How companies navigate circular economy paradoxes: An organizational perspective.

The consideration and implementation by companies of only those circular economy (CE) practices involving economic returns (win-win solutions) is the result of a utopian and reductionist view of the circular transition. A more realistic and holistic perspective toward circular economy (CE) should recognize and embrace the complexities it entails and not be limited to only instrumental solutions. By drawing on the paradox theory, we delve into the conflicting issues that companies encounter in adopting circular initiatives and analyze the role of organizational attributes in the recognition and navigation of CE tensions. We tested our conceptual framework by using survey data from 303 manufacturing and construction companies in Italy. This study shows that cognitive diversity of internal managerial figures and supply chain collaboration foster the recognition of CE tensions at corporate level. In addition, the results reveal that companies with flexible organizational design, which collaborate with other supply chain actors, and recognize CE tensions are more likely to navigate CE paradoxes. Finally, the study indicates that establishing an experimentation and dialogue space increases the effect of flexible organizational design on navigating CE paradoxes. The research findings are relevant not only to managers and companies, but also to policy makers who can implement industrial policies that incentivize companies' development of organizational attributes likely to stimulate a paradoxical approach toward CE.

Fostering the Circular Economy with Blockchain Technology: Insights from a Bibliometric Approach.

The circular economy is an emerging paradigm with important economic, environmental, and societal implications. As the world faces such paradigm shifts, new and radical technologies are urgently needed to enable it; blockchain technology can assist to accomplish the aforementioned circular economy shift given its decentralization and distributiveness principles as well as its smart contract capability. This study represents one of the first attempts to analyze those academic research domains together adopting a science mapping technique. By adopting such approach, the study envisages research challenges, highlights important research gaps, and proposes future paths in the blockchain and circular economy fields. Among the others, key findings show that blockchain technology as a tool for promoting the circular economy has been extensively researched at the micro (i.e., firm) and meso levels (i.e., supply chain) more effort on how blockchain can support the development of circular smart cites and measurement tools for providing information to stakeholders and assisting in policy creation expresses the greatest potential in terms of novel research. Moreover, the research suggests that another possible stream of research might be dealing on how blockchain together with physical technologies (e.g., 3D printing, RFID), can support the transition towards the circular economy.

How to meet reuse and preparation for reuse targets? Shape advertising strategies but be aware of "social washing".

Preparation for reuse (PfR) is a fundamental waste management practice that is second only to prevention in the waste hierarchy. The paper, building on advertising literature, investigates how to leverage the pro-social nature of this option for giving products that have become waste a second life. To examine how advertising strategies based on emotional, functional or combined stimuli can be used to increase intention to buy these items, we carried out an experiment on 507 actual visitors a PfR items shop run by a social cooperative in Northern Italy. We found that, depending on consumers' social involvement, both emotional and functional stimuli based on the social impact of preparation for reuse tend to outperform functional stimuli and have a positive impact on brand attitudes by shaping attitudes to advertisements. Purchasing behaviour has a positive impact on attitudes toward the PfR organization and moderates the effect of emotional and combines stimuli on attitudes toward the advertisement. Since emotional stimuli can be freely used by both legitimated and opportunistic companies, the former should seek to preserve their value proposition by making it easier for consumers to recognise actually trustworthy organizations. This is possible combining the use of advertisements with the development of solid customer relationships. To this end, awareness campaigns, closer relationships with stakeholders and third-party verifiable standards and certifications should be considered to reduce the risk of "social washing" in the current second-hand market context.

Exploring waste prevention behaviour through empirical research.

Waste prevention is currently a critical issue, and our research aims to provide a more nuanced view by examining the determinants of individual behaviour when deciding to either purchase a certain item or to extend the life of an owned item through repair or reuse activities. Our research has two main aims: (1) to examine the importance that being aware of consequences and personal norms have in shaping positive attitudes towards waste prevention behaviour; and (2) to explore the relationship between attitudes and perceived behavioural control on waste prevention by testing the mediation effects of perceived behavioural control and waste prevention behaviour. The research is based on 375 questionnaires collected in Pietra Ligure, a municipality located in Northwest Italy. Data were modelled using a structural equation model to test the hypotheses. The findings show that awareness of the consequences is a fundamental driver of waste prevention attitudes while personal norms are not. The findings also confirm a positive relationship between attitudes and perceived behavioural control. Finally, a positive significant relationship was found between perceived behavioural control and waste prevention behaviour, and between social norms and waste prevention behaviour. The results of our investigation are contextualised in theoretical, political and managerial frameworks and suggest several avenues for further research.