A Long-Term Perspective on Sustainable Business Modelling Changing Value Creation, Actors and Scope in a Quest to Foster Transformation and Transition

This chapter introduces, explores and discusses long-term perspectives on circular business models. We present a classification of seven archetypes of circular business models that have materialised over the past five decades, following various developments in the logic of value creation. These developments involve (1) a changing perspective on value creation from single to multiple value, (2) a change in the relevant unit of analysis, from organisation-centric to organising between organisations, (3) a change in the nature of collaboration across the three societal realms, (4) the rise of the internet of materials as a basis for procurement and exchange of materials and (5) the need for business models with a sustainable impact. Contrasting these developments against current practices, several conclusions are drawn. First, thus far these developments have not led to a fundamental change in the way value is perceived in the economic realm. Second, the need for intra-organisational collaboration is at odds with the increasingly shorter lifespan of organisations. Third, circularity and collectively organising for this requires a profound reconsidering of the social contract. Fourth, a fundamental change in the design of materials, components and products is required to give shape to a circular economy. Fifth, and last, knowledge about framing and measuring real impacts is yet to be developed.