The most recognized definition of the circular economy is that it is a restorative and regenerative economy. Despite the wide use and importance attributed to the concepts of “restoration” and “regeneration,” they are rarely defined or explained in the circular economy literature. In this context, this study critically examines the two terms, while providing guidance on their future utilization and development. Specifically, the study investigates the origin of the concepts, their adoption in frameworks that anticipated the idea of the circular economy, and their connotations in the circular economy literature. The examination supports the need for clear and distinct definitions, combined with precision in usage. From a review of the literature, restoration is a better‐defined concept than regeneration, although it needs conceptual re‐enforcement relative to the biological/ecological aspects of the circular economy. This study suggests looking in the direction of restoration ecology, a well‐established branch of ecological research. Conversely, regeneration is a symbolic/evocative term with little practical application in the context of circular systems except in the case of certain agricultural practices. Until new conceptual developments intervene, regeneration does not seem to be applicable to the economy as a whole and because of this, might be abandoned as a guiding principle of the circular economy. Unlike regeneration, restoration can be considered a core principle because it has widespread application and can be a point of reference for circular applications. This does not preclude the possibility that other concepts may be needed to augment restoration.

中文翻译：

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恢复性和再生性：探索循环经济中的概念

循环经济最公认的定义是它是一种恢复性和再生性经济。尽管归因于“恢复”和“再生”概念的广泛使用和重要性，但在循环经济文献中很少对其进行定义或解释。在这种情况下，本研究严格审查了这两个术语，同时为它们的未来利用和开发提供了指导。具体而言，该研究调查了概念的起源，在循环经济概念中预期的框架中的采用以及循环经济文献中的含义。该检查支持对清晰明确的定义以及精确使用的需求。通过文献回顾，恢复是比再生更好定义的概念，尽管它需要相对于循环经济的生物/生态方面在概念上进行强化。这项研究建议着眼于恢复生态学的方向，这是生态学研究的一个成熟分支。相反，再生是一种象征性/令人回味的术语，除了某些农业实践以外，在循环系统中几乎没有实际应用。在新概念发展介入之前，再生似乎不适用于整个经济，因此，循环经济的指导原则可能会放弃再生。与再生不同，恢复可以被视为一项核心原则，因为它具有广泛的应用范围，可以作为循环应用的参考点。