Circular economy: laying the foundations for conceptual and theoretical development in management studies

Angelis, Roberta De

doi:10.1108/md-05-2019-0587

Cited by 35 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(85 reference statements)

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“…Even though contributions in the field of new business models constitute a focal theme in the CE literature, several knowledge gaps were identified in the analysed sample. Main issues pointed to the need for further conceptual development, in-depth assessment of practical implementation and review of challenges to implementation from an innovation perspective [3,108,115].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This set of papers provides a more general conceptual approximation to the EI and CE connection, without a specific topical focus. A more detailed review pointed to three distinct foci: (a) the conceptual definition/ definitional limitations of the CE concept, mentioning the importance of EI in transition to a CE [3,82,116]; (b) a specific innovation pathway, usually at a firm/business level, but only marginally linking it to the CE, for instance focusing on how CE related innovations (in a broad perspective) are linked to turnover and employment growth [117], or on how important are innovation networks and collaboration in the European raw material sector [118] or even on nature-inspired innovation as an innovation strategy only very tangentially mentioning CE [119]; (c) an exploration of the interconnection between EI and CE [120] and the need to have a systemic multidimensional, multi-actor systemic innovation approach to CE [11,32,33], addressing concepts like "circular ecosystem innovation" [47,121], or the triple helix concept emphasising the importance of building synergies across different stakeholders to enhance economic and social change on a systemic scale [122,123]. This latter subset was the most prominent one, explaining why "Systemic/transformative EI" was so mentioned (Figure 11).…”

Section: Papers Not Adhering To Specific Ce Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emerging field of the Circular Economy (CE) has highlighted the risks associated with a predominant "take, make and dispose" techno-economic paradigm [3][4][5] and pointed the way towards a system that is regenerative, restorative and resilient by design [6]. Moving away from the notion of a linear economy (i.e., extraction, production, disposal), the CE advocates for rethinking how resources are used and cycled in an intentionally and permanently regenerative system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has led to claims of "label proliferation" on what "circular" really is, possibly hindering progress in the field and emptying "CE" of meaning [9,10]. This evolving debate has been addressed from a variety of perspectives [3,4,11]. Regardless, CE can be defined as a "regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy loops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Eco-Innovation Diversity in a Circular Economy: Towards Circular Innovation Studies

et al. 2021

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Transition to a Circular Economy (CE) is about structural change and is predicated on the introduction of transformative eco-innovation (EI). Research on the CE–EI nexus has recently attracted attention both from an analytical and regulatory perspective. However, in-depth research exploring EI dynamics within the CE is still marginal, especially concerning the trends and dynamics of the pro-CE innovation policy and strategy. This paper addresses this gap by taking advantage of the burgeoning research on CE of the last 20 years and offers a new working synthesis. By implementing a “(systematic) review of (systematic) reviews”, this paper provides a new comprehensive framework for understanding pro-circular innovation strategies and, as a complement, argues the need to advance “circular innovation studies” as an agenda in its own right. Innovations related to recycling and recovery CE strategies along with business-model innovations and systemic/transformative innovations are found to be a major current trend in the research, connecting supply and demand side innovations and also driving other forms of innovation linked to design, product manufacturing, logistics and reverse logistics and end-of-life management and recovery. Additionally, of note is that the conceptual understanding of EI dynamics within a CE is still mainly implicit (rather than explicitly discussed) limiting the possibilities to advance knowledge in the area of innovation for CE: this is why we propose a “circular innovation studies” agenda.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Papers Not Adhering To Specific Ce Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Eco-Innovation Diversity in a Circular Economy: Towards Circular Innovation Studies

et al. 2021

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“…The challenging task of developing a definition of sufficient specificity and rigor capable of capturing all the characterizing elements and goals of the CE has also contributed to said phenomenon [5]. In fact, despite the existence of an overwhelming number of definitions of the CE concept, new definitions continue to emerge with different foci and priorities [5,11,20]. This results in heterogeneity in extant understandings of the concept across different disciplines and societal actors (academia, business, government etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumption in the Circular Economy: Learning from Our Mistakes

et al. 2021

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The Circular Economy (CE) is gaining increasing attention among businesses, policymakers and academia, and across research disciplines. While the concept’s strong diffusion may be considered its main strength, it has also contributed to the emergence of many different understandings and definitions, which may hinder or slow down its success. Specifically, despite growing attention, the role of the consumption side in the CE remains a largely under-researched topic. In the present review, we first search the literature by means of snowball mapping and a systematic key-word strategy, and then critically analyze the identified sources in order to elucidate the fundamental elements that should characterize consumption in a CE. We extract two pillars, directly from definition, that should be at the nucleus of future research on consumption in the CE: (1) the hierarchical nature of circular strategies, with “reduce” being preferred to all other strategies; and (2) the inadequacy of defining the CE only through its loops or strategies without considering its goal of attaining sustainable development. Moreover, the discussion is placed within the extant consumer research streams deemed relevant, in order to bridge these with the context of the CE. We highlight limitations of said research streams regarding their typical focus on the quality (and not the quantity) of consumption, the lack of heterogeneity in the theories and data collection methods employed, and the non-impact-based instruments typically used to measure consumption behaviors. We show how these limitations have contributed to the emergence of the intention–behavior gap, a phenomenon extant studies identify as key to overcome for encouraging sustainable consumption practices. In particular, we focus the analysis on the intention–behavior gap in order to: (1) establish the state-of-the-art; and (2) uncover avenues for future research addressing extant limitations.

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Innovation and the circular economy: A systematic literature review

et al. 2021

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The circular economy emerged as an alternative model to the linear system, which now appears to be reaching its physical limitations. To transition to a circular economy, companies must not only be aware of but also engage in more sustainable practices. For such a transition, companies must rethink and innovate their business models and the ways they propose value to their clients while simultaneously considering environmental and social facets. This systematic literature review sought to map out from the company perspective the key topics interrelated with innovation and the circular economy, describing the internal and external factors to consider in such transition processes. Key lines of research were identified, and suggestions for future research and for facilitating movement toward a circular economy are provided. This work contributes to deepening the literature by identifying the priority areas concerning the circular economy and encouraging future research that meets international standards of excellence.

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Circular economy: laying the foundations for conceptual and theoretical development in management studies

Cited by 35 publications

References 69 publications

Eco-Innovation Diversity in a Circular Economy: Towards Circular Innovation Studies

Eco-Innovation Diversity in a Circular Economy: Towards Circular Innovation Studies

Consumption in the Circular Economy: Learning from Our Mistakes

Innovation and the circular economy: A systematic literature review

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