Abstract
Scopo. La pandemia di Coronavirus ha mostrato gli enormi limiti del modello dominante che governa l'economia e la società globale sottolineando l'urgente necessità di rivisitarne le fondamenta. In questo contesto, le Piccole e Medie Imprese (PMI), così come le start-up circolari innovative, stanno adottando nuovi modelli di business in cui la cura delle persone, dell'ambiente e della società assume un ruolo chiave.
Design/metodologia/approccio. Questo articolo analizza, attraverso un approccio di studio multiplo, i modelli di business di tre start-up circolari di recente fondazione con l'obiettivo principale di comprendere come contribuiscono a realizzare una società più inclusiva, che pone più attenzione alle persone e rispettosa dell'ambiente.
Risultati. I tre casi studio analizzati mostrano come le start-up circolari, concentrandosi sulla progettazione di prodotti e processi più innovativi per la valorizzazione dei sottoprodotti o dei rifiuti, abbiano creato nuove forme di imprenditorialità in grado di generare impatti sociali positivi diversi da quelli ambientali ed economici.
Implicazioni pratiche e sociali. I risultati mostrano che modelli ambientalmente sostenibili e socialmente innovativi potrebbero supportare meglio le aziende nell'affrontare eventi critici, come la malattia COVID-19, migliorando la propria resilienza e capacità di rispondere adeguatamente a situazioni così difficili.
Originalità dello studio. Questo studio tenta di mettere in luce ulteriormente le start-up circolari e le loro attività. La letteratura internazionale mostra che le start-up circolari sembrano attualmente molto adatte ad adottare strategie circolari dirompenti e i necessari progressi culturali ed etici per la transizione verso l'Economia Circolare (CE). Il loro approccio innovativo potrebbe essere un forte catalizzatore per le grandi aziende già consolidate, stimolandole a sviluppare innovazioni di modelli di business circolari.
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