Florian Lüdeke-Freund

A Review and Typology of Circular Economy Business Model Patterns

The circular economy (CE) requires companies to rethink their supply chains and business models. Several frameworks found in the academic and practitioner literature propose circular economy business models (CEBMs) to redefine how companies create value while adhering to CE principles. A review of these frameworks shows that some models are frequently discussed, some are framework specific, and some use a different wording to refer to similar CEBMs, pointing to the need to consolidate the current state of the art. We conduct a morphological analysis of 26 current CEBMs from the literature, which includes defining their major business model dimensions and identifying the specific characteristics of these dimensions. Based on this analysis, we identify a broad range of business model design options and propose six major CEBM patterns with the potential to support the closing of resource flows: repair and maintenance; reuse and redistribution; refurbishment and remanufacturing; recycling; cascading and repurposing; and organic feedstock business model patterns. We also discuss different design strategies to support the development of these CEBMs.

Research on Sustainable Business Model Patterns: Status quo, Methodological Issues, and a Research Agenda

This chapter describes avenues for future research to develop a “sustainable business model pattern language.” The chapter reflects on how sustainable business model (SBM) patterns can be identified, described, and turned into a design language to support the development of more sustainable organisations. Such organisations solve ecological, social, and economic problems through new approaches to proposing, delivering, capturing, and creating value. Theoretical and conceptual elements as well as methodological issues of developing an SBM pattern language are discussed. The value of using patterns in practice is illustrated with two business model innovation tools, one analogue and one digital, that use different patterns, including revenue and pricing, circular economy, and SBM patterns. Finally, questions for future research are proposed.

Wertebasierte Geschäftsmodellierung – Ein Werkzeugkasten für nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Gründer und Innovatoren

Verantwortliche in CSR und Innovations- und Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement stehen vor der Herausforderung, Beteiligte aus unterschiedlichen Wissenskulturen und mit unterschiedlichen Interessen in einen werteorientierten Gestaltungsprozess einzubinden. Hier setzen Methoden der wertebasierten Geschaftsmodellierung und Innovation an. Mehrere dieser Methoden wurden in einer Art Werkzeugkasten, dem Business Innovation Kit, so aufbereitet, dass Sie nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Grunder, Innovatoren und Studierende bei der Geschaftsmodellierung unterstutzen und sie durch einen selbsterklarenden Prozess fuhren. Entscheidende Momente dieses Prozesses sind die Klarung handlungsleitender Wertvorstellungen, die Unterscheidung von Reifegraden sowie die Identifikation und Ausgestaltung von Treibern fur nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Unternehmensentwicklung. Der Beitrag stellt die entsprechenden Methoden und die Ihnen zugrundeliegenden Theorien vor und beschreibt eine Reihe von erfolgreich in der Praxis erprobten Anwendungsfallen.

Values-Based Business Model Innovation: A Toolkit

Post-heroic management and research on innovation culture suggest bottom-up strategies to enhance innovation capabilities in organisations. Meanwhile, the open innovation paradigm suggests complementing inside-out activities by outside-in sourcing of ideas, knowledge, and capabilities. Observing an increasing demand for orientation in these activities, we argue that the re-consideration of values—such as ecological sustainability or social justice—may provide the required sense of direction and offer a widely untapped source of innovation. Our framework for values-based innovation management offers a re-foundation of management in general and innovation in particular in that it emphasises the importance of values for normative, strategic, and operational innovation and its management. A methodology and toolkit were developed to realise values-based and sustainability-oriented business model innovation in practice, the so called Business Innovation Kit and Sustainability Innovation Pack. This toolkit builds on a didactic approach that supports self-guided ideation and innovation processes in mixed teams through the definition of values providing a “common ground”, exemplification through cases and business model patterns, ideation for single business model components, and modelling relations across components and models. The methodology underlying this tool supports values-based and thus also sustainability-oriented modelling in collaborative settings. It accounts for the participants’ varying and potentially conflicting values and normative orientations. This chapter describes the concept of values-based innovation, the underlying methodology of values-based and sustainability-oriented business modelling, the toolkit itself, as well as a reflection of practical experience gained with the toolkit.