Cross-Country Insights on Circular Business Model Adoption

The transition to a circular economy is essential to address pressing environmental challenges by reducing resource consumption and enabling more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Circular business models play a critical role in this transition, as they allow companies to extend product lifespans, promote reuse, and enable resource recovery. However, despite the increasing number of companies experimenting with circular business models, the dynamics of their adoption and implementation remain insufficiently understood.

This project investigates which factors shape how circular business model offerings are adopted, both by companies introducing them and by customers choosing to use them. In particular, it examines companies that offer similar circular business models — such as rental or sharing models — across different sectors and countries, recognizing that cultural, market, and institutional contexts may significantly influence adoption processes. 

Through comparative case studies conducted in Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and the USA, the project analyzes both business and customer perspectives, including experiences from customers of companies that have ceased operations. This dual perspective offers a more complete understanding of the drivers, challenges, and barriers involved in adopting circular offerings. Therefore, results will address current knowledge gaps where much research has concentrated on successful cases and has often overlooked customer roles.

The project is led by Katherine Whalen at RISE and includes international research visits to Rochester Institute of Technology (USA), Maastricht University (Netherlands), and Elisava, Barcelona School of Design and Engineering (Spain). The project is funded by FORMAS through its Career Grant for Early-Career Researchers 2024, supporting the development of early-stage researchers working on topics of high societal relevance.