy agendas. It discusses the extent to which business actors engage with the concepts of circular economy and bioeconomy in their public communication, how they frame these concepts, and whether we can observe frame congruence with views held by key policymakers. Empirically the study compares the paper, plastics and bioplastics value chains using computer-assisted text analysis of industry and policy documents. The findings suggest that while industry actors proactively engage with both concepts, they diverge significantly in the ways they do so. This highlights the need to unpack business interests in order to account for frame varieties.