Exnovation for a sufficiency-oriented circular economy

The project, will the full title Exnovation for sufficiency: exploring pathways to an exnovation mindset and sufficiency futures, challenges the current approach of accelerating the transition to a circular economy mainly through innovation, i.e. adding circular solutions, such as products, business models and systems. In contrast, it addresses opportunities for exnovation, i.e. the phasing out and removal of key lock-ins mechanisms – material, social, and structural – that perpetuate unsustainable consumption and production practices. In this project, RISE, Lund University and Chalmers University of Technology set out to explore and realise the potential of exnovation for supporting a sufficiency-oriented circular economy.

To concretise the research, two sectors associated with high resource flows and significant impacts will be addressed: textiles, including clothing, and electronics, including information technology. Opportunities for exnovation at different system levels will be explored through literature reviews and small-scale exnovation experiments for three key actors: policy makers, organisations and consumers.

Guiding tools will be developed to support the actors in putting an exnovation for sufficiency mindset into practice, and implications for each actor will be synthesised, including exnovation pathways for sufficiency. Findings will be disseminated in the form of scientific publications, seminars, visual material and videos via a variety of channels. Expected impacts include the adoption of new mindsets and practices by policy makers, organisations and consumers, contributing to changes in consumption and production that enable society to stay within social and planetary boundaries.

Are you curious about exnovation?

Do you want to stay updated on the project? Would you like to be invited to presentations, seminars, focus groups, workshops, or other activities? Would you like to participate in exnovation experiments? May we interview you? Or would you like to collaborate in some other way? Then you can sign up for our contact list via the turquoise button above to the right. You can also contact the project leader, Sara Renström.