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Small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly aware of the benefits of closing loops and improving resource efficiency, such as saving material costs, creating competitive advantages, and accessing new markets. At the same time, however, various barriers challenge small businesses in their transition to a circular economy, namely a lack of financial resources and a lack of technical skills.

This paper aims to increase understanding about the barriers and enablers experienced by SMEs when implementing circular economy business models. The authors recommend that European and national policies strengthen their focus on greening consumer preferences, market value chains and company cultures, and support the recognition of SMEs’ green business models. This can be achieved through the creation of dedicated market places and communities of practice, for example.

Authors: Vasileios Rizos, Arno Behrens, Wytze van der Gaast, Erwin Hofman, Anastasia Ioannou, Terri Kafyeke, Alexandros Flamos, Roberto Rinaldi, Sotiris Papadelis, Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers & Corrado Topi.  

CEPS Research Fellow Vasileios Rizos conceptualised this paper and designed the research plan for this study, which involved 11 researchers from 5 different research institutes. Published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Sustainability 2016, 8(11), 1212, (18 pages).

The cost of the open access publication is covered by the European Commission FP7 post-grant publishing funds. The paper was originally published here: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/11/1212.