Experimenting with Circular Service Business Models

2026-07-22

With increasing pressures on resources and the climate it is clear that a new business paradigm is needed. The Circular Economy has been heralded as a driver for sustainability and competitiveness. In contrast to the current linear economy, materials are kept at their highest utility at all times. Despite great policy, business and academic interest, knowledge on how to move to a Circular Economy is lacking. CIRCULAR X addresses a new and urgent issue in sustainability research: experimentation with circular service business models (CSBMs). Examples include companies shifting from selling to leasing products and introducing lifelong warrantees to extend product lifetimes. CSBMs are far from mainstream and experimentation focused on trialling new CSBMs is little understood. CIRCULAR X will develop a new field in sustainability studies: CSBM experimentation. It aims to conduct boundary-pushing and cross-sectoral interdisciplinary research in 3 continents and 5 countries – the Netherlands, UK, Sweden, China and USA - with 4 objectives: 1. Advancing understanding of CSBMs; their emergence and impacts 2. Advancing knowledge on CSBM experimentation 3. Developing CSBM experimentation tools 4. Designing and deploying CSBM experimentation labs CIRCULAR X will bridge and expand disparate knowledge on experimentation approaches across disciplines such as sustainability, design, business and entrepreneurship research. It will develop novel CSBM and experimentation concepts, catalogues, tools and labs by bridging these yet disparate fields. Through its comprehensive international approach, CIRCULAR X will deeply advance understandings on how CSBMs manifest themselves and how these can be experimented with, which will ultimately advance business activities towards a circular economy transition.

Netherlands

2026-02-01