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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Understanding the Circular Economy in Kenya: Critiquing the Dominant Discourse by James Turing PhD International Development The University of Edinburgh 2021 Abstract Over the last decade the circular economy has become popular in the Global North and is beginning to gain traction in the Global South. Yet analysis of this sustainability concept is notably lacking in the Global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study analyses the concept to answer what forms the circular economy is taking in Kenya. Doing so reveals where and how the concept is manifesting within this particular context, and how this compares to the archetype of the circular economy established in the Global North. Research was conducted through case studies using an inductive approach to theory development, built upon interview data. The empirical evidence illuminated three different forms of the circular economy: the ideal type that could not be identified in practice as it is unrealistically idealistic, an actually existing type generally articulated by small and medium-sized enterprises, and lastly an instrumental type mostly performed by multinational corporations. Notably the Kenyan forms of the circular economy identified conflicted with the dominant technocentric conceptualisation and often demonstrated ‘quiet sustainability’. This was largely due to the lower-middle income context of Kenya. This highlighted how the technological fundamentalism of the dominant conceptualisation excludes quiet sustainability contributions that are vital to realising the ideal type of the circular economy in Kenya. In doing so, the dominant conception of the circular economy from the Global North is generally instrumental and subsequently is at times enabling new forms of greenwashing in the Kenyan context. ii Lay Summary Over the last decade the concept of the circular economy has become increasingly popular in Europe, North America and China. The concept is beginning to gain traction in the rest of the world too. Yet analysis of this sustainability concept is notably lacking in many parts of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study analyses the concept to answer what forms the circular economy is taking in Kenya. Doing so reveals where and how the concept is manifesting within this different context, and how this compares to the dominant form of the circular economy that has been predominantly established in Europe and North America. Research was conducted through case studies and interview data. The empirical evidence illuminated three different forms of the circular economy: the ideal type that could not be identified in practice as it is unrealistically idealistic, an actually existing type generally articulated by smaller companies, and lastly an instrumental type mostly performed by multinational corporations. Notably the Kenyan forms of the circular economy identified conflicted with the dominant conceptualisation and often demonstrated ‘quiet sustainability’ - a way of describing widespread practices that result in beneficial environmental or social outcomes but are not portrayed as relating directly to environmental or sustainability goals. This was largely due to the lower-middle income context of Kenya. The comparison with quiet sustainability practices in Kenya highlighted how the technology- focused dominant conceptualisation of the circular economy is flawed because it fails to sufficiently account for these important sustainability contributions that are vital to realising the ideal type of the circular economy in Kenya. In doing so, the dominant conception of the circular economy, primarily from Europe and North America, is subsequently at times enabling new forms of greenwashing in Kenya. iii Acknowledgements I must begin by thanking the whole team at the Turing Trust. At the start of this PhD process the charity was solely a volunteer run operation, but thanks to the dedication of everyone involved it has grown beyond all expectation and installed thousands of computers in African classrooms. In the last five years you’ve given me the immense support I needed to pursue this PhD whilst simultaneously running the charity. I remain honoured and humbled to work with you all. I am of course indebted to all the interviewees who were generous enough to give up some of their valuable time to answer my questions. My thanks also goes out to my supervisors Dr Jamie Cross, Dr Omaima Hatem and Dr Andrew Bowman for their constant guidance and support, particularly for their flexibility and jumping in to assist during the most challenging later stages of this PhD process. I thank the University of Edinburgh and the Leverhulme Trust for awarding me a Perfect Storm Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Scholarship that make this research financially possible. I am very grateful to my wife Barbara for her ever lasting patience as well as my family for their ongoing support. Lastly I wish to thank my brother John for his immense support and advice over the last few years. I could not have asked for a kinder, more insightful or generous brother, thank you. iv Table of Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................... II LAY SUMMARY ...................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................... IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .............................................................. VIII LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................ IX CHAPTER 1 - THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN KENYA .................................... 1 1.1 - OVERVIEW ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 - THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN A KENYAN CONTEXT .......................................... 7 1.3 - RESEARCH FINDINGS .............................................................................. 15 1.4 - CONTRIBUTIONS ................................................................................... 18 1.5 - THESIS STRUCTURE ................................................................................ 26 CHAPTER 2 - BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW: WHAT IS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY? .......................................................................... 31 2.1 - THE FIELDS OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY .................................................... 34 2.2 - LOCATING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ......................................................... 38 2.3 - THE THEORIES OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ................................................ 46 2.4 - WHAT DOES ‘SUSTAINABILITY’ ACTUALLY MEAN? ....................................... 52 2.5 - THE EXPANSE OF GREEN TERMINOLOGY .................................................... 55 2.6 - LOCATING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY WITHIN THIS EXPANSE OF SUSTAINABILITY . 62 2.7 - HOW DOES THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY RELATE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE? .................. 69 2.8 - WHERE DOES THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY BELONG? ....................................... 74 2.9 - USING DISCOURSE ANALYSIS TO ANALYSE THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ................ 80 v CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 105 3.1 - RESEARCH QUESTIONS ......................................................................... 105 3.2 - METHODOLOGICAL OVERVIEW .............................................................. 108 3.3 - DATA COLLECTION .............................................................................. 113 3.4 - AN OVERVIEW OF THE CASE STUDIES ...................................................... 121 3.5 - ETHICS ............................................................................................. 133 3.6 - POSITIONALITY AND REFLEXIVITY ............................................................ 134 3.7 - LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................... 138 CHAPTER 4 - WHAT FORMS IS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY TAKING IN KENYA? ............................................................................................... 143 4.1 - DEFINING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A KENYAN PERSPECTIVE .................. 146 4.2 - HOW AND WHY IS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IMPORTANT IN KENYA? ............ 147 4.3 - TO WHAT EXTENT HAS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY REACHED KENYA? ............. 154 4.4 - THE INFLUENCE OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY DISCOURSE IN KENYA ..................... 161 4.5 - CONCLUSION: THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS IMPLICITLY IDENTIFIABLE IN KENYA 174 CHAPTER 5