Using the multilevel perspective framework to understand the transition of South Africa’s mining sector to a circular economy

Abstract

The mining sector by its nature has historically been characterised as an extractive industry with a “take, make and dispose“ approach to mineral resources and the ecosystems within which they are located. Escalating environmental degradation is, however, putting pressure on the sector to remediate their legacy waste stockpiles and implement the principles of the circular economy. The latter is a framework that could transform the global practices from “cradle to grave” to a more sustainable “cradle to cradle” approach. The transition to a circular economy in the South African mining sector is, however, unclear. Using the framework of the multilevel perspective (MLP), this study has profiled the awareness of, and progress towards, the sector’s adoption of the circular economy principles and has suggested a way forward that could support an accelerated transition towards a circular economy business model. A qualitative, inductive research method with purposive sampling was employed. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted using online platforms. The interviewees, comprised of a mixed group of business practitioners, content experts, consultants, and government officials, were questioned on their understanding and awareness of the circular economy, its status, the barriers and the enablers. The analysis has revealed that the circular economy in the mining sector is still at an early stage. Whilst landscape pressure on the existing socio-technical regime is evident, the incumbents of the regime see more barriers than drivers to the transition and consider the transition to be of low priority within the present operations. Moreover, actors at the niche level, such as entrepreneurs and emerging firms, are weak and do not place any significant competitive pressure on the current regime. Particularly, networking of the niche actors, which is an essential development if these actors are to challenge the regime, is limited. The transition of the mining sector to a circular economy framework will require more direct government intervention at the level of the landscape, such as regulatory reform; greater entrepreneurial activity; and a more focussed approach to strategic niche management. Initiatives such as the Green Engine, driven at present by Anglo American, could form a model for upscaling niche experiments and radically increasing the competitive pressure on the sector as a means of accelerating the transition.