IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v31y2022i6p2682-2699.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advancing the circular economy through dynamic capabilities and extended customer engagement: Insights from small sustainable fashion enterprises in the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Elf
  • Andrea Werner
  • Sandy Black

Abstract

The circular economy holds the potential to significantly reduce resource use. However, attempts to fully utilize its potential have fallen short so far. Based on a longitudinal interview‐based study, we examine how micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the UK fashion industry advance the circular economy (CE). Whereas the dynamic capabilities framework is mostly used for medium and large businesses, our findings advance the current literature, demonstrating how the distinctive development and use of dynamic capabilities enable MSMEs to act in agile ways, allowing them to introduce, test and advance CE solutions, while providing them with more resilience during times of crises. Our study further shows that fashion MSMEs adopt circular economy business models (CEBMs) by going beyond conventional, technology‐focused approaches currently dominating business thinking. The research highlights MSMEs' ability to engage in circular practices through an extension of existing business models in the form of close interactions with their customers demonstrating the importance and potential of extended business‐customer engagement in businesses' attempts to adopt CE practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Elf & Andrea Werner & Sandy Black, 2022. "Advancing the circular economy through dynamic capabilities and extended customer engagement: Insights from small sustainable fashion enterprises in the UK," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2682-2699, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:31:y:2022:i:6:p:2682-2699
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2999
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2999
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.2999?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walter R. Stahel, 2016. "The circular economy," Nature, Nature, vol. 531(7595), pages 435-438, March.
    2. Jean D. Kabongo & Olivier Boiral, 2017. "Doing More with Less: Building Dynamic Capabilities for Eco‐Efficiency," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 956-971, November.
    3. Steve Evans & Doroteya Vladimirova & Maria Holgado & Kirsten Van Fossen & Miying Yang & Elisabete A. Silva & Claire Y. Barlow, 2017. "Business Model Innovation for Sustainability: Towards a Unified Perspective for Creation of Sustainable Business Models," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 597-608, July.
    4. Owais Khan & Tiberio Daddi & Fabio Iraldo, 2020. "Microfoundations of dynamic capabilities: Insights from circular economy business cases," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1479-1493, March.
    5. Wright,Christopher & Nyberg,Daniel, 2015. "Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107435131, September.
    6. Anderson, Laurel & Ostrom, Amy L. & Corus, Canan & Fisk, Raymond P. & Gallan, Andrew S. & Giraldo, Mario & Mende, Martin & Mulder, Mark & Rayburn, Steven W. & Rosenbaum, Mark S. & Shirahada, Kunio & W, 2013. "Transformative service research: An agenda for the future," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1203-1210.
    7. Nancy M. P. Bocken & Elsa A. Olivetti & Jonathan M. Cullen & José Potting & Reid Lifset, 2017. "Taking the Circularity to the Next Level: A Special Issue on the Circular Economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 476-482, June.
    8. Gérard P. Cachon & Robert Swinney, 2011. "The Value of Fast Fashion: Quick Response, Enhanced Design, and Strategic Consumer Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(4), pages 778-795, April.
    9. Wright,Christopher & Nyberg,Daniel, 2015. "Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107078222, September.
    10. Matthias Filser & Sascha Kraus & Matthias Breier & Ioanna Nenova & Kaisu Puumalainen, 2021. "Business model innovation: Identifying foundations and trajectories," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 891-907, February.
    11. Kirchherr, Julian & Reike, Denise & Hekkert, Marko, 2017. "Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 221-232.
    12. Fenna Blomsma & Geraldine Brennan, 2017. "The Emergence of Circular Economy: A New Framing Around Prolonging Resource Productivity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 603-614, June.
    13. Martin, Chris J., 2016. "The sharing economy: A pathway to sustainability or a nightmarish form of neoliberal capitalism?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 149-159.
    14. Andrew McCarthy & Rob Dellink & Ruben Bibas, 2018. "The Macroeconomics of the Circular Economy Transition: A Critical Review of Modelling Approaches," OECD Environment Working Papers 130, OECD Publishing.
    15. Florian Lüdeke‐Freund & Stefan Gold & Nancy M. P. Bocken, 2019. "A Review and Typology of Circular Economy Business Model Patterns," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(1), pages 36-61, February.
    16. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    17. Giacomo Buzzao & Francesco Rizzi, 2021. "On the conceptualization and measurement of dynamic capabilities for sustainability: Building theory through a systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 135-175, January.
    18. Vanessa Prieto‐Sandoval & Carmen Jaca & Javier Santos & Rupert J. Baumgartner & Marta Ormazabal, 2019. "Key strategies, resources, and capabilities for implementing circular economy in industrial small and medium enterprises," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1473-1484, November.
    19. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    20. Yu-Shan Chen & Ching-Hsun Chang, 2013. "The Determinants of Green Product Development Performance: Green Dynamic Capabilities, Green Transformational Leadership, and Green Creativity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(1), pages 107-119, August.
    21. Dubois, Anna & Gadde, Lars-Erik, 2002. "Systematic combining: an abductive approach to case research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 553-560, July.
    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. Huynh Thi Thuy Giang & Luu Tien Dung & Huynh Thuy Tien & Chung Tu Bao Nhu, 2024. "Customer empowerment and engagement on sharing platform in the retailing sector: testing the mediating effects of service innovation and platform trust," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Josephine Aboagyewaa-Ntiri, 2024. "Advancing Sustainability in Fashion Accessories: a Circular Economy Approach," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1133-1151, June.
    3. Roberta De Angelis & Robert Morgan & Luigi M. De Luca, 2023. "Open strategy and dynamic capabilities: A framework for circular economy business models research," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4861-4873, November.
    4. Rajat Panwar & Eva Niesten, 2022. "Jump‐starting, diffusing, and sustaining the circular economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2637-2640, September.
    5. Navid Zarbakhshnia & Kannan Govindan & Devika Kannan & Mark Goh, 2023. "Outsourcing logistics operations in circular economy towards to sustainable development goals," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 134-162, January.
    6. Micol Barletta & Idiano D'Adamo & Jose Arturo Garza‐Reyes & Massimo Gastaldi, 2024. "Business strategy and innovative models in the fashion industry: Clothing leasing as a driver of sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4730-4743, July.
    7. Hellström, Daniel & Olsson, John, 2024. "Let's go thrift shopping: Exploring circular business model innovation in fashion retail," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    8. Grego, Marica & Magnani, Giovanna & Denicolai, Stefano, 2024. "Transform to adapt or resilient by design? How organizations can foster resilience through business model transformation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    9. Ya Cheng & Mohammad Masukujjaman & Farid Ahammad Sobhani & Muhammad Hamayun & Syed Shah Alam, 2023. "Green Logistics, Green Human Capital, and Circular Economy: The Mediating Role of Sustainable Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.
    10. Rebecca Pera & Eliana Ferrulli, 2024. "Consumers' textile disposal practices and their perceived value in the circular economy: A platform focused ethnography approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 2931-2948, May.

