Unlocking Digital Circularity

Abstract

This thesis investigates the socio-technical conditions under which information from digital circular-economy platforms can support organisational action for circular-performance improvement in business-to-business waste-value ecosystems. Resource scarcity, growing waste streams, and increasing environmental pressure make the transition towards a circular economy an urgent societal and organisational challenge. Digital circular-economy platforms are increasingly expected to support this transition by making waste flows, environmental indicators, costs, and circular performance visible. However, making information visible does not automatically lead to organisational action for circular-performance improvement. This study therefore develops an actionable engagement mechanism that identifies the socio-technical conditions under which waste-related platform information can be translated from visibility into organisational action.

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed, combining a literature review, quantitative data analysis, and qualitative semi-structured interviews to construct and refine the mechanism. The quantitative findings show that platform engagement is multidimensional, uneven, and context-dependent and should therefore not be treated as a single overarching proxy for organisational engagement. They further show that neither frequent nor structural dashboard use alone provides a reliable indication that waste-related information is translated into organisational action for circular-performance improvement.

The qualitative findings identify four points at which the translation from visibility to actionability can break down. First, dashboard information requires contextual interpretation because waste-related indicators do not explain themselves. Second, information may become embedded in reporting routines without entering operational routines in which follow-up can be initiated. Third, a monitoring-action gap may arise when the actors who monitor platform information are not the actors who can change waste-producing practices. Fourth, follow-up may be constrained by dependencies on suppliers, collectors, processors, regulation, and available revalorisation routes within the wider waste-value ecosystem. Together, these findings show that usefulness for visibility, monitoring, and reporting does not automatically imply actionability.

The actionable engagement mechanism consists of five interconnected socio-technical conditions: data confidence, contextual interpretation, operational routine embedding, connected ownership, and feasible follow-up. It explains that waste-related information becomes actionable when users trust the data and understand its meaning, when insights are embedded in recurring operational routines, when monitoring is connected to actors with responsibility and decision-making authority, and when improvement opportunities are feasible within the wider waste-value ecosystem. The mechanism provides practical guidance for platform providers, client organisations, and policymakers seeking to move digital circularity beyond transparency and reporting towards circular value creation. The thesis also contributes to the broader fields of digital circularity and socio-technical information systems by integrating fragmented theoretical insights into the actionable engagement mechanism developed specifically for business-to-business waste-value ecosystems.