Circular Business Model: Active Consumer Participation [tese de doutoramento externa]

Abstract

This Doctoral Thesis consists of a compendium of three research articles published in scientific impact journals, included in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) of the Web of Science (WOS). It aims to provide an exploratory analysis of consumer active participation in companies’ circular business models. In recent years, the circular economy has gained relevance as a response to contemporary environmental challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Although the role of businesses and governments has been widely emphasized in the transition to circular models, consumers' contributions have been less valued. Aiming to bridge this gap, this doctoral thesis compiles three studies that explore different determinants of consumer participation in circular business models. In this way, the evolution of this thesis reflects the complexity of this topic, which has recently been the subject of increasing research. The first study explored the influence of consumer personality traits, based on the Big Five model, on their engagement with the circular economy and their willingness to participate in circular business models. The results indicate that personality traits directly influence engagement with the circular economy, but only through this engagement can the willingness to participate in circular business models be explained. It was also found that this relationship is stronger among younger and female consumers. The study contributes to extending the 3M theoretical model (Meta- Theoretic Model of Motivation and Personality) to circular consumer behavior and a deeper understanding of the multidimensionality of consumer engagement. The second study assessed the influence of environmental concerns and the search for pro-sustainable information by Portuguese consumers on their circular habits (such as water and energy saving, waste management, and plastic reduction) and their respective circular consumption decisions. The results reveal that both environmental concerns and the search for information positively influence circular habits and, mediated by these, consumption decisions. Based on the data obtained, a model of consumer participation in the circular economy was proposed, reinforcing the consumer’s role as an active agent in transforming traditional business models into circular ones. The third study focused specifically on Portuguese Generation Z, with the aim of exploring how their circular habits and the perceived functional value of circular products (in terms of price and quality) influence their willingness to participate in the vi circular economy. The results show that circular habits alone do not directly affect this willingness, but that the perceived functional value has a significant mediating effect. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that Generation Z's participation can be signaled through the perception of value in circular products, supported by signaling theory, and is pioneering in the simultaneous analysis of five circular habits. The three studies adopted a quantitative methodology, with the collection of primary data through questionnaire surveys, and the application of the Partial Least Squares method. Data were collected from Portuguese consumers. The integrated results of the studies reveal that consumer participation in the circular economy is a complex phenomenon, influenced by environmental, behavioral, and psychological factors. This multidimensional approach offers important theoretical and practical implications for researchers, businesses, and policymakers promoting more sustainable consumption and production models.