In this episode, I speak with Brais Suárez Eiroa, a researcher working at the intersection of Ecological Economics and Political Ecology, with a particular focus on post-growth transitions. He is currently a member of the Post-Growth Innovation Lab at the University of Vigo (Galicia, Spain)and a collaborator at the Research Centre for Territory, Transport and Environment at the University of Porto (Portugal).

In the episode, Brais shares his insights on the circular economy with some very concrete examples that help situate this topic in every day life. We go on to discuss a bit more about how a circular economy matters for relationships between humans and other humans, and also between humans and more-than-humans. A key insight he shares is that perhaps a recognition and questioning of human relationships with more-than-humans is a step that must come before a truly transformative, post-capitalist circular economy can truly emerge. We also discuss the role of decentralising knowledge for making a circular economy more inclusive and “planetary” in the sense of this podcast.

In view of these subjects, Brais also shares some insights from a project he has recently been involved in, the CoBlue project, which created a participatory process surrounding the potential construction of offshore windfarms off the coast of Galicia, in Northwest Spain. In this project, more-than-humans did also come up as actors that will feel the consequences of such an intervention.

While Brais’ main topic is not that of considering more-than-human involvement, I find this a truly inspiring episode for understanding the kinds of questions being asked in the field of (admittedly more critically inclined part of) economics, and how more-than-humans do surface in this context.

Take-aways for planners, by Brais Suárez Eiroa:

* Keep planetarity in mind throughout the entire process of planning, rather than only in specific moments

References:

CoBlue Project: https://postgrowth-lab.uvigo.es/projects/coblue/

Suárez-Eiroa, B. (2025). The Social Importance of Researching Action-Oriented Circular Futures. Journal of Circular Economy, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.55845/OYKZ1486

Suárez-Eiroa, B., Soto-Oñate, D. & Loureiro, M. The responsibility of the EU in climate change mitigation: assessing the fairness of its recent targets. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 29, 93 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-024-10180-y

Suárez-Eiroa, B., Fernández, E., Méndez-Martínez, G., & Soto-Oñate, D. (2019). Operational principles of circular economy for sustainable development: Linking theory and practice. Journal of Cleaner Production, 214, 952–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.271

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