Abstract
Building a circular economy for single use plastics has been a major challenge for East Asia’s emerging consumer societies and its position as a global hub for plastic production. The challenge is often addressed through technology and market innovations, while the study of Social and Solidarity Economy and sustainable consumption both stress the role of citizen initiatives in changing everyday practices and economic institutions. This paper aims to illustrate how a consumer cooperative can make significant contributions to sustainable consumption and circular economy. It does so through a case study of the Homemaker Union Consumer Cooperative in Taiwan and its experiment in recycling vegetable plastic wraps and reuse for producing new products. The paper uses Karl Polanyi’s theory of instituted economic processes to understand how recycling is instituted with collection, distribution and production. It also applies social practice theory to understand the organization of recycling practices at home and in the consumer cooperatives local stations. The case study analyses reports, conducts focus groups with the cooperative’s leaders and local members, as well as interviews with its collaborating organizations. The analysis found that the consumer cooperative served as a citizen action lab that created protected space for committed members to debate strategies and communicate new practices, to coordinate with market and research organizations, and to convey examples for institutional reforms. The findings highlight avenues for East Asian solidarity economy to work with communities and alliances to link new practices, economic processes, and political support to upscale the circular economy and sustainable consumption.