Conceptual Integration of Digitalization and Servitization as Means to Introduce the Circular Economy
2022 (English)In: Advances in Transdisciplinary Engineering, IOS Press BV , 2022, Vol. 21, p. 304-315Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
The Circular Economy (CE) can be implemented with different strategies. In this analysis, it is assumed that there is a desire to find a CE introduction strategy that leads to as rapid and environmentally friendly increase of resource-efficiency as possible. It is further assumed that an introduction strategy needs to take full advantage of other resource-efficiency concepts, societal trends, and developments. It is observed that the ongoing Digitalization and Servitization trends have been found to significantly affect each other, and as Digitalization impacts the possibility to make operations more resource-efficient, and Servitization means a change in the business model, it is assumed that those trends affect the incentives and possibilities for companies to develop Circular Solutions (CS) suitable for the CE, and that it is relevant to ask how. The purpose of this is to contribute to the development of a resource-efficiency concept that synthesizes Digitalization and Servitization, to contribute with suggestions on how to efficiently introduce the CE. It is asked; What measures may take advantage of the Digitalization and Servitization trends, and efficiently facilitate introduction of the CE? To find the answer a theory synthesis conceptual approach is used, and it is analyzed how Digitalization and Servitization trends can contribute to increasing resource-efficiency, and what implications these trends may have on a strategy for the development of CS and the introduction of the CE. The findings indicate that companies interested in enacting resource-efficiency measures and being important actors in the future CE, should have their main focus on business models that incentivizes development of CS, rather than on techniques that enables the development of CS. This further indicates that an efficient CE strategy should prioritize policies that give actors responsible for procurement and purchasing, incentives to 'servitize' their purchasing strategy. © 2022 The authors and IOS Press.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
IOS Press BV , 2022. Vol. 21, p. 304-315
Keywords [en]
Circular Economy, Digital Platforms, Digitalization, Servitization, Business models, Circular solution, Conceptual approaches, Introduction strategy, Resource efficiencies, Resource-efficient, Efficiency
National Category
Other Engineering and Technologies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-59849DOI: 10.3233/ATDE220149Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85132840741ISBN: 9781614994398 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-59849DiVA, id: diva2:1685320
Conference
10th Swedish Production Symposium, SPS 2022, 26 April 2022 through 29 April 2022
Note
Conference Paper; Correspondence Address: Grahn, S.; Mälardalen UniversitySweden; email: sten.grahn@mdh.se; Funding details: VINNOVA; Funding text 1: This study was part of the research projects: DIPPA, Flap, and IoTCircProd, financed by the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova). The research was performed in the context of the XPRES environment at RISE IVF AB and MDU.
2022-08-022022-08-022023-06-08Bibliographically approved