NAVIGATING THE CIRCULAR FRONTIER: CURRENT PRACTICES AND FUTURE HORIZONS OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE MALDIVES

Abstract

The Maldives, vulnerable to climate change and combating numerous environmental issues, is geared to moving towards circular economy. This paper examines the key practices and strategies across various sectors and industries. A concurrent mixed method design was used in the study, involving the simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data, separate analysis, and integration during the interpretation phase. A total of 203 participants took part in the online survey and 17 participants were interviewed. As per the quantitative findings, at organisational level, the current practices with the highest mean score were resource repairing and sharing across departments. The national level findings revealed that the highest mean score was for implementation of Single-Use-Plastics. The qualitative findings identified five themes for current practices and future directions, respectively. In addition, the proposed model will serve as a guide for implementing the circular economy in the Maldives, in a holistic manner.