Short answer
When designing circular economy strategies, actively seek out or establish intermediary roles to foster collaboration and drive more profound systemic change.
- Field
- Sustainability
- Source
- Business Strategy and the Environment (2020)
- Method
- Action Research
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Independent intermediaries, or 'transition brokers,' are crucial for fostering collaboration between established market players and emerging circular economy initiatives, leading to more ambitious and transformative change than individual actors can achieve. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2020 study published in Business Strategy and the Environment. Using Action research, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing circular economy strategies, actively seek out or establish intermediary roles to foster collaboration and drive more profound systemic change.
Transition Brokers Accelerate Circular Economy Adoption in Metropolitan Areas
Independent intermediaries, or 'transition brokers,' are crucial for fostering collaboration between established market players and emerging circular economy initiatives, leading to more ambitious and transformative change than individual actors can achieve.
Business Strategy and the Environment · 2020
Key Findings
- 01Collaborative initiatives facilitated by transition brokers can achieve more ambitious circular economy goals than individual market actors.
- 02The interplay between established (regime) and emerging (niche) actors is dynamic and depends on aligned interests.
- 03The transition to a circular economy can be conceptualized as continuous transformational change rather than solely incremental adjustments.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing circular economy strategies, actively seek out or establish intermediary roles to foster collaboration and drive more profound systemic change.
How to apply
When developing a new product or service with circular economy principles, identify potential 'transition brokers' or create a role within your project team to connect with diverse stakeholders and build alliances.
Project actions
- 01When researching a sustainability challenge, look for examples of how different groups or companies collaborated.
- 02Consider how an 'intermediary' role could help your own design project succeed.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Utilizes action research, providing practical insights into real-world implementation.
- +Addresses a critical gap in understanding the role of intermediaries in sustainability transitions.
Limitations
The specific types of 'transition brokers' and their effectiveness might vary greatly depending on the industry and region.
Reliability & validity
The study's reliance on action research in a specific context might limit generalizability, but the detailed qualitative analysis provides rich insights into the dynamics of collaboration.
Think critically
To what extent can the success of transition brokers be generalized across different cultural and economic contexts, and what are the potential challenges in scaling up their impact?
Design Principles
"Facilitate collaboration through dedicated intermediaries to achieve systemic sustainability goals."
Successfully transitioning to a circular economy requires overcoming inertia within existing market structures. Transition brokers act as catalysts, bridging gaps between different types of stakeholders and facilitating the complex interplay needed for systemic change.
What This Means for Your Design
Having someone in the middle to help different companies work together makes it easier to create new, environmentally friendly businesses.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the importance of collaboration and intermediary roles in your design project's sustainability goals.
- 2.Reference the findings on 'transformational change' to support your project's ambition beyond simple improvements.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The implementation of circular economy initiatives is significantly enhanced through the mediation of transition brokers, who foster crucial interplay between established market actors and niche innovators. This collaborative approach allows for more ambitious goals to be met and contributes to a continuous transformational change towards sustainability, as evidenced by action research in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
Source
Business Strategy and the Environment
Implementing the circular economy in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area: The interplay between market actors mediated by transition brokers
journal · 2020
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about transition brokers accelerate circular economy adoption in metropolitan areas?
- When designing circular economy strategies, actively seek out or establish intermediary roles to foster collaboration and drive more profound systemic change. Evidence: Business Strategy and the Environment (2020).
- Why does "Transition Brokers Accelerate Circular Economy Adoption in Metropolitan Areas" matter for design?
- Successfully transitioning to a circular economy requires overcoming inertia within existing market structures. Transition brokers act as catalysts, bridging gaps between different types of stakeholders and facilitating the complex interplay needed for systemic change.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing circular economy strategies, actively seek out or establish intermediary roles to foster collaboration and drive more profound systemic change.
- What were the main findings?
- Collaborative initiatives facilitated by transition brokers can achieve more ambitious circular economy goals than individual market actors.. The interplay between established (regime) and emerging (niche) actors is dynamic and depends on aligned interests.. The transition to a circular economy can be conceptualized as continuous transformational change rather than solely incremental adjustments.
- What research method was used?
- Action Research.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2020 journal from Business Strategy and the Environment.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing a new product or service with circular economy principles, identify potential 'transition brokers' or create a role within your project team to connect with diverse stakeholders and build alliances.
- What are the limitations?
- Findings may be specific to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area context and require validation in other regional settings.