In 2017, LE Europe, VVA, Ipsos, ConPolicy and Trinomics were commissioned by the European Commission to conduct a behavioural study on consumers’ engagement in the Circular Economy (CE).

The objective was to provide policy-relevant insights to assist with the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. The study sought to:

1. Identify barriers and trade-offs faced by consumers when deciding whether to engage in the CE, in particular whether to purchase a more or a less durable good, whether to have a good repaired, or to discard it and buy a replacement;

2. Establish the relative importance of economic, social and psychological factors that govern the extent to which consumers engage in the CE, especially purchasing durable products and seeking to repair products instead of disposing of them; and

3. Propose policy tools to enable and encourage consumers to engage in CE practices related to durability and reparability.