Marketing Approaches for a Circular Economy: Using Design Frameworks to Interpret Online Communications

Lucy Chamberlin,Casper Boks

doi:10.3390/su10062070

Lucy Chamberlin, Casper Boks

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062070

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jun 19, 2018
Citations: 66	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Abstract

The Circular Economy has been posited as a solution to the rise of environmental decimation with growing global economic prosperity, by introducing new systems of production, consumption, and disposal. Current literature has explored circular economy business models, such as product service systems (PSSs), and has identified some issues that represent both behavioral barriers and motivating factors when it comes to consumer acceptance of these new models. However, there are few studies that incorporate a marketing and communications perspective on the circular economy or which focus on the ways in which businesses providing circular products or services currently use communications to market their offerings and influence consumer behavior. This paper represents an initial, exploratory study that identifies ten groups of concerns or ‘factors’ from the literature that affect consumer acceptance of circular value propositions. It then uses two models from the field of design (Dimensions of Behavior Change and Design with Intent) to interpret examples of web communications from four retailers of circular products and services, and to suggest future marketing and communications strategies for use in business and research. It finds that design frameworks can provide a relevant and comprehensive means to analyze marketing strategies and suggest less binary approaches than for instance green marketing.

Highlights

Human existence as we know it is increasingly under threat from the pressure placed on Earth’s systems by population growth and increasing activities related to production and consumption
An exact definition of circular economy still lacks consensus, but it is generally agreed that current business models, products and services must be redesigned so that ‘linear’ models ending in waste are replaced by those incorporating durability, re-use, repair, refurbishment, and recycling [2]
Circular economy literature has mostly focused on service and business model changes, and has somewhat neglected the significant shift required from consumers to accept these changes [4]

Summary

Introduction

Human existence as we know it is increasingly under threat from the pressure placed on Earth’s systems by population growth and increasing activities related to production and consumption. An exact definition of circular economy still lacks consensus, but it is generally agreed that current business models, products and services must be redesigned so that ‘linear’ models ending in waste are replaced by those incorporating durability, re-use, repair, refurbishment, and recycling [2]. In the case of business models, one-off sales would be replaced by access or rental, often referred to as product service systems or PSS [3]. A consumption-based lifestyle remains entrenched, and circular economy models such as repair or rental need to be made attractive to consumers accustomed to fast acquisition and disposal [8]

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