IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i4p2007-d498616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Potential of Plastic Reuse for Manufacturing: A Case Study into Circular Business Models for an On-Line Marketplace

Author

Listed:
  • Annelise M. de Jong

    (Sustainable Consumption and Resource Flows, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Valhallavägen 81, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Ann-Charlotte Mellquist

    (Sustainable Business, RISE AB, Kistagången 16, 16426 Kista, Sweden)

Abstract

The plastic industry is facing increasingly growing social and political demands on plastic recycling and reuse. The resource perspective is essential for plastic production companies. Circular economy is one perspective for how industries could deal with a lack of resources today and in the future. However, there are large challenges in the reuse of plastics waste, predominantly due to concern regarding the quality of the waste material. Our paper focuses on the potential of the exchange of plastic material waste between companies in the production process before it enters into the recycling loop. In this study our aim is to investigate if an on-line marketplace is relevant for the plastic industry for this exchange, the market potential and the potential business model and requirements of the marketplace. Through interviews and benchmarking with five platform providers and two plastic manufacturing companies, we collected information on the business models of international digital platforms and plastic manufacturers concerning the exchange of reusable materials between companies. We also collected data through a survey sent out to plastic manufacturers via two industry organizations in Sweden. This paper will present the results from the study and conclude with a description of draft requirements with particular focus on direct reuse of regrind material, and a potential business model for the on-line marketplace that should be run on a commercial basis. This study shows that there are opportunities for the plastic industry to be at the forefront of a circular initiative that could also be utilized by other industries with adjustments to reflect the specific requirements of each industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Annelise M. de Jong & Ann-Charlotte Mellquist, 2021. "The Potential of Plastic Reuse for Manufacturing: A Case Study into Circular Business Models for an On-Line Marketplace," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2007-:d:498616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2007/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2007/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-0-230-28884-3, March.
    2. Jean-Charles Rochet & Jean Tirole, 2003. "Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(4), pages 990-1029, June.
    3. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 2, number 978-0-230-27490-7, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andreza de Aguiar Hugo & Jeniffer de Nadae & Renato da Silva Lima, 2021. "Can Fashion Be Circular? A Literature Review on Circular Economy Barriers, Drivers, and Practices in the Fashion Industry’s Productive Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-17, November.
    2. César A. Bernal-Torres & Luz Elba Torres-Guevara & Juan C. Aldana-Bernal & Yoni Wildor Nicolás-Rojas & Tamara Tatiana Pando-Ezcurra, 2023. "The Moderating Role of Innovation in the Relationship Between Business Sustainability and Organizational Performance in Companies of an Emerging Economy," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    3. Maryam Hina & Chetna Chauhan & Rajat Sharma & Amandeep Dhir, 2023. "Circular economy business models as pillars of sustainability: Where are we now, and where are we heading?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 6182-6209, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    2. Á. Pereira & A. Carballo-Penela & A. Guerra & X. Vence, 2018. "Designing a policy package for the promotion of servicising: A case study of vineyard crop protection in Galicia (Spain)," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(2), pages 348-369, January.
    3. Claudia Marcela Betancourt Morales & Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa, 2020. "Circular economy in Latin America: A systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2479-2497, September.
    4. Mariale Moreno & Carolina De los Rios & Zoe Rowe & Fiona Charnley, 2016. "A Conceptual Framework for Circular Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Jing Shao, 2019. "Sustainable consumption in China: New trends and research interests," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(8), pages 1507-1517, December.
    6. Alessio Franconi & Fabrizio Ceschin & David Peck, 2022. "Structuring Circular Objectives and Design Strategies for the Circular Economy: A Multi-Hierarchical Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, July.
    7. Caroline Samberger & Sanaz Imen & Katerina Messologitis & Arthur Umble & Joseph G. Jacangelo, 2024. "Assessing circularity of wastewater treatment systems: A critical review of indicators," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(2), pages 262-276, April.
    8. Cristina Sousa Rocha & Paula Antunes & Paulo Partidário, 2023. "Design for Circular Economy in a Strong Sustainability Paradigm," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-30, December.
    9. Knošková Ľubica, 2020. "Circular Design and Consumer Involvement in Circular Economy," Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, Sciendo, vol. 13(43), pages 25-34, March.
    10. Luigi Fusco Girard & Marilena Vecco, 2021. "The “Intrinsic Value” of Cultural Heritage as Driver for Circular Human-Centered Adaptive Reuse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-28, March.
    11. Massimiliano Borrello & Stefano Pascucci & Luigi Cembalo, 2020. "Three Propositions to Unify Circular Economy Research: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, May.
    12. Marina P. P. Pieroni & Tim C. McAloone & Daniela C. A. Pigosso, 2019. "Configuring New Business Models for Circular Economy through Product–Service Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-22, July.
    13. Isabel Mendes, 2020. "The Circular Economy: an Ancient Term that Became Polysemic," Working Papers Department of Economics 2020/02, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    14. Doussoulin, Jean Pierre & Bittencourt, Mariana, 2022. "How effective is the construction sector in promoting the circular economy in Brazil and France? : A waste input-output analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 47-58.
    15. Korhonen, Jouni & Honkasalo, Antero & Seppälä, Jyri, 2018. "Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 37-46.
    16. Costel Negrei & Nicolae Istudor, 2018. "Circular Economy – Between Theory and Practice," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 20(48), pages 498-498.
    17. Fehrer, Julia A. & Wieland, Heiko, 2021. "A systemic logic for circular business models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 609-620.
    18. Ke Xing & Ki Pyung Kim & David Ness, 2020. "Cloud-BIM Enabled Cyber-Physical Data and Service Platforms for Building Component Reuse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    19. repec:aud:audfin:v:20:y:2018:i:48:p:498 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Daniela M. Salvioni & Alex Almici, 2020. "Transitioning Toward a Circular Economy: The Impact of Stakeholder Engagement on Sustainability Culture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-30, October.
    21. Erik G. Hansen & Ferdinand Revellio, 2020. "Circular value creation architectures: Make, ally, buy, or laissez‐faire," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(6), pages 1250-1273, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2007-:d:498616. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.