The Implementation of the Circular Economy R-Principles and Strategies: The Portuguese Hotel Industry Perspective

Abstract

Circular Economy (CE) is a concept that has been gaining increasing importance in business circles and advocated by European Union, and by several governments worldwide. It is acknowledged that it has the potential to optimise resource efficiency, minimise production and consumption of greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously granting competitive advantage business prospects. Although it has been gaining momentum among academia, politicians, and practitioners, it is apparent some struggling when it comes to the design of a framework explaining how companies can embrace circularity and on how to adapt their business model to this new economic system. Despite its importance and applicability by the travel and tourism sector in general and the hotel industry in particular, it is insufficiently studied and examined. This empirical study investigates this concept on the Portuguese hotel industry perspective concerning the adoption of CE practices and CE R-principles through a survey instrument disseminated across the Portuguese hotel industry, with 78 valid responses. This article also introduces a new set of R-principles to the already existing ones, and contributes to the scientific research on the travel and tourism industry, and mainly to the one linked with the Portuguese hotel industry, which has been vaguely examined up to now. The results obtained indicate that these R-principles have been gaining importance, being adopted, and put into practice by the Portuguese hotel industry with special emphasis on the 3R-Principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) along with Repair. Findings also indicate that some initiatives that are in line with a Circular Economy paradigm, namely recycling, reducing water and energy consumption, and cleaning management policies, towel and bed linen programmes, staff and education programmes, green products, certifications, among others, are also being considered.