    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. Roberta De Angelis & Robert Morgan & Luigi M. De Luca, 2023. "Open strategy and dynamic capabilities: A framework for circular economy business models research," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4861-4873, November.
    2. Concepción Garcés-Ayerbe & Pilar Rivera-Torres & Inés Suárez-Perales & Dante I. Leyva-de la Hiz, 2019. "Is It Possible to Change from a Linear to a Circular Economy? An Overview of Opportunities and Barriers for European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Companies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Gilbert Silvius & Aydan Ismayilova & Vicente Sales-Vivó & Micol Costi, 2021. "Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, October.
    4. 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.
    5. Tomas Santa‐Maria & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2022. "How do incumbent firms innovate their business models for the circular economy? Identifying micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1308-1333, May.
    6. Alessandra Neri & Marta Negri & Enrico Cagno & Vikas Kumar & Jose Arturo Garza‐Reyes, 2023. "What digital‐enabled dynamic capabilities support the circular economy? A multiple case study approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 5083-5101, November.
    7. Luca Marrucci & Tiberio Daddi & Fabio Iraldo, 2022. "Do dynamic capabilities matter? A study on environmental performance and the circular economy in European certified organisations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2641-2657, September.
    8. Owais Khan & Tiberio Daddi & Fabio Iraldo, 2020. "The role of dynamic capabilities in circular economy implementation and performance of companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 3018-3033, November.
    9. Fernandez de Arroyabe, J.C. & Arranz, N. & Schumann, M. & Arroyabe, M.F., 2021. "The development of CE business models in firms: The role of circular economy capabilities," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    10. Wójcik, Piotr & Obłój, Krzysztof & Buono, Anthony F., 2022. "Addressing social concern through business-nonprofit collaboration: Microfoundations of a firm’s dynamic capability for social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 119-139.
    11. Kristoffersen, Eivind & Mikalef, Patrick & Blomsma, Fenna & Li, Jingyue, 2021. "The effects of business analytics capability on circular economy implementation, resource orchestration capability, and firm performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    12. Arpita Chari & Denis Niedenzu & Mélanie Despeisse & Carla Gonçalves Machado & João Domingues Azevedo & Rui Boavida‐Dias & Björn Johansson, 2022. "Dynamic capabilities for circular manufacturing supply chains—Exploring the role of Industry 4.0 and resilience," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2500-2517, July.
    13. Maria Rosa De Giacomo & Raimund Bleischwitz, 2020. "Business models for environmental sustainability: Contemporary shortcomings and some perspectives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3352-3369, December.
    14. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    15. Wisdom Kanda & Martin Geissdoerfer & Olof Hjelm, 2021. "From circular business models to circular business ecosystems," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 2814-2829, September.
    16. Simone Sehnem & Adriane A. Farias S. L. de Queiroz & Susana Carla Farias Pereira & Gabriel dos Santos Correia & Edson Kuzma, 2022. "Circular economy and innovation: A look from the perspective of organizational capabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 236-250, January.
    17. Chamari Pamoshika Jayarathna & Duzgun Agdas & Les Dawes, 2023. "Exploring sustainable logistics practices toward a circular economy: A value creation perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 704-720, January.
    18. Julia Köhler & Sönnich Dahl Sönnichsen & Philip Beske‐Jansen, 2022. "Towards a collaboration framework for circular economy: The role of dynamic capabilities and open innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2700-2713, September.
    19. Felicitas Pietrulla, 2022. "Private Firm Support for Circular Economy Regulation in the EU Policy Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-29, July.
    20. Chedrak Chembessi & Christophe Beaurain & Geneviève Cloutier, 2022. "Analyzing Technical and Organizational Changes in Circular Economy (CE) Implementation with a TOE Framework: Insights from a CE Project of Kamouraska (Quebec)," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(3), pages 915-936, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:bstrat:v:31:y:2022:i:6:p:2682-2699. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    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.