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Johanna C. Zeller
Collaborative Innovation and Stakeholder Engagement in the Transition to a
Circular Economy
Evidence from the Construction lndustry
The progression of climate change presents significant challenges, the most daunting of which being how to manage the negative impact it has on the environment, the economy and society. The circular economy (CE) addresses such challenges as a solution to the current linear economy (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013). Despite initial regulatory frameworks, such as those at EU level, and other drivers, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the transition to CE is still in its infancy (Circle Economy, 2025). CE implementation requires not only technological innovation but also novel business models, adjusted networks for value creation and close collaboration between involved parties. Yet, knowledge about these processes is limited (Govindan & Hasanagic, 2018; Suchek et al., 2021). Notably, insights into complex industries, such as the construction industry, which has a major negative environmental impact, are lacking (Suchek et al., 2021; Van Keulen & Kirchherr, 2021).
This dissertation focuses on the role of collaborative innovation and stakeholder engagement in the transition to CE in the German construction industry in two consecutive studies. The first study addresses the question of how collaboration can support innovation for the transi-tion to a circular construction industry. Circular product, process and business model innova-tions are vital, while digital innovation must be further expanded. The study highlights the importance of a systemic understanding of innovation and shows that leaders in the construc-tion industry need to adopt a more holistic approach to CE, emphasising bottom-up approaches to promote change at the management level. Project-based, innovation-based and network-based collaboration were identified as primary contexts for collaboration, each supporting the transition and associated CE innovation in its own way.
The second study builds on this and provides an in-depth understanding of the potential impact of inter-organisational networks on the industry’s CE transition based on seven typologies of inter-organisational networks that operate at different levels. Three forms of impact were iden-tified: inspiring, enabling and shaping. This confirmed the importance of inter-organisational networks as a platform for collaboration outside construction projects and for forming CE alliances. It presents a potential and necessary avenue for collaboration in the project-focused construction industry. This dissertation makes a comprehensive contribution to promoting CE in building construc-tion and highlights the crucial roles of stakeholders, networks and political players. The study not only identifies practical challenges and potential but also offers concrete suggestions for implementation and further research. It provides guidelines for players in the construction in-dustry on how to set up a collaborative innovation process, build inter-organisational networks and engage the right stakeholders.
