Companies are increasingly facing the dual challenge of operating profitably within established systems whilst at the same time preparing for the future in the face of climate risks, raw material shortages and unstable supply chains. A helpful target in this regard is organisational resilience, which entails not only resisting sudden shocks but also anticipation and adaptation to changing framework and market conditions, as well as emerging trends. Circular economy strategies can strengthen organisational resilience. However, the most effective approaches – Refuse, Rethink and Reduce (shortened R3) – often remain unused, as many companies lack the knowledge of how to successfully implement these innovative strategies.
The Wuppertal Institute’s R3SILIENZ project seeks to address this issue: the project team investigates the viability of R3 business models, including their scalability and diffusion potential into the broader market. The researchers define the R3 strategies as a social innovation that fundamentally influences consumption patterns and market logics. The R3 strategies offer great potential, but may also carry unintended consequences – such as the rebound effect, i.e. the risk that CO2 and material savings achieved through changes in the behaviour of economic actors are offset elsewhere. The project team evaluates these consequences via a holistic innovation impact assessment concerning societal, environmental and economic effects.
The R3SILIENZ project follows the Wuppertal Institute’s transformative research approach and, through its inter- and transdisciplinary project design, involves various stakeholders: on the one hand, through a consumer survey and expert workshops addressing the wider economic effects; on the other, through an in-depth look at the business models of companies in the outdoor and textile sectors, which bear particularly high potential for impact. The overarching project objective is to provide concrete decision-making support for policymakers and the business community to help shape the transition towards a crisis-resilient society.