Correspondence: stefanousai@unica.it

Summary of the Session’s Theme and Objectives

Economic activity has been and still is dominated by a linear “make-use-dispose” model that depletes natural resources and degrades the natural environment at an alarming rate. Systemic changes are needed to deal with the climate, nature, and pollution crises facing our societies. Transitioning to a circular economy (CE) that operates with closed material loops is seen as part of the solution to create a sustainable future.
The session invites contributions on indicators and models for analysing the determinants and effects of innovation dynamics designed to enable and boost the transition to the Circular Economy paradigm. The focus is local systemic interactions among firms, universities and institutions; global dynamics and international spillovers; employment, skills reconfiguration and wage differentials; and regional policies for CE innovation and smart specialisation.

List of Topics to Be Presented in the Special Session

• Circular indicators and metrics
• Circular innovation ecosystems
• Innovation for the circular economy
• Labour market dynamics and inequalities in the circular economy
• Structural change for circularity
• Circular global dynamics
• Policies and strategies for innovation-driven circular economy transition

Key References

1. Bocken, N. M. P., de Pauw, I., Bakker, C., & van der Grinten, B. (2016). Product design and business model strategies for a circular economy. Journal of Industrial and Production Engineering, 33(5), 308–320.
2. Bourdin, S. and A. Torre (2024), Economic geography’s contribution to understanding the circular economy, Journal of Economic Geography, 1-16.
3. Buyukyazici D and F Quatraro (2025), The skill requirements of the circular economy, Ecological Economics 232, 108559
4. Cainelli, G., D’Amato, A., & Mazzanti, M. (2020). Resource efficient eco-innovations for a circular economy: Evidence from EU firms. Research Policy, 49(1).
5. Corona B., Shen L., Reike D., Rosales Carreón J., and E. Worrell (2019), Towards sustainable development through the circular economy—A review and critical assessment on current circularity metrics, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 151.
6. Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2013). Towards the Circular Economy Vol. 1: An Economic and Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition.
7. Ghisetti C and Montresor S. (2019), On the adoption of circular economy practices by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs): does “financing-as-usual” still matter? Journal of Evolutionary Economics 30:559–586
8. Fusillo, F., Quatraro, F., & Santhia’, C. (2024). Leveraging on Circular Economy Technologies for Recombinant Dynamics: Do Localized Knowledge and Digital Complementarities Matter? Regional Studies, 59(1).
9. Jakobsen, Siri., Lauvås, Thomas., Quatraro, Francesco., Rasmussen, Einar., & Steinmo, Marianne. (2021). Research handbook of innovation for a circular economy. Edward Elgar Publishing.
10. Molden Lars , Dolores Modic, Einar Rasmussen, Siri Jakobsen and Wim Vanhaverbeke (2025), Research Handbook of Innovation in the Circular Bioeconomy, Edward Elgar