The paper argues that mainstream circular economy approaches often reinforce capitalist growth and technocratic control, undermining social and ecological goals. Using research on not-for-profit worker co-ops in cycle repair, it shows how co-operatives can use circular practices to support community wellbeing, economic democracy, and sustainability, while also facing real trade-offs between workers’ livelihoods and wider social and ecological aims.
https://www.ukscs.coop/pages/journal-of-co-operative-studies-58-3-90-97