An Overview of the Circular Economy among SMEs in the Basque Country: A Multiple Case Study

Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country. Findings:...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Ormazabal, Marta, Prieto-Sandoval, Vanessa, Jaca García, Carmen, Santos-García, Javier
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/99590
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/99590
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/jiem.2065
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Circular economy
Small business--Environmental aspects
Industrial ecology -- País Vasco (Spain)
Basque industry
Industrial ecology
Empreses petites i mitjanes -- Aspectes ambientals
Ecologia industrial -- País Basc
Economia circular
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses::Impacte ambiental
Descrição
Resumo:Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country. Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources. Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.