Making hash out of an elephant. Public private Circular business model development

Abstract

A transition to a Circular economy depends on the development of circular business models. Extant research suggests the need for business to cooperate broadly to address sustainability issues of a systemic nature. Thus this paper seeks to explore and explain how business and public actors work together to develop circular business models. We conduct a longitudinal case study of coordination and cooperation between city planners and private developers for vehicle access-without-ownership provision for residents in an area they are planning together. Drawing on an understanding of coordination and cooperation as contingent on its institutional context, we show how frictions between rules, norms and understandings pervade efforts at deciding on value creation and capture. Thus we contribute to the understanding of circular business model development in general and public-private development in particular.