scholarly journals Systemic Change: The Complexity of Business in a Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-60
Author(s):  
Hans Wiesmeth ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Systemic Change ◽  
Waste Hierarchy ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
Waste Reuse ◽  
Path Dependencies ◽  
Decentralized Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Commodities

The transition to a circular economy is often associated with appropriate business models, which should, among other things, help to replace the conventional `end-of-life? concept regarding commodities with restoration and environmental design. This systemic change appears to be closely linked to the waste hierarchy: prevention of waste, reuse of old commodities and recycling of waste. The paper shows that there are various problems for businesses to maintain the waste hierarchy in the context of a circular economy. The intrinsic nature of environmental commodities and, in particular, societal path dependencies present some challenges. These societal path dependencies are related to the benefits of decentralized decision-making in a market economy. In the short term, appropriate environmental policies can help alleviate some of these problems, but in the long term, these societal path dependencies need to be reoriented. The paper contains practical examples of all the issues raised.

Robustness in the Business Models of the Organizations Embedded in the Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-53
Author(s):  
Adam Jabłoński
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Business Continuity ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Short And Long Term

The dynamics of ongoing market changes require a new look at business management mechanisms. Often the key element of the organization's operation is to ensure business continuity, which is not easy. This requires strong embeddedness in the decision-making processes resulting from the properly built business model of the organization. A business model becomes a crucial determinant of the organizational success today. The aim of the chapter is to present the place and role of robustness in shaping the business models of organizations embedded in the circular economy. The scope of the chapter includes studies of listed companies that implement the principles of responsible business to ensure their robustness in the short and long term. In the chapter, the author poses a research question: Can the skillful use of the concept of business model robustness in circular economy companies guarantee the organization's ability to ensure business continuity and its high performance?

scholarly journals Archetypical CBMs in Construction and a Translation to Industrialized Manufacture

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1572
Author(s):  
Charlotte Heesbeen ◽  
Alejandro Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Sustainable Environment ◽  
Business Model Canvas ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Shed Light

The circular economy is a widely accepted concept that various governments have started to adopt. Still, a major consumer of resources, the construction industry, struggles to implement business models that answer to the opportunity and generate value beyond economical. At the same time, the industry is at a threshold of intensifying their production by industrialized manufacture. This type of construction offers practical benefits and should be developed whilst prioritizing a sustainably built environment. A circular economy business model (CBM) offers all stakeholders long term value and revenue whilst moving towards a sustainable environment. The business model canvas (BMC) is a tool to shed light on the essential characteristics of a CBM, its value, and alignment in a multi-life cycle perspective. It can contribute to accelerating circular innovation in construction. This study aims to provide an overview of archetypical CBMs in construction based on a literature review and a systematic coding exercise using the BMC. The archetypes found are used to describe the characteristics of industrialized manufacture in the various circular economy construction scenarios.

scholarly journals Systemic Design for Policy-Making: Towards the Next Circular Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Giraldo Nohra ◽  
Amina Pereno ◽  
Silvia Barbero
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Policy Planning ◽  
European Regions ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Systemic Design

The vast transformation the circular economy that will occur in the upcoming years inevitably will change the EU panorama, designing new scenarios from an economical-social-environmental perspective. To best build a circular economy, it is necessary innovative policy-planning with a holistic and systemic perspective that fosters a cohesive and smooth transition to circular business models. This paper explores the impacts of circular economy policy design processes driven by a systemic design and how this expertise could ease innovative and effective paths for policy-planning on a circular transition in EU regions. This examination of systemic design features recent approaches to design as a discipline addressing complex problems, and the literature review on systems and design thinking for sustainable development, and policy design, focusing on existing barriers to circular economy. The discussion is narrowed to the specific case study in which the systemic design methodology is applied to provide a path for five European regions towards the CE: the Interreg Europe RETRACE (A Systemic Approach for Regions Transitioning towards a Circular Economy) project. Including an in-depth examination of how systemic design can address current barriers for a circular transition within an effect in the short, medium, and long-term policy horizon in the transition of the European regions towards the circular economy.

scholarly journals An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Actions to Implement the Principles of Circular Economy in the Electromobility Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Urszula Motowidlak
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Systemic Innovation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Desk Research

<p>Theoretical background: The article concerns the concept of electromobility ecosystem development, understood as a multidimensional, multisectoral network with the features of systemic innovation. In scientific discussion and policy strategies, the transformation towards an integrated electromobility network is one of the most important paths leading to emission neutrality while maintaining the principles of closed loop. The article presents the impact of the circular economy assumptions on shaping the electromobility ecosystem.</p><p>Purpose of the article: Identification of activities determining the development of the electromobility ecosystem in accordance with the principles of circular economy and a declarative assessment of their effectiveness.</p><p>Research methods: The desk research method and qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to present and discuss the results of own research.</p><p>Main findings: The concept of sustainable development of the electromobility ecosystem is a comprehensive look at the process of transforming mobility, in line with the idea of circular economy. Due to the complexity of activities, it can be concluded that its implementation will be a gradual and long-term process that requires a systemic approach. ReSOLVE’s activities are the result of using breakthrough technological innovations, business models and a new mobility culture in the process of shaping the electromobility ecosystem. Their identification and assessment, based on the results of the survey, adds value to the literature on the subject in the context of the development of a competitive, sustainable and circular economy, for which an emission-neutral and innovative mobility network is necessary.</p>

