Short answer
Integrate community and cross-sectoral participation early and continuously in the design and testing phases of circular business models for upcycling.
- Field
- Sustainability
- Source
- Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (2025)
- Method
- Multiple Case Study
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Engaging diverse stakeholders through transformative and community-based participation is crucial for developing and scaling successful circular business models in urban upcycling initiatives. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025). Using Multiple case study, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Integrate community and cross-sectoral participation early and continuously in the design and testing phases of circular business models for upcycling.
Community Participation Accelerates Circular Business Model Innovation in Urban Upcycling
Engaging diverse stakeholders through transformative and community-based participation is crucial for developing and scaling successful circular business models in urban upcycling initiatives.
Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Transformative and community-based participation is a key enabler for collaborative circular business model development in urban upcycling.
- 02Experimentation methods are vital for initiating, testing, and improving these collaborative models.
- 03Successful models facilitate product and resource longevity through various upcycling strategies (reuse, repair, refurbish, repurpose, remanufacture).
Application
Design takeaway
Integrate community and cross-sectoral participation early and continuously in the design and testing phases of circular business models for upcycling.
How to apply
When designing a new upcycling venture or seeking to improve an existing one, actively involve local communities, social entrepreneurs, and relevant businesses in the ideation and testing phases.
Project actions
- 01Consider how different user groups can contribute to the design and testing of your product or service.
- 02Document the process of stakeholder engagement and how it influenced your design decisions.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Investigates a novel aspect of circular business model innovation (transformative participation).
- +Utilizes a robust methodology (multiple case study) to explore complex phenomena.
Limitations
It can be challenging to gather meaningful input from a diverse range of stakeholders within the constraints of a typical design project timeline.
Reliability & validity
The multiple case study approach enhances the external validity by examining the phenomenon across different contexts, while the depth of analysis within each case contributes to internal validity. Reliability would depend on the consistency of data collection and analysis across cases.
Think critically
To what extent can the success of transformative participation be generalized across different cultural and economic contexts for urban upcycling?
Design Principles
"Embrace participatory co-creation to foster resilient and innovative circular business models."
Understanding how to effectively involve communities and various organizational actors in the experimentation process can lead to more robust and adaptable circular business models. This approach fosters innovation by leveraging collective knowledge and resources, ultimately driving product and resource longevity within urban environments.
What This Means for Your Design
To make upcycling businesses work better in cities, it's important to get everyone involved – like people in the community, different types of businesses, and city officials – to try out new ideas together.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of stakeholder engagement and collaborative approaches in your design process for sustainable solutions.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research underscores the critical role of transformative and community-based participation in the successful development and implementation of circular business models for urban upcycling. By actively engaging diverse stakeholders in collaborative experimentation, design practitioners can foster innovation and create more effective solutions for product and resource longevity within urban contexts.
Source
Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025)
Transformative and community-based participation in collaborative business model experimentation for urban upcycling
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about community participation accelerates circular business model innovation in urban upcycling?
- Integrate community and cross-sectoral participation early and continuously in the design and testing phases of circular business models for upcycling. Evidence: Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (2025).
- Why does "Community Participation Accelerates Circular Business Model Innovation in Urban Upcycling" matter for design?
- Understanding how to effectively involve communities and various organizational actors in the experimentation process can lead to more robust and adaptable circular business models. This approach fosters innovation by leveraging collective knowledge and resources, ultimately driving product and resource longevity within urban environments.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Integrate community and cross-sectoral participation early and continuously in the design and testing phases of circular business models for upcycling.
- What were the main findings?
- Transformative and community-based participation is a key enabler for collaborative circular business model development in urban upcycling.. Experimentation methods are vital for initiating, testing, and improving these collaborative models.. Successful models facilitate product and resource longevity through various upcycling strategies (reuse, repair, refurbish, repurpose, remanufacture).
- What research method was used?
- Multiple Case Study.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025).
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new upcycling venture or seeking to improve an existing one, actively involve local communities, social entrepreneurs, and relevant businesses in the ideation and testing phases.
- What are the limitations?
- Findings may be specific to the Dutch urban context and the types of upcycling initiatives studied.