TY - JOUR
T1 - Waste treatment company decision-making in a complex system of markets influenced by the circular economy
AU - Snellinx, Stien
AU - Van Meensel, Jef
AU - Farahbakhsh, Siavash
AU - Bourgeois, Liselot
AU - Mertens, Anouk
AU - Lauwers, Ludwig
AU - Buysse, Jeroen
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - As waste treatment companies are pivotal for a shift towards the circular economy, more insight into their decision-making process is needed. This paper explores how waste treatment companies make decisions facing the circular economy by using a qualitative research approach (semi-structured interviews, workshop, focus group) with 10 companies and experts across the EU in a framework of four interrelated markets. We found that the circular economy will exacerbate competition across markets, which creates difficulties for both public and private waste treatment companies to make the shift towards the circular economy in a changing technology landscape. Furthermore, there are institutional contradictions that arise due to lagging support mechanisms, leaving waste treatment companies with significant uncertainties concerning their transfer to a circular economy. Therefore, waste treatment companies will require a regulatory framework that meets their needs across various markets.
AB - As waste treatment companies are pivotal for a shift towards the circular economy, more insight into their decision-making process is needed. This paper explores how waste treatment companies make decisions facing the circular economy by using a qualitative research approach (semi-structured interviews, workshop, focus group) with 10 companies and experts across the EU in a framework of four interrelated markets. We found that the circular economy will exacerbate competition across markets, which creates difficulties for both public and private waste treatment companies to make the shift towards the circular economy in a changing technology landscape. Furthermore, there are institutional contradictions that arise due to lagging support mechanisms, leaving waste treatment companies with significant uncertainties concerning their transfer to a circular economy. Therefore, waste treatment companies will require a regulatory framework that meets their needs across various markets.
KW - B410-agricultural-hydrology
KW - circular economy
KW - waste treatment
KW - market interactions
KW - technology investment
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129672
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129672
M3 - A1: Web of Science-article
SN - 0959-6526
VL - 328
JO - Journal of Cleaner Production
JF - Journal of Cleaner Production
M1 - 129672
ER -