For future generations to meet their needs, and to close the global inequality gap, we need to degrow. That is we need to reduce resource and energy consumption to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a way that reduces inequality and improves human well-being (Hickel, 2020a,b). This transition has consequences for business, because instead of boosting sales companies need to encourage consumers to make do with less, avoiding build in obsolescence, extending product lives to slow disposal and replacement, focusing on satisfying ‘needs’ rather than ‘wants’ and reducing overall resource consumption through conscious changes in sales and marketing techniques, new revenue models and innovative technology solutions (Bocken & Short, 2016). Overall, we can say that companies have to rethink their business models, therefore I specifically aim to answer the following research question: what could a degrowth business model framework look like? Degrowth business models (DGMs) are supposed to serve the dual aim of (1) obeying planetary boundaries whilst simultaneously (2) contributing to reducing inequality and increasing well-being. That is companies need to develop value propositions that, on the one hand contribute to absolutely reducing resource and energy consumption, and on the other are aimed at production of protected needs (Di Giulio & Defila, 2021). Since degrowth is considered an authentic and legitimate interpretation of sustainable development, SDGs 12-16 can serve as proxies for obeying planetary boundaries, whilst the remaining SDGs (minus SDG8.1 -economic growth) can be regarded as proxies for well-being and reducing inequality.
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Across Dutch municipalities, unusual collaborative initiatives emerge that aim to stimulate the creation of value from municipal waste resources. Circular economy literature proposes that experimentation competences are important for developing initiatives towards circular business models and a wide range of innovation frameworks and business model toolkits have been developed to support the development of circular business models based on experimentation.However, more insight is needed to understand how experimentation contributes to the development of urban upcycling initiatives, in particular those where collaborative business models are created. Literature suggest that business model experimentation occurs differently in various collaborative contexts. For example, depending on the type of initiating focal actors involved, collaborative business models develop along different pathways Therefore, we aim to understand how experimentation occurs in various types of collaborative urban upcycling initiatives and we investigate the following research question: How do stakeholders in collaborative urban upcycling initiatives use experimentation to develop circular business models?
This article seeks to contribute to the literature on circular business model innovation in fashion retail. Our research question is which ‘model’—or combination of models—would be ideal as a business case crafting multiple value creation in small fashion retail. We focus on a qualitative, single in-depth case study—pop-up store KLEER—that we operated for a duration of three months in the Autumn of 2020. The shop served as a ‘testlab’ for action research to experiment with different business models around buying, swapping, and borrowing second-hand clothing. Adopting the Business Model Template (BMT) as a conceptual lens, we undertook a sensory ethnography which led to disclose three key strategies for circular business model innovation in fashion retail: Fashion-as-a-Service (F-a-a-S) instead of Product-as-a-Service (P-a-a-S) (1), Place-based value proposition (2) and Community as co-creator (3). Drawing on these findings, we reflect on ethnography in the context of a real pop-up store as methodological approach for business model experimentation. As a practical implication, we propose a tailor-made BMT for sustainable SME fashion retailers. Poldner K, Overdiek A, Evangelista A. Fashion-as-a-Service: Circular Business Model Innovation in Retail. Sustainability. 2022; 14(20):13273. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013273
In order to achieve much-needed transitions in energy and health, systemic changes are required that are firmly based on the principles of regard for others and community values, while at the same time operating in market conditions. Social entrepreneurship and community entrepreneurship (SCE) hold the promise to catalyze such transitions, as they combine bottom-up social initiatives with a focus on financially viable business models. SCE requires a facilitating ecosystem in order to be able to fully realize its potential. As yet it is unclear in which way the entrepreneurial ecosystem for social and community entrepreneurship facilitates or hinders the flourishing and scaling of such entrepreneurship. It is also unclear how exactly entrepreneurs and stakeholders influence their ecosystem to become more facilitative. This research programme addresses these questions. Conceptually it integrates entrepreneurial ecosystem frameworks with upcoming theories on civic wealth creation, collaborative governance, participative learning and collective action frameworks.This multidisciplinary research project capitalizes on a unique consortium: the Dutch City Deal ‘Impact Ondernemen’. In this collaborative research, we enhance and expand current data collection efforts and adopt a living-lab setting centered on nine local and regional cases for collaborative learning through experimenting with innovative financial and business models. We develop meaningful, participatory design and evaluation methods and state-of-the-art digital tools to increase the effectiveness of impact measurement and management. Educational modules for professionals are developed to boost the abovementioned transition. The project’s learnings on mechanisms and processes can easily be adapted and translated to a broad range of impact areas.
