The circular economy has emerged as a sustainable and innovative conceptthat replaces the traditional linear economy characterized by itstake-make-dispose flow of materials. This study analyzed case studies onregional circular economies in various areas to extract the common factors inthe strategies of making a transition to a circular economy. We inductivelydeveloped the conceptual framework of “transition strategy of circulareconomy” based on these initial analyses with a special focus on theEuropean countries, and modified the framework iteratively when additionalcase studies were introduced.
The framework consisted of the natural andsocio-economic environment of a target region, drivers for transition to acircular economy, transition strategies, and social foundation. We built astructured database (DB) using this framework and the information from eachcase study was reorganized as input data. We also developed a “wheel model”to visualize the environmental factors and strategies presented in the DB.
Korean case studies of circular economies from Gyeonggi and Jeju provinceswere analyzed based on the framework, and we compared the results withother cases in the DB. This study also investigated performance indices formonitoring the status of regional circular economies, and suggested a new setof indices to reflect the sustainability perspective. Based on the comparisonbetween Korean cases and those from foreign countries, we suggestedadditional measures for the future regional circular economy in Korea.