Autoethnographic Insights into Circular Economy: Lived Experience, Upbringing and Religion

Samenvatting

This paper explores how religiously informed upbringings and lived experiences in contexts of material scarcity have shaped enduring attitudes toward consumption, stewardship, and sustainability. Drawing on autoethnographic reflections we examine how deeply internalised values translate into practical orientations that align with principles of a circular economy. These insights suggest that theological notions such as rentmeesterschap (stewardship), when embedded early in life, can cultivate an ethic of “enoughness” and long-term ecological responsibility. We argue that autoethnographic perspectives offer a powerful lens to investigate how worldviews and formative experiences shape attitudes toward circularity, restraint, and care, especially when situated within intergenerational memory and faith traditions.