Sustainable Circular Business Ecosystem in Plastic Waste Supply Chain: Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

The application of CE is important for plastic waste supply chain since the linear approach of current situation may lead to harmful environmental impact since plastic waste may pollute the ocean for hundred years by its microplastic pollutant. Circular business ecosystem (CBE) provided more understanding for circular economy (CE) implementation towards its broad context that involve the various stakeholders’ values and their collaborative manner. The CBE also views the CBM firms’ strategy instead only its business model Development and their collaboration potential with other parties. The collaboration also identifies the government role to produce policy to support CE. However, if the study to provide a sustainable CBE is depending on the current three sustainability dimensions (economic, social, and environment), then the result is lacking on this collaborative manner. It is also found that the previous studies mostly over focused on economic and environmental issues, leaving the social impact to be rarely discussed although many benefits can be produced such as job creation. The study on the marketing strategies to enhance interaction between CBM firms and community also lacking. Hence, this study aims to map company positioning in their marketing strategies with consumer preferences in the sustainability dimensions, which consider Institutional (policy) and technical (infrastructure and technology) in addition to social, economic, and environmental aspects for a sustainable CBE within plastic waste supply chain. The study utilised multiple case studies on several CBM firms in Indonesia and a waste management company situated in Norway to identify the CBM firms focus on five sustainability dimensions. These case studies then analysed using risk management approach, 7Ps marketing mix, and five domains of digital business model. Several causal-loop diagram and rich pictures were produced. This research also distributes survey to 1,000 respondents from six large cities in Indonesia including Jakarta. This survey measured the community perspective on importance level, actual, and ideal condition of plastic waste in Indonesia according to five sustainability dimensions. The linear model predicting necessary behaviour for plastic waste segregation, reduction, and recycling were resulted. It also found that the community concerns about waste workers’ safety and health, regulations, and available infrastructures. They also pay attention to river and microplastic pollutant potential from plastic waste. Three conference papers and four journal papers are appended to this doctoral thesis. The results from these papers are presented and contributed to develop business models, strategies, and policies for a sustainable circular business ecosystem. It will be beneficial for circular business practitioners, government, and other organisations related to circular economy implementation in plastic waste supply chain.