A circular economy approach to sustainability not only reduces the use of and conserves raw materials, but it also increases the consumption of refurbished, repurposed and reused eco-designed products, and in prolonging the lifespan of materials and products, it is an economically viable approach to business. This Special Issue aims to bring together an eclectic review of emerging approaches to circular economy in product design and remanufacture – for example, in the Higher Education sector, office furnishing and consumer products. This wide-reaching Special Issue is particularly interested in successful storytelling, case studies and advice for the circular economy sector with a focus on the wide benefits of circular economy to sustainable business success. As you will no doubt be aware, a circular economy approach to sustainable business is evolving rapidly amongst both global brands and small local entrepreneurial businesses. The circular economy can endure many barriers, including traditionalist procurement approaches to buy new for quality and reassurance, and the inability to reuse, remanufacture and repurpose certain material which make up an original product (such as some plastics). Marketers are starting to value the unique selling proposition of a circular economy approach to strategic positioning and increasingly recognize the economic benefits of such an approach. This issue will focus on storytelling and success stories, providing inspiration to future circular economy enthusiasts and social entrepreneurs. There is an abundance of literature defining and promoting circular economy as the way forward; however, there is little evidence of the success of this approach in brand positioning, market share, consumption preferences, stakeholder involvement, long term customer loyalty and satisfaction or economic benefits and profit. The purpose of this Special Issue is to offer an outlet for storytelling, case study writing and research papers focusing on the implementation of a circular economy approach across a wide range of business sectors, from consumer products to office furniture. This issue will supplement the theoretical approaches to research in the area by providing evidence through examples of managing product design and remanufacture, barriers to implementation and market leadership.
Keywords: circular economy; sustainability; storytelling; case studies.