Andrea Urbinati

Industrial symbiosis is one of the main paradigms for implementing circular economy strategies at the meso level. While scholars recognize digital technologies as enablers of industrial symbiosis, a research gap remains in terms of identifying and characterizing their role to enable the development and implementation of industrial symbiosis. We build on existing literature to identify two dimensions – digital functions and industrial symbiosis life-cycle – with which to characterize the enabling role of digital technologies for industrial symbiosis life-cycle. We conducted a systematic literature review to provide a comprehensive overview of nine digital technologies that have the role of industrial symbiosis enabler. We developed a novel research framework with 47 matches among each digital technology, the related digital function, and the affected stage of the industrial symbiosis life-cycle. We posit that digital technologies must be used in a synergistic way to fully leverage their potential and promote a wider diffusion of industrial symbiosis. In addition, our research framework noted that, in the interplay between industrial symbiosis and digital technologies, academic research exhibits low and disparate maturity levels. The literature focuses on only a few stages of the industrial symbiosis life-cycle, namely input–output matching and implementation of symbiotic exchanges. Conversely, several other stages still lack a deep analysis of the enabling role of digital technologies, such as the interactions with an external entity and awareness. Thus, a research agenda has been developed to stimulate and guide further research concerning the role of digital technologies as industrial symbiosis enablers.

Regulations and the collective influence of the value chain compel business-to-business (B2B) actors within the nonwoven (NW) manufacturing industry to drive sustainable development. However, the literature rarely addresses how B2B actors aim to align with sustainable development to co-create value and what challenges they face. Therefore, this study brings clarity to this question within the context of an international NW value chain that constitutes a significant part of technical textiles. The qualitative data were collected through two workshops (n = 31) and 18 interviews comprehensively representing the NW value chain actors from a global perspective. Using abductive reasoning, we analyzed the data through the service-dominant logic (SDL) lens. Our findings show that value creation comprises internal and external systemic-level value co-creation practices and challenges. This study contributes to the value creation literature by linking sustainable development to SDL, taking a systemic perspective on value creation and delineating the practices of value co-creation.

Circular Business Models (CBMs) are central to firms’ transition towards a Circular Economy (CE), however the lack of integrated tools to evaluate both circular and financial performance limits managerial decision-making. This study addresses this gap by developing and empirically testing a Circular Balanced Scorecard (CBSC). Grounded in thirteen identified managerial practices for CBMs, the CBSC translates these practices into measurable objectives. Using a single case study of an Italian manufacturing company transitioning towards circularity, the research validates the CBSC through over 30 h of interviews with nine top managers and extensive document analysis. The findings propose a strategy map that links 16 quantitative and 4 qualitative measures across four perspectives, unveiling two strategic pathways for the transition towards CE: value discount (i.e., cost reduction through eco-efficiency) and value premium (i.e., turnover growth through CE-based differentiation). The value discount pathway emerges as the primary driver of the transition towards CE, as its profitability can be more readily demonstrated compared to other transition routes. Moreover, the results illustrate how managerial practices can be operationalized within a holistic CBSC that balances circular and financial goals. This study contributes to the literature by bridging performance management and CE research, offering a practical, process-oriented tool for managers to design, implement, and monitor CE strategies in industrial manufacturing contexts, while providing a structured, theory-driven approach to managing and evaluating circular transitions. © The Author(s) 2026.

Despite the increasing interest in circular business models (CBMs), how they engage customers and other stakeholders is still under-researched, limiting their broader implementation. This study addresses this gap by examining how CBMs can foster engagement through their value propositions. Through a literature review, we identify four key dimensions of value propositions: brand, quality, price, and circularity. Using a discrete choice conjoint experiment (n = 365), we assess their impact on customer decision-making, offering valuable insights for advancing their engagement with CBMs. Our findings offer critical insights: lower prices significantly boost customer engagement, while high-end brands and high quality also drive higher engagement compared with their lower-end counterparts. Surprisingly, higher levels of circularity (reduce and reuse) reduce engagement, contrasting with lower levels of circularity (recycling) and linearity. These findings have both theoretical and practical contributions, highlighting how value propositions can enhance customer engagement and unlock the potential of CBMs to drive sustainable consumption.

