Systems resilience and SME multilevel challenges: A place-based conceptualization of the circular economy
从地方化系统视角研究中小企业向循环经济转型中的多层次挑战,构建概念模型揭示商业、社会和生态系统价值的交叉点,并以英格兰西南部为例说明地方身份与生态对韧性的作用。
This article presents a place-based systems perspective of the sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises, exploring the multilevel challenges in transitioning towards a circular economy. We develop a conceptual model showing that, as circular economy systems and their resilience reside at the intersection of business, societal and ecosystem value, place-based coordination and cross-institutional organizing matter. Using the case of Devon and Cornwall in the south-west of England, we argue SMEs who recognize the role of placed-based societal identities and ecosystems not only become more resilient, but their considerations for community welfare and labour are intertwined with geographic-specific natural capital and the circular economy. Yet place-based circular systems are characterized by tensions and trade-offs, suggesting survival of one is dependent on the circulation of resources in another. Our contribution is to theorize the role of SMEs in place-based circular system resilience, understanding the organizational mechanisms of local cooperation and value sharing.