Criteria to Organise a Transition Lab to Stimulate the Transition Towards a Circular Economy

Abstract

Globally the dominant economy is linear, which is connected to most environmental problems. A sustainable alternative is a circular economy. To move towards a circular economy, there needs to be focus on the economic, environmental, and social dimension. However, the social dimension is often not included in this transition. A transition lab can fulfil this gap by including the social dimension in the transition towards a circular economy. As a transition lab plays a significant role in this, insight should be created into which criteria are important for the organisation of this lab. To gain insights into these criteria, data was gathered through a qualitative research design that included interviews, observations, and desk research. From the gathered data derived thirteen criteria that should be looked at when organising a transition lab. However, three criteria were mentioned in at least two out of the three categories of Stufflebeam’s evaluation theory and should be prioritised when organising a transition lab. The first criterion is expectation management, for which transparency about the main theories of the transition lab is needed. The second criterion is the selection process of participants because this will build the foundation of the lab. The third criterion is monitoring the transition lab throughout the whole process by an external person, which means this person does not have an interest in the outcomes of the transition lab.

Keywords

• transition lab
• circular economy
• stufflebeam’s evaluation theory
• sdg 13: climate action
• sdg 12: responsible consumption and wellbeing