User-centered circular value propositions – approaches in practice and research

Circular value propositions enable companies to build business models based on value preservation and circular resource flows. Circular value propositions also allow people to live more sustainably by facilitating increased utilization and resource efficiency. However, despite potential, transitions to circular business models remain low. One reason may be that circular value propositions are less attractive because they are often not developed with a user-centered approach and thus fail to meet people’s everyday needs. Through interviews with 13 companies and a literature study, this paper explores how companies consider user needs and involve users during development of circular value propositions. It also identifies conditions and actions that aid development of attractive circular offers. The findings are synthesized in a framework describing six enabling conditions and a definition of user-centered circular value propositions useful for circular economy practice and research.
The authors would like to thank the interview participants for so openly sharing their experiences and valuable insights. The authors also acknowledge the two anonymous reviewers for their feedback which contributed to enhancing this manuscript. The research presented in this paper is part of the project Game-Based Approaches to Create Innovative Circular Value Propositions ( https://www.ri.se/en/what-we-do/projects/circular-co-creation-games ), which has received funding from the Swedish research council FORMAS , grant number 2021-02521 .