ABSTRACT
The circular economy is currently receiving great deal of attention and appears as a promising departure from linear flows that begin with the extraction of resources and end with the creation of waste. Building on the theory of socio-ecological systems, this chapter highlights the existence of alternative paths towards the circularization of the economy and underscores that these alternatives are not neutral with respect to their economic, social and environmental consequences. A case study on the flows of organic matter in the city of Brussels allows us to shed light on two potential development paths: the first is a “third industrial revolution” characterized by its extension of the logic of economic growth based on the accumulation of capital and quantitative expansion; the second is a “post-growth” scenario characterized by a new polycentric organization of work and a qualitative development that is less capital-intensive.