Emerging Industrial Revolution: Symbiosis of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: The Role of Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Jobs

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

scholarly journals SWAN platform: A web-based tool to support the development of industrial solid waste reuse business models

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2198941
Author(s):  
Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis ◽  
George Arampatzis ◽  
Tryfonas Pieri ◽  
Konstantina Solomou ◽  
Panagiotis Dedousis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Matching Algorithm ◽  
Waste Reuse ◽  
Industrial Solid Waste ◽  
Business Cases ◽  
Industrial Unit

The SWAN platform is an integrated suite of online resources and tools for assessing industrial symbiotic opportunities based on solid industrial waste reuse. It has been developed as a digital solid waste reuse platform and is already applied in four countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and Cyprus). The SWAN platform integrates a database with the spatial and technical characteristics of industrial solid waste producers and potential consumers, populated with data from these countries. It also incorporates an inventory of commercially implemented best practices on solid industrial waste reuse. The role of the SWAN platform is to facilitate the development of novel business cases. Towards this end, decision support services, based on a suitable matching algorithm, are provided to the registered users, helping them to identify and assess potential novel business models, based on solid waste reuse, either for an individual industrial unit (source/potential receiver of solid waste) or a specific region.

scholarly journals Circular Bioeconomy Business Models to Overcome the Valley of Death. A Systematic Statistical Analysis of Studies and Projects in Emerging Bio-Based Technologies and Trends Linked to the SME Instrument Support

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1899
Author(s):  
Fabiana Gatto ◽  
Ilaria Re
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Strategic Orientations ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Valley Of Death

Reducing the environmental pressure along the products life cycle, increasing efficiency in the consumption of resources and use of renewable raw materials, and shifting the economic system toward a circular and a climate-neutral model represent the heart of the current macro-trends of the European Union (EU) policy agendas. The circular economy and bioeconomy concepts introduced in the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy support innovation in rethinking economic systems focusing on market uptaking of greener solutions based on less-intensive resource consumption. In recent decades, industrial research has devoted enormous investments to demonstrate sustainable circular bio-based business models capable of overcoming the “Valley of Death” through alternative strategic orientations of “technological-push” and “market-pull”. The study highlights industrial research’s evolution on bio-based circular business model validation, trends, and topics with particular attention to the empowering capacity of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to close the loops in renewable biological use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The research methodology involves a bibliographic search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Data Hub investigation to understand SMEs’ key success factors and start-ups of the circular bioeconomy sector. Eco and bio-based materials, nutraceuticals, and microalgae represent the most sustainable industry applications, leading to circular bioeconomy business models’ future perspective.

scholarly journals How Can SMEs Become More Sustainable? Modelling the M-Commerce Consumer Behaviour with Contingent Free Shipping and Customer Journey’s Touchpoints Optimisation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6845
Author(s):  
Eliza Nichifor ◽  
Radu Constantin Lixăndroiu ◽  
Silvia Sumedrea ◽  
Ioana Bianca Chițu ◽  
Gabriel Brătucu
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Free Shipping ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Function Construction

Digital technology is leading the transformation of business models into sustainable ones, expanding and changing the competitiveness scenario. This paper aims to promote a new sustainable retailer model shaped by contingent free shipping theory and the optimisation of the customer’s journey, enriching the scientific literature by proposing a consumer behavioural model that highlights the contribution of four selected touchpoints to the sustainable transformation of SMEs. The research was elaborated by deploying a framework that presents five analysis methods, namely, an additive function construction, a TOPSIS method, a Spearman rank correlation coefficient calculation, a content analysis and an analytic hierarchy process, which engender the new model. Discovering nine distinguished categories of e-tailers, the sustainable retailer profile was developed and the touchpoint with the greatest contribution to the transformation process was identified. The results of the study allowed the authors to propose the model as a solution to withstand the preponderant negative experience provided by analysed e-tailers to digital buyers, representing the opportunity for SMEs’ sustainable transformation and long-term growth in a competitive, ever-growing market.

scholarly journals Towards a Circular Economy Taxation Framework: Expectations and Challenges of Implementation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonidas Milios
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Material Resource ◽  
Waste Hierarchy ◽  
Tax Relief

AbstractThe transition to a circular economy is a complex process requiring wide multi-level and multi-stakeholder engagement and can be facilitated by appropriate policy interventions. Taking stock of the importance of a well-balanced policy mix that includes a variety of complementing policy instruments, the circular economy action plan of the European Union (COM(2020) 98 final) includes a section about “getting the economics right” in which it encourages the application of economic instruments. This contribution presents a comprehensive taxation framework, applied across the life cycle of products. The framework includes (1) a raw material resource tax, (2) reuse/repair tax relief, and (3) a waste hierarchy tax at the end of life of products. The research is based on a mixed method approach, using different sources to analyse the different measures in the framework. More mature concepts, such as material resource taxes, are analysed by reviewing the existing literature. The analysis of tax relief on repairs is based on interviews with stakeholders in Sweden, where this economic policy instrument has been implemented since 2017. Finally, for the waste hierarchy tax, which is a novel proposition in this contribution, macroeconomic modelling is used to analyse potential impacts of future implementation. In all cases, several implementation challenges are identified, and potential solutions are discussed according to literature and empirical sources. Further research is required both at the individual instrument and at the framework level. Each of the tax proposals needs a more detailed examination for its specificities of implementation, following the results of this study.

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