This study explores the integration of Open Innovation (OI) models with archetypes of sustainable business in Forest-based Bioeconomy (FBB) companies in the digital age. Utilising a multiple case study methodology, four FBB companies were examined to understand their strategic orientations and sustainability practices. Case studies provide detailed insights into processes and interactions within specific contexts, making them suitable for examining emerging phenomena like the Circular Economy (CE). Although OI, CE, and sustainability have been individually studied, little empirical research explores their intersection in the FBB. Existing literature often focuses on theoretical foundations or isolated applications, neglecting how OI supports circular and sustainable business models in the FBB. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities for FBB companies in the Global South remain largely unexamined, despite their importance in global sustainability transitions. Therefore, this research addresses a significant gap by exploring how companies operating in the forest-based bioeconomy sector exploit OI models to enhance circular and sustainable business models in the digital age. The findings reveal that sustainability approaches are dynamic and overlapping strategies rather than fixed archetypes. The study highlights how OI models facilitate the use of both external and internal knowledge at various stages of innovation, demonstrating that the choice of sustainability archetypes both influences and is influenced by companies’ OI models. These insights are valuable for scholars, managers, and policymakers aiming to promote sustainable economic development and environmental stewardship.

In the light of current institutional pressures concerning sustainable development, Circular Economy principles emerge as an opportunity to mitigate environmental impacts, ensuring also economic and societal outcomes. The study investigates the adoption of circular principles within the New Product Development processes of the healthcare manufacturing sector, exploring how companies incorporate circular practices when developing healthcare technologies and identifying the required core competencies and resources. Adopting the theoretical lenses of New Product Development and Resource-Based View, the significance of integrating circular practices throughout the technological development process is highlighted, considering the innovation process and the capabilities required to overcome sector-specific barriers. A multiple case study approach is adopted, and research findings provide a detailed framework prioritizing competencies and resources. Moreover, the study identifies the regulatory context as a contextual input, permeating the innovation process and revealing the necessity to adhere to regulatory standards. Contributing to the knowledge at the intersection between circular economy, innovation and healthcare management, the study shows how the adoption of circular thinking shapes the dynamics of conceiving new healthcare technologies, providing also a practical framework aimed at helping managers to allocate capabilities, designing targeted interventions and guiding both strategic and operational choices in sustainable healthcare technology development.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of Lean Production (LP) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) on the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) within manufacturing firms, also considering the potential moderating effect of I4.0 on the link between LP and CE. By doing so, it addresses the limited and contrasting empirical evidence on how operational practices facilitate the adoption of CE. Design/methodology/approach. This study adopted the Practice-Based View (PBV) as a theoretical lens and employed a quantitative research design. Data were collected via a survey of 151 manufacturing companies operating in Italy and analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis to test the conceptual model. Findings: The empirical results confirm that both LP and I4.0 are significantly and positively associated with CE adoption. I4.0 technologies have a stronger individual impact on CE adoption than LP. However, the hypothesized moderating effect of I4.0 on the LP–CE relationship is not supported. In other words, the implementation of technologies may not contribute to a positive variation in the level of CE adoption that is already achieved due to the implementation of LP practices. Hence, managers should pursue distinct CE strategies aligned with the unique capabilities of LP and I4.0, respectively. Originality/value: This research contributes to the operations management and CE literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of LP and I4.0 in enabling CE adoption. It offers valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers aiming to foster CE adoption in manufacturing, dealt with the links adopting the PBV, challenging the presumed moderating effect of I4.0, and providing actionable recommendations.

This article explores how stakeholder collaboration within ecosystems supports the implementation of Circular Economy (CE) principles through Open Innovation (OI). Integrating insights from CE, OI, and innovation ecosystem literatures, it introduces the concept of Open Circular Innovation Ecosystems (OCIEs). Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews, the study examines how different stakeholder groups—such as public agencies, academia, and civil society—address contextual, technical, economic, and cultural barriers to circularity. The findings reveal distinct yet complementary roles among actors, highlighting how open, multi-stakeholder networks operate in practice. The study advances understanding of OCIEs and provides actionable insights for policymakers and industry leaders aiming to design more targeted and inclusive collaboration strategies to accelerate CE implementation.

Despite the growing interest in circular economy (CE) and the recognition of CE as a research field, the process of building CE theories remains underdeveloped and disorganized. Relevant reasons might include a lack of a clear understanding of what a CE theory can be, the prevalence of gap-spotting research, and a lack of a common goal for CE scholars. First, this forum article defines “CE theory” adopting a positivistic approach. Second, the article presents a more organized structure toward the development of a CE theory oriented on empirical practices. In addition, this study highlights how the development of “partial CE theories” focusing on specific CE practices, or a combination of them, should be the first step toward an integrative CE theory. Third, the paper suggests two main ways for developing partial CE theories: (i) consolidating concepts already developed into elements of a theoretical framework; (ii) framing future pieces of explicative research that contribute to partial CE theories. Last, by adopting a positivistic approach and a practical-oriented perspective, this research provides an example of contribution to the partial theory of reuse. In particular, by leveraging the form of propositional theorizing, this article explains why reuse practices are expected to be observed in industries characterized by a high degree of product modularization, standardization, and innovation. In doing so, this forum article aims to enrich and foster theoretical contributions of future CE studies.