Law for a circular economy

Today humanity uses, on average, the equivalent of 1.6 earths to

provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. A pathway

to sustainable resource use is the circular economy. This concept

aims at optimising the value of the resources used and to minimise

the amount of resources used. The author addresses the question of

what kind of law we need to realize a circular economy. He argues

that many legal frameworks and rules on the national and the

European level will have to be reconsidered, amended and some

completely newly framed to foster a truly circular economy.

This is the inaugural lecture which Professor Chris Backes delivered

on 12 April 2017 on the occasion of accepting the Chair of

Environmental and Planning Law at Utrecht University School of

Law, Utrecht Centre forWater, Oceans and Sustainability Law.