From Linear to Circular: Consumer Priorities for Advancing Circular Economy Policy in Taiwan

Single-use plastics epitomise the throwaway culture of today's linear economy, posing significant threats to ecosystems and human health. Plastic pollution has been identified as a key driver of the triple planetary crisis, impacting climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution simultaneously. While the circular economy offers a promising alternative to this linear model, the transition remains hindered by deeply interconnected cultural, regulatory, market, and technological barriers. Consumer behaviour, in particular, has been repeatedly identified as a critical yet underexplored dimension of circular economy adoption. This study examines consumer perceptions of circular economy policy attributes in Taiwan using importance-performance analysis on data collected from 408 respondents. Results reveal a consistent and statistically significant shortfall across all 13 attributes examined, where perceived importance rating (mean: 4.342 ± 0.841) substantially outpaces perceived performance rating (mean: 2.997 ± 1.208). Five attributes emerged as high priority: single-use plastic-free policies for restaurants, night markets, and shops; government-directed circular economy policies; financial incentives for consumers; government-business collaboration; and public awareness campaigns. These findings position consumers as active stakeholders whose priorities should guide circular economy policy design. The study offers a consumer-centric, data-driven framework adaptable to other regional contexts, and calls for a broader cultural shift toward awareness, affordability, and accessibility of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.