Abstract
European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 99% of total EU business and contribute 85% to employment by providing 2/3 of total private sector jobs (Eurostat, 2018). The challenge launched by the EU to make the economy more circular is a great opportunity that companies, even small ones, must be able to seize. The Covid-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine and the consequent volatility of raw materials price strengthen the need to shift from a linear economy (LE) to a circular economy (CE) to overcome a no longer sustainable development model. While large companies are more organised in handling transition to the CE in a holistic way, SME) apply isolated and focused circular practices and struggle to rethink their business model. Existing literature outlines the main assets for sustainable competitive success: a governance oriented towards responsibility; the relationships with stakeholders; the attitude to innovation. At the same time, great focus is put on various aspects of CE implementation (e.g., core principles, business models, risk management, measurement tools, reporting). However, the need for an integrated approach to the CE transition (Chen, 2020) still remains; in particular, such an approach should drive the objective setting Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca MUR - BANDO 2022 and selection of actions and resources to support the adoption of circular models, jointly enhancing the main assets of sustainable development. This research aims to: fill a gap highlighted in the literature by providing a methodological approach to support SMEs’ strategic transition to the CE in a comprehensive manner (Lewandowski, 2016; Korhonen et al., 2017); provide SMEs with an application model, which takes the form of a strategic management tool for the evaluation and planning of circularity, and which guarantees a strategic and non-fragmented approach to the CE, also considering different sector specificities. The model planning is based on the engagement of key stakeholders for the selection of relevant sectors for the achievement of the SDGs, the identification of key performance indicators and sectoral benchmarks for each CE founding asset, as well as the testing activity in pilot companies and geographical areas. Finally, the research outcomes will be disseminated to the national and international scientific community and local territories to make the model usable by SMEs. The project proposal can have significant impacts. It benefits the international scientific community through further advancement of knowledge, bridging an existing gap by emphasising the need to approach the CE with a systemic and integrated governance vision. Moreover, the project provides a practical contribution to society and economy: SMEs will be able to enjoy support, also useful to attract both private funds, as required by the European regulation on taxonomy for sustainable activities, and public financing, as provided by Italy’s 2021 Budget Law and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
Results achieved
The research project aimed to develop a multidimensional and integrated decision-making model to support the transition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) towards the circular economy (CE). The project pursued the overarching objective of accompanying SMEs along a structured and informed transition pathway towards the circular economy, overcoming a purely technical or operational perspective and promoting a strategic and systemic approach. From this standpoint, the project sought to integrate within a single analytical framework the main assets of the circular economy (governance, stakeholder relationships and innovation) considered as interdependent dimensions jointly influencing firms’ strategic and operational choices. Operationally: Obj.1 Advancement of the state of the art on circular economy in SMEs Obj.2 Support SMEs in the strategic transition towards the circular economy Risultati attesi Formulation of a decision-making model capable of supporting SMEs in the assessment and planning of their circular economy strategies, simultaneously accounting for economic-financial, organizational, relational and contextual factors. This objective was articulated, on the one hand, in the identification of the most relevant circular economy practices for sectors characterized by high environmental impact and strong institutional and market pressure, and, on the other hand, in the definition of an operational model enabling SMEs to consciously orient their transition pathways, overcoming fragmented and non-systemic approaches. Risultati conseguiti Literature review to identify factors, drivers and obstacles to circular economy in the packaging sector that was the main focus of investigation for Bologna Uiiversity Design of a survey to SMEs operating in the packaging industry in Italy Application of the Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) to develop a decision-making model for SMEs Dissemination and engagement activities coordinated by Bologna University: - organizzazione di un convegno nazionale organizato il 27 maggio 2025, presso il Campus di Rimini dell’Ateneo di Bologna dal titolo “𝗡𝗨𝗢𝗩𝗜 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜 𝗗𝗜 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜 𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗔’ 𝗗𝗜 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗭𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗟’ 𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗔 𝗖𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗘: 𝗜𝗟 𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗜 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔 𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗢 𝗔𝗭𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗘” dove sono stati presentati i primi risultati del progetto e sono state coinvolti stakeholders come regione emilia romagna, ATER, ENEA, CNA, Ordine commercialiisti, ecc. - pubblicazione di due book chapters e del libro collettaneo “La transizione delle PMI verso l’economia circolare: percorsi, sfide e modelli decisionali” (Gennari F., Aureli S., Murmura F., eds.), Giappichelli, Book Series ‘Business Administration and Accounting Studies’ Progetto finanziato nell’ambito del Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza PNRR - Missione 4 – Componente 2 – Investimento 1.1 “Fondo per il Programma Nazionale di Ricerca e Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)” (Bando indetto con D.D. del MUR n. 104 del 02/02/2022). - presentazione di due papers che sono stati poi pubblicati come conference proceediings: - Aureli S., Foschi E., Mombassier A. (2026), Strategie di sostenibilità e governance: un’analisi multidimensionale e multi-livello dei fattori che impattano sull’adozione delle pratiche di economia circolare nelle PMI del settore packaging, paper presented at AIDEA 2026 Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 22-24 gennaio 2026 - Aureli S. and Mobasser A. (2026) “Barriers and Drivers of Circular Economy Adoption Among SMEs in the Packaging Industry: A Systematic Literature Review”, paper presented at the 7th PISB Conference, “Innovative processes in SMEs between deglobalization, digitalization and sustainable development”, Urbino, May 14–15, 2026.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Selena Aureli
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Scienze Aziendali
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di BRESCIA(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 41.977,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 29
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
