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Digital platforms as market places for the circular economy—requirements and challenges

Voraussetzungen und Herausforderungen für Digitale Plattformen als Marktplätze der Kreislaufwirtschaft

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Abstract

Digital platforms may yield a host of advantages in putting circular economy into effect. This paper analyses the related chances and discusses requirements of digital platforms for the realization of a circular economy. It specifically points to potential solutions offered by digital platforms for existing barriers. From there it identifies issues that need specific attendance to create economically and ecologically functional platforms. Three economically relevant perspectives are discussed for this: a management perspective, a legislative perspective and a social/systems perspective.

Zusammenfassung

Digitale Plattformen können zahlreiche Vorteile für die Realisierung einer Kreislaufwirtschaft aufweisen. Dieser Beitrag analysiert diese Chancen und diskutiert die zu schaffenden Voraussetzungen. Er weist dabei besonders auf potentielle Lösungen für bestehende Barrieren hin, die aus Sicht der Autoren durch digitale Lösungen besonders gut überwunden werden können. Sodann wird aufgezeigt, dass noch zahlreiche Bedingungen erfüllt werden müssen, damit diese Vorteile auch ausschöpfbar sind. Dabei werden drei ökonomisch besonders relevante Perspektiven behandelt: die Perspektive des Plattform-managements, eine regulatorisch-legislative Perspektive und die Einflüsse auf der sozialen bzw. Systemebene.

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Notes

  1. Such applications are already taking place in other areas. The most notable and informative stemming from cancer treatment. Here, the ability of digital networks to analyse and process the vast bulk of latest research allows to effectively identifying the most promising treatment for individual patients (Brynjolfsson and McAfee 2016).

  2. Block Chain Solutions currently appear as a means to this end. As platforms for contracts without the need for trust they have been established in banking environments and other applications (Christidis and Devetsikiotis 2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH, Döppersberg 19, 42103, Wuppertal, Germany

    Holger Berg & Henning Wilts

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  1. Holger Berg
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  2. Henning Wilts
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Correspondence to Holger Berg.

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H. Berg and H. Wilts declare that they have no competing interests.

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Berg, H., Wilts, H. Digital platforms as market places for the circular economy—requirements and challenges. NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum 27, 1–9 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-018-0468-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-018-0468-9

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