STREAM 15: CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SOCIAL INNOVATION

Description:

Circular economy (CE) is a new production and consumption paradigm which proposes to overcome the traditional linear economic model in favour of a more regenerative and restorative system in which products, components, and materials are kept “at their highest utility and value at all times” (EMF, 2015; Geissdoerfer et al., 2017; de Sousa Jabbour et al. 2019; Burgess et. al., 2021). According to this definition, the transition from linear to circular economy involves societal actors at micro (enterprises and consumers), meso (economic agents integrated in symbiosis) and macro (cities, regions, governments) levels (Kirchherr et al. 2017), thus requiring extensive economic and societal changes. However, whereas the environmental implications and economic impacts have been extensively discussed in literature, the social and institutional dimensions of the transition are far less considered, although acknowledged by scholars and practitioners (Kristensen and Mosgaard, 2020; Moreau et al., 2017). On one side, exploring the social aspects of CE allows enterprises to keep pace with the competitive environment (Kazancoglu et al., 2018). On the other side, understanding the relationship with the way society innovates contributes to promote more inclusive and effective circular development frameworks (Kristensen and Mosgaard, 2020).   

​

Especially in developing economies, the social dimension have been highlighted as key in the implementation of sustainable practices (Spence et al. 2011, 1990; P.Choongo et al. 2016). Authors investigated factors influencing the adoption of sustainable initiatives in African countries, and they acknowledged solidarity and reciprocity as the main drivers for sustainable development (Amaeshi et al., 2006).  

​

Scant literature has considered the plausible relationship between social innovation and CE in promoting new pathways of development based on innovative solutions able to tackle social and environmental issues. Moreover, the few studies are located in developed context and ignored issues and priorities of developing countries (Schröder et al. 2019). We envisage that such limited studies about the CE in the latter, where poverty and the search for better livelihoods are prevalent, can undermine efforts to articulate the concept’s social dimensions.  

We therefore welcome papers in this realm. Contributions are invited on both the role that social innovation may have in supporting the transition to circular economy and the impact that the CE may have on the development of social innovation. We invite both empirical and theoretical contributions that looks at social innovation and the CE more broadly, but with special interest in developing economies.    

Below are some illustrative topics/themes that are consistent with the spirit of this call for papers. Authors will be encouraged to contribute papers with wider perspectives, as long as the papers are in line with the broad topics of the proposed call for papers. Both qualitative and quantitative approach are relevant.

Thus, we invite empirical and theoretical contributions dealing with, but not limited to:  

• social enterprises’ degree of circularity;  

• measurement and reporting of social impact of Circular economy;  

• the contribution of circular business model to social innovation;  

• social innovation strategies related to CE;  

• how the concept of circular economy embraces the social dimensions;  

• examination of how CE and social innovation jointly work towards sustainability in urban contexts;  

• the role of CE in the sustainable development of emerging economies;  

• Formalization approaches to the CE and social sustainability in developing countries  

• social development in industrial symbiosis aimed at circular economy;  

• efficiency, effectiveness and implementation in CE initiatives;  

• social actions to promote a greater degree of circularity among enterprises;  

• how to integrate and measure social sustainability in the CE;  

• inclusion of social indicators in CE measurement.  

References  

Amaeshi, K., Adi, A. B. C., Ogbechie, C., & Amao, O. O. (2006). Corporate social responsibility in Nigeria: western mimicry or indigenous influences?. Available at SSRN 896500.  

Burgess, M., Holmes, H., Sharmina, M., & Shaver, M. (2021). The Future of UK Plastics Recycling: One Bin to Rule Them All. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 164(105191), [105191]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105191  

Choongo, P., Van Burg, E., Paas, L. J., & Masurel, E. (2016). Factors influencing the identification of sustainable opportunities by SMEs: Empirical evidence from Zambia. Sustainability, 8(1), 81.  

de Sousa Jabbour, A. B. L., Luiz, J. V. R., Luiz, O. R., Jabbour, C. J. C., Ndubisi, N. O., de Oliveira, J. H. C., & Junior, F. H. (2019). Circular economy business models and operations management. Journal of cleaner production, 235, 1525-1539.   

Ellen Mc Arthur Foundation, 2015. Towards a Circular Economy: Business rationale for an accelerated transition.   

Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N.M.P., and Hultink, E.J., 2017. The Circular Economy - a new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768.   

Kazancoglu, Y., Kazancoglu, I., and Sagnak, M. (2018). A new holistic conceptual framework for green supply chain management performance assessment based on circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 1282-1299.   

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., and Hekkert, M., 2017. Conceptualizing the circular economy: an analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 127, 221–232.   

Kristensen, H., S., and Mosgaard, M.A., 2020. A review of micro level indicators for a circular economy – moving away from the three dimensions of sustainability? Journal of Cleaner Production, 243, 1-20.   

Moreau, V., Sahakian, M., Van Griethuysen, P., & Vuille, F. (2017). Coming full circle: why social and institutional dimensions matter for the circular economy. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 21(3), 497-506.   

Schroeder, P., Anggraeni, K., & Weber, U. (2019). The relevance of circular economy practices to the sustainable development goals. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 23(1), 77-95.  

Spence, M., Gherib, J. B. B., & Biwolé, V. O. (2011). Sustainable entrepreneurship: is entrepreneurial will enough? A north–south comparison. Journal of business ethics, 99(3), 335-367.  

The Young Foundation (2012). Defining Social Innovation. A deliverable of the project: The theoretical, empirical and policy foundations for building social innovation in Europe (TEPSIE), European Commission – 7th Framework. Programme, Brussels: European Commission, DG Research.