Correspondence: rannveig.hjaltadottir@nord.no

Summary of the Session’s Theme and Objectives

Peripheral regions are often described as institutionally thin, lacking in specialised services and Human Capital and have high levels of traditional industries and with innovation levels under the national average. Sustainable transformation and CE depend on innovation, including product and process innovation, as well as business models, digital policies, supply chains, and social innovation. This is challenging as most innovation systems, designed for technological innovation and specifically for thin, peripheral systems. Different types of innovations also need to coincide and function in unison as CE innovation bundles, e.g. the need for policy innovation to support CE business models or the need for digital innovation for CE supply chain development. CE innovation is the combination of global challenges and the need for locally adjusted actions where the periphery needs to invent locally relevant solutions building on regional strengths rather than focusing on replicating central systems. This further relates this discussion to recent literature on regional resilience and innovation for meeting grand social challenges.

The main aim of the session is to expand the understanding of the interconnection of innovation, Circular Economy and peripheral innovation systems, for sustainable development in peripheral regions. We want to bring together researchers from different fields and backgrounds to expand the understanding of the peripheral, geographical and sustainable dimensions of innovation for the circular economy, emphasising the interdisciplinary and multi-scale nature of the territory. Thus, we invite conceptual and empirical research paper submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following issues:

List of Topics to Be Presented in the Special Session

• Innovation for CE in peripheral regions, challenges and opportunities
• Arctic peripheral regions and CE innovation and development
• System view on CE transitions and innovation in peripheral regions
• From peripheral to a CE innovation hub: beyond lock-ins and current pathways
• Understanding actors in peripheral circular innovation systems
• Dark horses of CE innovation: understanding peripheral as an a-spatial concept
• Resilience in peripheral regions in meeting sustainability challenges
• The role of CE innovation in meeting Grand challenges in Arctic regions
• Management and Human Resources for CE in peripheral regions
• Metrics and assessments of CE and innovation in peripheral regions
• Developing and attracting CE-specific knowledge and services in peripheral regions

Key References

Asheim, B. T., Smith, H. L., & Oughton, C. (2011). Regional Innovation Systems: Theory, Empirics and Policy. Regional Studies, 45(7), 875-891. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2011.596701

Grillitsch, M., & Nilsson, M. (2015). Innovation in peripheral regions: Do collaborations compensate for a lack of local knowledge spillovers? The Annals of Regional Science, 54(1), 299-321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-014-0655-8

Isaksen, A., & Trippl, M. (2017). Exogenously Led and Policy-Supported New Path Development in Peripheral Regions: Analytical and Synthetic Routes. Economic Geography, 93(5), 436-457. https://doi.org/10.1080/00130095.2016.1154443

Isaksen, A., Trippl, M., & Mayer, H. (2022). Regional innovation systems in an era of grand societal challenges: reorientation versus transformation. European Planning Studies, 30(11), 2125-2138. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2022.2084226

Jesus, G. M. K., & Jugend, D. (2023). How can open innovation contribute to circular economy adoption? Insights from a literature review. European Journal of Innovation Management, 26(1), 65-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-01-2021-0022

Konietzko, J., Bocken, N., & Hultink, E. J. (2020). A Tool to Analyze, Ideate and Develop Circular Innovation Ecosystems. Sustainability, 12(1), 417. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/417

Pieroni, M. P. P., McAloone, T. C., & Pigosso, D. C. A. (2021). Circular economy business model innovation: Sectorial patterns within manufacturing companies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 286, 124921. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124921

Suchek, N., Fernandes, C. I., Kraus, S., Filser, M., & Sjögrén, H. (2021). Innovation and the circular economy: A systematic literature review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(8), 3686-3702. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2834

Tödtling, F., Trippl, M., & Desch, V. (2022). New directions for RIS studies and policies in the face of grand societal challenges. European Planning Studies, 30(11), 2139-2156. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1951177

Trippl, M., Asheim, B., & Miörner, J. (2016). Identification of regions with less-developed research and innovation systems. In Innovation drivers and regional innovation strategies (pp. 23-44). Routledge. 

Vann Yaroson, E., Chowdhury, S., Mangla, S. K., Dey, P., Chan, F. T. S., & Roux, M. (2024). A systematic literature review exploring and linking circular economy and sustainable development goals in the past three decades (1991–2022). International Journal of Production Research, 62(4), 1399-1433. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2023.2270586