Postgraduate Course: Waste Law and the Circular Economy (fusion on-site) (EFIE11157)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Various types of waste are increasingly given value by law to ensure a transition to the circular economy and to combat the issues of pollution and waste. The course examines the complex regulatory frameworks needed to organise the conversion of effluence (waste) into affluence (wealth). From textiles made of recycled plastics to biodiversity conservation born out of decommissioned oil rigs, waste is being reimagined as a carrier of future abundance. This course explores these legal transformations of waste laws through a series of case studies and interactive activities. |
| Course description |
This course focuses on the ways State and non-State actors participate in transboundary waste management to achieve their circular economy objectives.
The course uses recent case studies to support the course material. Case studies may include, but are not restricted to:
- ecotaxation in the textile sector
- the right to repair in relation to patented products
- the plastic pollution treaty negotiations
- the turn to circular models for future outer space activities.
Your learning experience will include:
- An introduction to the global challenges in regulating a circular economy transition
- Simulating the negotiation of an international treaty
Students do not need any previous experience in studying law to take this course.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - On-Site Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities.
Students should be aware that:
- Classrooms used in this course will have additional technology in place: students might not be able to sit in areas away from microphones or outside the field of view of all cameras.
- Unless the lecturer or tutor indicates otherwise you should assume the session is being recorded.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 9,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Other Study Hours 6,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
80 )
|
| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Scheduled Group-work Hours (hybrid online/on-campus) - 6
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) Group Written Contribution to a UN Circular Economy Accord (65%)
Group Assessment - Learning Outcomes 2, 3, 4 & 5
2) Individual Reflection on Treaty Process (25%)
Individual Assessment - Learning Outcomes 1 & 5
This can be multimodal, i.e. a blog post (approx. 500-700 words), a podcast, or a video reflection.
3) Peer Assessment 3 (10%)
Learning Outcome 4
Reflect on group work.
Assessment Framework: The UN Circular Economy Agreement
The purpose of this assessment is for groups of students to simulate the negotiations that are needed to draft an international treaty. They will work collectively (in groups) to create a (fictional) international 'Circular Economy Agreement', modelled on the current mandate to negotiate a new plastics pollution treaty. The final output will be based on readings, lectures, group work and independent study/research. The Agreement project is designed to support students working synchronously and asynchronously.
Each group will a) contribute to a collective statement/preamble for the treaty, b) write their assigned 'Article', acting as a representative group within the usual structure of an international organisation (the United Nations) and associated participants (States, specialised agencies, industry, NGOs). This simulation is designed to provide students with a first-hand experience of the intricacies and challenges of negotiation and consensus building in the international law and treaty making process, using circular economy as a framework. Assessment criteria will be based on each group's work on their group Article, their collaboration on the collective preamble statement, as well as how well their final Article contribution fits with other groups to create a full Circular Economy Agreement. Emphasis will be on the challenges of consensus building in multilateral forums.
Objectives of the treaty simulation are to:
- Increase students' understanding of what an international treaty is through an experiential process.
- Gain understanding of how treaties are designed and negotiated between States and how they impact daily life.
- Recognise components of the students' own culture that they would like to see protected. Also recognise the need to consider other cultures, values and priorities in drafting a multilateral agreement.
- Appreciate that a 'treaty' is more than the written word, but a collaborative, often challenging process.
Note: assessment group formations will take into consideration students working asynchronously and/or in different time zones. The in-class negotiations, discussions, and presentations will be recorded when possible. Group work will be aided with online platforms for groups to share ideas, documents, and meet when possible. |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be given after the group presentations on their treaty negotiation progress.
Summative feedback will be given on the Assessment 1 and Assessment 2. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles and current issues of transboundary waste law and the circular economy.
- Demonstrate originality and creativity in the development and application of new knowledge, understanding and practices.
- Understand how to engage effectively in a multilateral governance forum.
- Collaborate with others to bring about new thinking in waste law and circular economy.
- Communicate waste law ideas to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge/expertise.
|
Reading List
Legal sources (essential)
EU Circular Economy Action Plan 2015
Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on common rules promoting the repair of goods 2024
Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill 2024
United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme Draft resolution 'End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding Instrument', UNEP/EA.5/L.23/Rev.1, 2 March 2022.
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, 1673 UNTS 126 1989
European Space Agency, Zero Debris Technical Booklet 2025.
Recommended Books, Articles, Chapters & Reports
Barrie, J., et al. The role of international trade in realizing an inclusive circular economy, Chatham House 2022.
Kyriakopoulos, G. L. Environmental legislation in European and international contexts: legal practices and social planning toward the circular economy. Laws 10.1 (2021): 3.
van Ewijk, Stijn, and J. A. Stegemann. Recognising waste use potential to achieve a circular economy. Waste Management 105 (2020): 1-7.
Friant et al. (2021) Analysing European Union circular economy policies: words versus actions, 2021 Sustainable Production and Consumption Vol. 27, pp. 337-353.
Jacometti, V. Circular Economy and Waste in the Fashion Industry, 2019 Laws 8(4), p 27.
Hoernig, J. (2022) 'Towards 'secondary raw material' as a legal category. Environmental Law Review. Env. L. Rev. 2022, 24(2), 111-1.
European Environment Agency, (2018) 'Waste prevention in Europe ' policies, status and trends in reuse in 2017', EEA Report.
European Environment Agency. (2021) 'Plastics, the circular economy and Europe's environment ' A priority for action', Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Minter, A. (2015) Junkyard planet: Travels in the billion-dollar trash trade. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2015.
Lesniewska, F. & K. Steenmans, Circular Economy and the Law, Routledge, 2023.
Perzanowski, A. The Right to Repair, Cambridge University Press, 2021.Select chapters from: The Routledge Handbook of Waste, Resources and the Circular Economy. Eds. T. Tudor & C. Dutra. Routledge, 2020.
- Ch16, Mahon, P. 'The role of policy in creating a more circular economy'
- Ch18, Sheeran, P. 'Economic and trade considerations of circular economy approaches.'
Further Readings:
Velis C. (2017) Waste pickers in Global South: Informal recycling sector in a circular economy era. Waste Management & Research. 35(4):329-331. https://doi-org.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/10.1177/0734242X17702024
Selected chapters from: De Sadeleer, Nicolas (2020) Environmental principles: from political slogans to legal rules. Oxford University Press. https://doi-org.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/10.1093/oso/9780198844358.001.0001
Wishart, Lucy & Jan Bebbington. (2020) 'Zero waste governance: a Scottish case study.' International Journal of Sustainable Development 23.1-2: 128-147.
Anantharaman, Manisha. (2021) 'Reclaiming the Circular Economy: Informal Work and Grassroots Power.' The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Environmental Politics, OUP.
Corvellec, Hervé, Alison F. Stowell, and Nils Johansson. (2021) 'Critiques of the circular economy.' Journal of Industrial Ecology. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Enquiry (independent research):
- Conduct research and enquiry into relevant circular economy and waste law issues.
Personal Effectiveness (team working):
- An ability to work collaboratively with people from a range of cultures and backgrounds.
Communication (written):
- Be able to communicate complex ideas and arguments in writing.
Research & Enquiry (problem solving):
- Identify and evaluate options in order to solve complex problems
Research & Enquiry (problem solving):
- Identify and evaluate circular economy opportunities in waste law in order to solve complex waste problems. |
| Keywords | Circular Economy,Waste Law,International Law,Policy,EFI,PG,Level 11 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michael Picard
Tel:
Email: m.picard@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Veronica Silvestre
Tel:
Email: Veronica.Silvestre@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage