Circular Economy: Slowing Resource Flows and Increasing Value

Bocken, Nancy

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-50239-3_10

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Theoretical implications This study contributes to the theoretical development of the circular economy field by bridging the gap between theory and practice, offering insights into how circular economy principles are being translated into action in real-world industry contexts (Bocken et al, 2017). The study highlights the importance of a multi-stakeholder, systemic approach to circular economy adoption, underlining the need for further theoretical development to understand the complex interactions and interdependencies between actors, institutions, and technologies in the transition to a circular economy (Bocken et al, 2019;Gorokhova, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…However, despite the growing interest in the circular economy, there remains a significant gap in understanding how companies across different industries are translating these principles into practice (Galvão et al, 2020;Hartley et al, 2020). The transition to a circular economy represents a complex and multifaceted challenge that requires fundamental changes to the way businesses operate (Bocken et al, 2019;Lüdeke-Freund et al, 2019). Companies face numerous barriers in adopting circular economy strategies, including technological limitations, regulatory hurdles, lack of consumer awareness and demand, and misaligned incentive structures (Geng et al, 2019;Govindan & Hasanagic, 2018;Ranta et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Circular Economy Strategies in Practice: A Qualitative Examination of Industry Adaptation and Innovation

Supanut,

Maisak,

Ratchatakulpat

2024

RGSA

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Objective: This study explores how companies across various industries are implementing circular economy strategies in practice, focusing on the drivers, practices, challenges, enablers, and outcomes of their efforts. Theoretical Framework: The study draws upon multiple theoretical perspectives, including the multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions, the resource-based view of the firm, and institutional theory, to understand the complex factors influencing the adoption and implementation of circular economy strategies. Method: A qualitative, multiple-case study design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with key informants from 20-30 companies actively engaged in circular economy initiatives. Data were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive coding approaches, with member checking and peer debriefing used to enhance trustworthiness. Results and Discussion: The findings reveal that environmental sustainability concerns are the primary driver for companies adopting circular economy strategies, with regulatory pressures, competitive advantage, customer demands, and resource scarcity also playing significant roles. Companies are implementing a wide range of circular economy practices, including eco-design, circular business models, reverse logistics, and industrial symbiosis. Key challenges identified include lack of technical knowledge and skills, inadequate infrastructure and technology, and regulatory barriers, while enablers such as leadership commitment, collaboration and partnerships, and employee engagement are crucial for successful implementation. The study also highlights the positive outcomes of circular economy adoption, including environmental benefits, economic gains, innovation and competitive advantage, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement. Research Implications: This study contributes to the theoretical development of the circular economy field and offers practical implications for managers and policymakers. Originality/Value: This study addresses the lack of comprehensive, cross-sectoral research on circular economy implementation in practice, providing valuable insights into the experiences of companies across different industries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circular Economy Strategies in Practice: A Qualitative Examination of Industry Adaptation and Innovation

Supanut,

Maisak,

Ratchatakulpat

2024

RGSA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Under the umbrella term of circular economy, a distinction is made between 'narrowing', 'slowing' and closing resource loops (Bocken, 2020). Narrowing refers to the reduction of resource consumption by using materials and energy more efficiently.…”

Section: Types Of Sustainability Contributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, closing the loop refers to reusing the material and returning this to the circular economy. The original product is destroyed, and the materials recycled (Bocken, 2020) . As catchy terms for the different loop models, the "re-..." words have become established.…”

Section: Types Of Sustainability Contributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability orientation in conventional start-ups

Milow¹

2023

New Business Models Conference Proceedings 2023

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Sustainable entrepreneurship research often evaluates start-ups that pursue a sustainability goal as a main aspect in their business model or at least follow an ethical motivation. In this study so called conventional start-ups will be examined that do not have this special sustainability focus or ethical motivation as a core of their business model. The question is if and in which areas these numerous start-ups contribute to sustainability in our economy and how this contribution could be improved. Therefore, the sustainability orientation and previous experience in sustainability management of the founding teams was examined. Secondly, the types of ecological and social contributions and their extend were explored. 26 start-ups were interviewed with a semi-structured interview guide. In this explorative study, the interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed. Many teams claim to have a sustainability-oriented mindset. The experience in managing sustainability issues in previous jobs or projects is low, though. Overall, ecological and social issues play a minor role in the analyzed conventional start-ups' founding processes, and if, they mostly contribute to areas that are easy to implement. The focus of the start-ups was to first enter the market and gain revenue and include sustainability aspects later. As start-ups would have the chance to include sustainability improvements more easily at an early stage, though, support should be developed that offers training and best practice for conventional start-ups. The generally positive attitude of the interviewees towards sustainability is promising. Future research could further explore sustainability contribution patterns of conventional business models to make support more effective.

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Key capabilities for frugal innovation in developed economies: insights into the current transition towards sustainability

Sánchez

Vijande

2022

Sustain Sci

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Frugal innovation has become a requirement for success in resource-scarce environments, a situation that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. In this context, the literature has developed several frugal innovation approaches for promoting sustainability, but there is no a widely accepted theory nor a predominant paradigm given the incipient and relatively new nature of a research domain that requires further studies. There is also a high potential for under-exploited markets, represented by low-income consumers who no longer concentrate on developing countries and where there is a cumulative number of consumers with minimal spending capacity, rising income distribution inequality, and the increasing polarization of wealth and risk of poverty. This paper contributes to the literature by examining from a Resource-Based View perspective, the critical role of two key organizational capabilities, namely market-focused learning and organizational ambidexterity, to develop firms’ innovation capability in low-end markets due to the unique characteristics of these markets. In doing so, the study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 190 manufacturing firms to provide empirical support to our theoretical predictions that establish that: (1) market-focused learning capability drives organizational ambidexterity, (2) market-focused learning capability and organizational ambidexterity foster organizational innovation capability, which, ultimately, affects cash flow, and (3) market-focused learning capability has a stronger effect on organizational innovation capability in low-end markets. Contrary to our expectations, organizational ambidexterity has a stronger impact on organizational innovation capability in non-low-end markets, considering that this is the first step to shed light on this issue.

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Circular Economy: Slowing Resource Flows and Increasing Value

Cited by 4 publications

References 27 publications

Circular Economy Strategies in Practice: A Qualitative Examination of Industry Adaptation and Innovation

Circular Economy Strategies in Practice: A Qualitative Examination of Industry Adaptation and Innovation

Sustainability orientation in conventional start-ups

Key capabilities for frugal innovation in developed economies: insights into the current transition towards sustainability

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