Project leader: Laura Gavinelli
Within the dynamics of the market, a topic that is gaining increasing importance is that of circular economy. Circular economy refers to business models that go beyond the traditional “production-consumption-disposal” (linear economy) approach, moving towards a “production-consumption-recycling/reuse” model (circular economy). The circular model requires enterprises to adopt technologies and business models that are based on longevity, renewability, reuse, repair, updating, knowledge sharing and dematerialization. The goal is to maximize the use of products and materials already placed on the market, minimizing the consumption of raw materials and related waste.
If the effects hoped by the adoption of the principles of the circular economy seem to lead the production systems to greater efficiency, on the other hand, greater attention to the environment and to future generations can also fuel the reputational capital of enterprises, strengthening their competitive positioning.
The conference presents and discusses the evidence of a survey carried out by CRIET – Interuniversity Research Centre in Economics of Territories of the University of Milan-Bicocca, in collaboration with LeFAC.com – TBS Group and Ipsos Italia, which investigates the relationship between adoption of the principles of circular economy and corporate performance and reputation. Data were gathered in the period March-September 2018 through a quantitative CAWI – Computer Aided Web Interview – sent to enterprises, distributed across sectors and European countries.
The results of the research are also discussed by top-level panelists.