Classification of Strategies for Circular Business Model Innovation in The Built Environment: a Delphi study with 25 experts

Classification of Strategies for Circular Business Model Innovation in The Built Environment: a Delphi study with 25 experts

Ingvild Reine Assmann^{1, *} Francesco Rosati²

Technical University of Denmark ^1,2

*[email protected]

Abstract

The built environment is currently responsible for a third of the global greenhouse gas emissions, and by 2050 it is projected that roughly two-thirds of the global population will be living in cities. There is an urgent need for companies to decouple economic growth from resource consumption, requiring radically new approaches for development. Business model innovation has appeared as an advancing focus area for increasing the adoption of circular economy and material reuse practices in industry by capitalizing on associated opportunities.

The built environment can pose as a fitting context for exploring circular business model innovation (CBMI) as the industry is in need of changing its material consumption, and the circular economy has potential to assist the sustainable development and resource loops in the built environment through the four core circular economy principles: narrowing, slowing, closing or regenerating resource loops. In this study, we therefore build on the existing literature of CBMI, and aim to provide a classification of strategies which can be employed by companies to increase CBMI.

This paper presents findings from a three-round Delphi study consisting of 25 international experts, to examine the hindering and enabling factors as well as a classification of the most promising strategies for circular business model innovation in the built environment.

The findings can guide practitioners, policymakers and researchers around the world in overcoming the barriers and capitalizing on the drivers for circular business model innovation in the built environment.