An Explorative Study of Circularity Practices in Swedish Manufacturing Companies

Abstract

Due to the accelerating global warming crisis, interest in the concept of circular economy (CE) has started to excel. Adapting to a CE is especially important for manufacturing companies as they play major part in the global warming crisis. Hence, studying how manufacturing companies are transitioning to fit in a CE is highly relevant. Thus, the research question posed in this study is: How are manufacturing companies approaching circularity and which circularity practices can be identified? To answer the research question, a document study was carried out, wherein the latest available sustainability reports of the 20 largest manufacturing companies in Sweden were studied. A four-step process was followed, including sample selection, circularity extraction, data coding and data analysis. The findings include the creation of 61 unique circularity categories based on numerous identified circularity practices. This study focused identifying circularity practices, not only from a product perspective but for all resources and assets utilized by the company; hence, whilst many of the identified circularity practices involve product design, circularity practices have also been identified related uniquely to, e.g., manufacturing, for instance, in terms of reusing resources. Practical implications for this study include a clear overview of how Swedish manufacturing companies are working towards circularity and which specific circularity practices they mention in their sustainability reports.