Making Circular Economy Socially Inclusive through Entrepreneurship (Project MILESTONE)

The project problematises circular economy as rapidly developing with a strong technological and production orientation, leaving the societal dimension insufficiently explored. Social inclusion in circular economy is essential to make circular economy meaningful and connected to society, so as to ensure wider buy-in from people.

To address this gap, Project MILESTONE will generate knowledge on how sustainability-oriented enterprises and social enterprise organizations connect circular economy and human development through inclusion and meaningful participation of society. This generates useful information on understanding how certain kinds of enterprising individuals, groups and organizations play a crucial role in connecting social and environmental sustainability. A socially inclusive circular economic development contributes to reducing inequalities and for making climate goals more meaningful and connected to society, thereby contributing to building an inclusive and sustainable future.

The project is hosted at the Business School, University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Kuopio, and expands its network through three academic units and two other international projects at UEF. The project aims at creating a rich set of results and knowledge exchange between Global North (Finland, Austria, and Spain) and Global South (India).

The researcher team currently includes the Project PI and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Subhanjan Sengupta, main supervisor Prof. Hanna Lehtimäki, and co-supervisor Prof. Rauno Sairinen.