Towards Understanding Collaboration Within Circular Business Models

Phil Brown (), Nancy Bocken () and Ruud Balkenende ()
Additional contact information
Phil Brown: Delft University of Technology
Nancy Bocken: Delft University of Technology
Ruud Balkenende: Delft University of Technology

Chapter Chapter 9 in Sustainable Business Models, 2018, pp 169-201 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter presents emerging work on mapping collaborative activities related to Circular Business Model (CBM) implementation. Findings pertain to the importance of collaboration presenting specific types demonstrated while pursuing CBMs. Future research areas are highlighted to explore potential impacts of collaboration upon CBMs. Collaboration is essential to simultaneously ensuring economic, environmental and social performance throughout a product’s life cycle(s). This chapter addresses the following question: What types of collaboration are presented by companies pursuing Circular Business Models? Companies developing CBMs, a subcategory of sustainable business models, explore life cycle perspectives through aspiring to slow and close resource loops. The required system change is beyond individual companies and requires transition towards inter-organisational collaborative networks. Collaboration, although vital, is also described as “opaque”, an “amorphous meta-concept”, and a “black box”. Collaboration is therefore a highly diverse and expansive concept, explored here within the specific focus to its implications and interactions upon CBMs. A literature study combining research fields of CBMs and collaboration within sustainable supply chain management was conducted. Specific types of collaboration crucial to CBMs are presented. These are applied through a proposed framework to describe eight Dutch companies pursuing CBMs. Their collaborative processes are analysed through pattern matching and cross-case analysis. Based on this, initial characteristics of the collaborative activities that are linked to CBMs are proposed.

Keywords: Circular Business Models (CBMs); Companies Pursuing; Fairphone; Circular Play; visionVision (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:csrchp:978-3-319-73503-0_9

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783319735030

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73503-0_9

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().