Governance of the circular economy: A comparative examination of the use of standards by China and the United Kingdom

•The importance of governmental context in the analysis of China and UK approaches to standards and the Circular Economy.•In the UK, a transition to a Circular Economy assumes positive economic benefits and the creation of new markets.•In China, notions of the Circular Economy are constructed around material reduction and recycling.•For both countries, governance arrangements make transitions towards more sustainable waste management systems problematic.