Andrea Urbinati

In recent decades, the resource-based view of companies has represented one of the main theoretical lenses in strategic management. It aims to address the question of how some companies persistently outperform others, mostly leveraging on core competences and resources. Nevertheless, the resource-based view of companies has been neglected by existing research analysing the micro-perspective of the circular economy, that is how companies design circular business models. This chapter takes stock of research on the micro-foundations for the design of circular business models through a resource-based view of companies. It makes the argument that a resource-based view of companies is a necessary antecedent to be addressed in circular economy studies when companies are designing a circular business model. As such, core competences and resources may act as catalysts in the design process of circular business models.

This research delves into Sustainable Business Models (SBM) to address the rising demand for sustainability in organizational practices, diverging from models focusing solely on short-term profits. The study fills existing research gaps in SBM implementation by providing a comprehensive, theorydriven exploration of Critical Success Factors (CSFs), utilizing predominant management theories within the context of an exemplary sustainable Italian firm. Through insightful semi-structured interviews and through the theoretical lenses of six organisational theories the paper reveals pivotal internal CSFs and offers theoretical and practical insights for successful SBM implementation. Based on these theories, this study proposes the following six CSFs: “Top management commitment”; Impact Team contribution; “Sustainability embedded production”; “Employees proactiveness”; “Sustainability training”; “R&D activities”. Ultimately, this study offers significant theoretical contribution and policy implications.

The purpose of this work is to highlight how companies operating in the building industry design a circular business model (CBM) and how collaborative relationships across the building supply chain enforce this CBM. Thereby, first, based on the literature, a framework is designed, and subsequently, is validated based on the historical analysis of the activities of four Italian companies considered as circular economy (CE) champions. This work enhances understanding of the phases and procedures followed by companies operating in the building sector to successfully implement a CBM and the role of collaborative relationships among the supply chain actors of this industry to increase their degree of circularity. The chapter offers empirical structured direction to managers intending to implement CBMs, and directions on how they can leverage collaborations across the building supply chain. The chapter considers that, in a supply chain, value can be cocreated through collaboration between the focal firm and other stakeholders and acknowledges the peculiarities of the building sector.

The circular business model has recently emerged as a new research field in the Circular Economy literature to call scholars and practitioners in strategic and innovation management for analyzing the transition of companies from a linear to a circular model. Among the several managerial practices put in place by companies to undertake this transition, the adoption of digital technologies is assuming a pivotal role. Nevertheless, the role digital technologies play, both in terms of functionalities and circular value targets that can be reached because of their adoption, is still largely unexplored. Accordingly, this study investigates how a set of digital technologies can effectively improve the circularity of a building and shows, through the first-hand analysis of exemplary projects in which a leader company operating in the building industry is involved, the role of digital technologies in supporting the business model transition of companies toward Circular Economy.