Circular Economy and Sustainable Business Models: New Knowledge, New Rules

Dear Colleagues,

The development of a circular economy (CE) is widely recognized as one most promising systemic change initiatives to slow down and even halt climate change, and so limiting the long-term effects on our planet's life-support systems and their carrying capacity (Vos R., 2015; Steffen et al., 2015). 

Adopting a circular economy (CE) poses significant technological, organisational and managerial challenges to companies and organisations alike. The literature suggests that circular business models are key to the implementation of a circular economy (Geissdoerfer et al., 2020). Their adoption can modify the necessary patterns of product and material flows through the economy.

Business models are understood as the logic of how an organisation creates, delivers and captures value. However, today, much of the research on this is based on linear "take–make–dispose" models rather than circular models oriented toward a more sustainable and regenerative economic system. The integration of the principles of a circular economy into circular business model strategies will create and capture value to steer society's economy and resource management towards slower, more closed material and energy use cycles and higher productivity.

Despite the driving idea behind CE being the adoption of a circular model of natural resource use that maximizes the recycling and re-use of material, the focus in enabling the CE transition has been on the development of technical solutions, with economical solutions given much less attention.

Companies’ ability to formulate CE business value propositions demands a careful assessment of what accounting methods and measurements to use. Financial and managerial accounting standards and practices were created for linear businesses. Accounting professionals but also managers and experts in other fields need to recognize the critical role of accounting and the need to develop new accounting standards and practices fitting circular businesses, addressing concerns about how to account for these new business practices.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Measuring and assessing circular business performance;
• Circular business model typologies;
• Barriers and enablers of circular business adoption;
• Circular supply chain management;
• Circular business models in different industries;
• Circular business model innovation;
• Circular business model scalability;
• Policy and regulatory frameworks;
• Financial and managerial accounting and business models;
• Circular business model education and training.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Rubén Garrido-Yserte
Guest Editor

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• circular economy
• circular business models
• business model innovation
• circular accounting
• capabilities
• skills