ACCES THE SEMINAR VIA TEAMS

Mismatch between Corporate Circular Economy Practices and Literature: Sustainability Report Analysis of Highly-rated EGS Companies

Paper presented at the 29th International Annual EurOMA Conference and the Evidence for Action 2021 International symposium in July, 2021.

Abstract

Despite an increased interest in Circular Economy (CE), it remains unclear what are the CE practices conducted in corporations, let alone their impact on the firm’s performance. In this paper, we innovate by applying content analysis methods on ESG reports of U.S. firms to identify the CE practices applied in corporations. Based on the framework of 10R (Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover), we identify corporate practices for each of the 10R. The practices relating to Reduce and Recycle are the most popular, whereas the practices relating to Refuse, Repurpose, Rethink, and Refurbish are marginal. We also find that such practices are industry-specific and time-varying. Finally, we find that CE practices have a significant and positive impact on the firm’s future performance, while they help reduce the cost-of-capital. 

Sirilertsuwan, P., Izquierdo Montfort, J. O., De Rongé, Y. & Thewissen J. Mismatch between Corporate Circular Economy Practices and Literature: Sustainability Report Analysis of Highly-rated EGS Companies. Peer-reviewed conference paper presented at the EurOMA conference and the Evidence for Action symposium, July, 2021

Register here. A sandwich is offered to participants who have registered before October 26.