A local analysis of circular economy through a stakeholders' lens: From definitions and collaborative efforts to metrics for monitoring. The case of Turin (Italy)

Circular Economy (CE) is being more and more widely embraced as a crucial concept to enable the implementation of sustainability in cities and territories. However, new tools and frameworks are needed to evaluate and monitor the benefits and burdens of CE implementation, adopting integrated and transdisciplinary approaches with available knowledge mainly focusing on specific aspects. Since stakeholders have a crucial role in urban transformation processes, their active involvement is required throughout all the decision-making process steps (e.g., conceptualisation, implementation, and monitoring). A novel participative framework is proposed for developing a local analysis of CE implementation, combining qualitative methods to involve stakeholders and explore their perceptions and opinions of CE practices in the case study of Turin (Italy). The analysis includes several aspects, such as understanding concepts, implementation practices, collaborations, monitoring issues, and possible acceptance of Life Cycle Assessment-based indicators, like the Consumption Footprint. Results report the diverse CE understanding among local stakeholders and the crucial role of collaboration in CE implementation. Strategies to adapt the Consumption Footprint indicator to the local scale are presented (e.g., cultural differences and emerging trends) to support monitoring transformation strategies.