The valorization of biowaste, by exploiting side stream compounds as feedstock for the sustainable production of bio-based materials, is a key step towards a more circular economy. In this regard, chitin is as an abundant resource which is accessible as a waste compound of the seafood industry. From a commercial perspective, chitin is chemically converted into chitosan, which has multiple industrial applications. Although the potential of chitin has long been established, the majority of seafood waste containing chitin is still left unused. In addition, current processes which convert chitin into chitosan are sub-optimal and have a significant impact on the environment. As a result, there is a need for the development of innovative methods producing bio-based products from chitin. This project wants to contribute to these challenges by performing a feasibility study which demonstrates the microbial bioconversion of chitin to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Specifically, the consortium will attempt to cultivate and engineer a recently discovered bacterium Chi5, so that it becomes able to directly produce PHAs from chitin present in solid shrimp shell waste. If successful, this project will provide a proof-of-concept for a versatile microbial production platform which can contribute to: i) the valorization of biowaste from the seafood industry, ii) the efficient utilization of chitin as feedstock, iii) the sustainable and (potentially low-cost) production of PHAs. The project consortium is composed of: i) Van Belzen B.V., a Dutch shrimp trading company which are highly interested in the valorization of their waste streams, hereby making their business model more profitable and sustainable. ii) AMIBM, which have recently isolated and characterized the Chi5 marine-based chitinolytic bacterium and iii) Zuyd, which will link aforementioned partners with students in creating a novel collaboration which will stimulate the development of students and the translation of academic knowledge to a feasible application technology for SME’s.
De leden v.d. ver.Straatmeubilair willen doorgroeien naar een circulaire keten. Hoewel verschillende productgroepen binnen straatmeubilair zich goed lenen voor hergebruik, is het in praktijk brengen van hergebruik vaak nog lastig. Veelal door knelpunten m.b.t. het beheer van straatmeubilair door overheden. De overheid is met 80% de grootste afnemer.Het oplossen van knelpunten vereist samenwerking tussen leden van de ver. straatmeubilair, overheden en externe partijen die bijvoorbeeld onderhoud uitvoeren. Dit project focust op het inzicht krijgen in de mogelijkheden (het HOE) van betere samenwerking bij aanbestedingsprocedure tussen (lokale) overheden en bedrijven om de circulariteit van de ketens te verbeteren. De praktijkvragen van de bedrijven zijn vervat in twee clusters: 1) Inzicht verkrijgen in de wijze waarop het programma van eisen van gemeenten bij inkoop van straatmeubilair (aanschaf en onderhoud) ingevuld wordt. 2) Onderzoek naar praktische mogelijkheden voor samenwerking tussen bedrijven en (lokale) overheden: • Hoe kunnen bedrijven duurzaamheid voor het voetlicht brengen in hun prijs/ productstelling naar overheden? • Welke mogelijkheden zijn er voor samenwerking en business modellen voor herplaatsing en hergebruik? • Wat betekent dit voor MKB bedrijven in de straatmeubilair branche? Het verkennende onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd door het Expertisecentrum ‘Sustainable Business’ van Avans Hogeschool i.s.m.2 bedrijven uit de sector straatmeubilair: Koninklijke Bammens, Jan Kuipers Nunspeet en de Vereniging Straatmeubilair. Bij de uitvoering worden gemeenten (o.a. gemeente Breda) betrokken. De onderzoeksvraag luidt als volgt: Welke knelpunten moeten opgelost worden en welke concepten zijn toepasbaar om hoogwaardig hergebruik van straatmeubilair bij (lokale) overheden te stimuleren? Resultaten zijn: 1. beschrijving processen circulair beheer straatmeubilair door overheden. 2.voorstel voor oplossingsrichtingen rekening houdend met: a adequatere toetsingsmethoden; b. productgroependifferentiatie; c. nieuwe business modellen voor hergebruikinitiatieven; d. inventarisatie blokkades en knelpunten; e. een werkwijzebeschrijving over hoe overheden en bedrijven beter kunnen samenwerken. 3. beschrijving best practices .
