Innovative Circular Economy Models for the European Pulp and Paper Industry: A Reference Framework for a Resource Recovery Scenario

Amaia Sopelana, Camille Auriault, Anurag Bansal, Karmen Fifer, Helena Paiva, Christian Maurice, Gunnar Westin, Javier Rios, Asier Oleaga and Antonio Cañas
Additional contact information
Amaia Sopelana: Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Camille Auriault: LGI Sustainable Innovation, Headquarters I 6 Cité de l’Ameublement, 75011 Paris, France
Anurag Bansal: Acciona Construcción S.A., Dirección de Innovación Tecnológica, 28108 Madrid, Spain
Karmen Fifer: Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), Dimičeva 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Helena Paiva: Civil Engineering Department, CICECO, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Christian Maurice: Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 971 87 Luleå, Sweden
Gunnar Westin: RISE Processum AB, Box 70, SE-891 22 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Javier Rios: GAIKER Technology Center, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Edificio 202, 48170 Zamudio, Spain
Asier Oleaga: Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Antonio Cañas: Greenize Projects S.L., c/Iruña 9D, 2ºD, 48014 Bilbao, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-16

Abstract: According to recent literature in the field of sustainability, the circular economy (CE) appears to be a thriving opportunity for creating new businesses, although less attention has been paid to the form in which its principles fit into a comprehensive framework that enables companies to design it in a practical way. This paper presents the methodology that has been adopted to pave the way to a coherent reference framework for circular business model innovation and its outstanding design and implementation, taking into consideration the entire value and supply chain. A unique analysis of recent innovations in circular economy models is provided herein, together with an exhaustive analysis of those elements that enable or hinder their implementation. The main interactions among all those critical elements influencing how organisations innovate and operate cooperatively within a CE ecosystem are also evaluated. In addition, a study of five industrial cases in the pulp and paper industry allowed searching for industrial insights and empirical evidence of the relevance of those elements, including observation, document analysis, and interviews. Lastly, the main outcomes of this research are illustrated using the CE reference framework designed when applied to the aforementioned industrial cases, and relevant insights into future improvements are also provided.

Keywords: resource recovery; circular economy business models; pulp and paper industry; circular economy enablers; innovation ecosystem; construction sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10285-:d:635660

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