@article{2025:takacs:breaking_b,
title = {Breaking Barriers: Accelerating the Transition to a Circular Economy},
year = {2025},
note = {Global resource consumption is continuously increasing, accelerating
the transgression of planetary boundaries. Solving the related
environmental problems requires targeted action and
a systemic transition from the prevailing linear economic model to a
circular one. This paper adopts a systemic approach to identify the
transition barriers across relevant levels, including product,
business, ecosystem, industry, and society/regulation systems. It
contributes to research by structuring and mapping the barriers based
on eight underlying mechanisms. These mechanisms help explain how the
barriers function and why they hinder the transition of
socio-technical regimes from linear to circular ones. For example, the
Prisoner’s Dilemma describes how short-term self-interests often
overrule collective benefits and leads to suboptimal outcomes. The
mechanisms also provide insights into potential solutions for
addressing the barriers and accelerating the implementation of a
circular economy. Illustrative examples from practice are introduced
to demonstrate that “breaking barriers” is both possible and
necessary—primarily through various forms of collaboration.},
journal = {Swiss Journal of Business},
pages = {205--240},
author = {Takacs, Fabian and Braun, Manuel and Wehinger, Marie and Frankenberger, Karolin},
volume = {79},
number = {3}
}