Short answer

When designing for circularity, explore opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond your direct partners, including potential partnerships with competitors if a shared resource or environmental goal exists.

Field
Sustainability
Source
Journal of Cleaner Production (2025)
Method
Multiple case study
Sample
47 participants
Evidence
Moderate effect

Companies often limit circular economy collaborations to their existing value chains, but significant potential lies in broader ecosystem-level partnerships, even with competitors, to address shared resource challenges. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Journal of Cleaner Production. Using Multiple case study with 47 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for circularity, explore opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond your direct partners, including potential partnerships with competitors if a shared resource or environmental goal exists.

Study
SustainabilityNew This WeekModerate effect

Circular Economy Collaboration Strategies: From Value Chains to Ecosystems

Companies often limit circular economy collaborations to their existing value chains, but significant potential lies in broader ecosystem-level partnerships, even with competitors, to address shared resource challenges.

Journal of Cleaner Production · 2025

01

Key Findings

  • 01Companies predominantly collaborate within their traditional value chains.
  • 02Fewer companies engage in broader ecosystem-level collaborations.
  • 03Collaboration with competitors ('coopetition') occurs in specific industries with shared interests, enhancing circular economy potential.
  • 04'Anti-commons' practices can hinder collective circular economy innovation.
02

Application

Design takeaway

When designing for circularity, explore opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond your direct partners, including potential partnerships with competitors if a shared resource or environmental goal exists.

How to apply

When developing a new product or service, map out potential collaborators not just in your direct supply chain but also in related industries or even competitor organizations that might benefit from or contribute to a shared circular economy objective.

Project actions

  • 01Consider the broader ecosystem your design will operate within, not just the immediate user or supply chain.
  • 02Investigate how your design could foster collaboration between different organizations, even those typically seen as competitors.
03

Method & Evidence

AimWhat collaboration strategies do companies employ to implement circular economy principles?
MethodMultiple case study
ProcedureAnalyzed collaboration strategies of 47 Danish companies within the context of the circular economy, identifying patterns based on collaboration scope and circular economy business strategy.
Sample47 participants
ContextCircular economy implementation in businesses

Variables

IV["Scope of collaboration (value chain vs. ecosystem)","Circular economy business strategy (add-on vs. core)"]
DV["Type of collaboration strategy employed","Circular economy potential achieved"]
CV["Industry sector","Company size","Geographical location (within Denmark)"]
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Multiple case study provides rich, in-depth data.
  • +Identifies distinct collaboration patterns relevant to circular economy.

Limitations

The study's focus on Danish companies might limit generalizability. The identification and impact of 'anti-commons' practices require further investigation.

Reliability & validity

The use of a multiple case study approach enhances the external validity of the identified patterns across different companies. Reliability would depend on the consistency of data collection and interpretation across cases.

Think critically

How can design actively mitigate 'anti-commons' practices and foster a more open environment for circular economy innovation?

05

Design Principles

"Design for collaborative circularity by enabling cross-organizational resource loops and shared infrastructure."

Designing for a circular economy requires looking beyond a single organization's boundaries. Understanding how to foster collaboration, including 'coopetition' with rivals, is crucial for unlocking systemic change and maximizing resource efficiency across industries.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Companies often work with their usual partners for 'green' initiatives, but to really make a difference with the circular economy, they need to think bigger and sometimes even work with their rivals, especially if they share a common goal like protecting a local environment.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of collaboration in your design project's sustainability strategy, particularly if your design aims for systemic impact.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights that successful circular economy implementation often necessitates collaboration beyond traditional value chains. The study identifies that while many companies focus on internal or direct supplier/customer collaborations, significant opportunities exist in broader ecosystem partnerships, including 'coopetition' with competitors, particularly in sectors with shared environmental concerns. This suggests that design solutions should consider enabling such wider collaborative networks to achieve greater systemic sustainability.

09

Source

Journal of Cleaner Production

Competition or coopetition? Collaboration strategies for the circular economy

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about circular economy collaboration strategies: from value chains to ecosystems?
When designing for circularity, explore opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond your direct partners, including potential partnerships with competitors if a shared resource or environmental goal exists. Evidence: Journal of Cleaner Production (2025).
Why does "Circular Economy Collaboration Strategies: From Value Chains to Ecosystems" matter for design?
Designing for a circular economy requires looking beyond a single organization's boundaries. Understanding how to foster collaboration, including 'coopetition' with rivals, is crucial for unlocking systemic change and maximizing resource efficiency across industries.
How can designers apply this research?
When designing for circularity, explore opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond your direct partners, including potential partnerships with competitors if a shared resource or environmental goal exists.
What were the main findings?
Companies predominantly collaborate within their traditional value chains.. Fewer companies engage in broader ecosystem-level collaborations.. Collaboration with competitors ('coopetition') occurs in specific industries with shared interests, enhancing circular economy potential.. 'Anti-commons' practices can hinder collective circular economy innovation.
What research method was used?
Multiple case study with 47 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from Journal of Cleaner Production.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When developing a new product or service, map out potential collaborators not just in your direct supply chain but also in related industries or even competitor organizations that might benefit from or contribute to a shared circular economy objective.
What are the limitations?
The study focused on Danish companies, and findings may vary across different geographical and industrial contexts. The 'anti-commons' phenomenon was identified but not deeply quantified.