Communication of Circular Economy in the Public Sector in Bulgaria: a Study of Space, Agenda, Language, and Tools

Abstract Transitioning to a Circular Economy (CE) is a global imperative with far-reaching environmental, economic, and societal implications. Effective public communication raises awareness, fosters stakeholder engagement, and enables behavioural change. This study investigates how CE principles are communicated within the Bulgarian public sector. Methodologically, it adopts a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) approach applied to qualitative interviews with communication officers from ministries, municipalities, public institutions (including state-owned banks and universities), and editorial staff from national public radio and television. Through methodological triangulation, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is also applied to a corpus of secondary data to examine dominant narratives and discursive framings. The analysis explores how CE is represented, which agendas it supports, the language employed, and the communicative tools mobilised. Findings reveal that CE discourse in Bulgaria is predominantly centralised, fragmented, and performative—prioritising institutional visibility over genuine public engagement. The paper identifies strategic orientations for improving CE communication, including decentralising communicative authority, enhanced inter-institutional coordination, the development of audience-specific narratives, and articulating long-term environmental objectives with short-term motivational incentives. Such measures are essential to advance from rhetorical commitment to effective and participatory implementation of CE principles.