International industrial manufacturers: Mastering the era of digital innovation and circular economy

The business landscape has significantly changed in the last few years due to unforeseen incidents such as the recent pandemic and war in Europe. While such incidents have interrupted or even impaired economies and businesses, they have also accelerated digitalization. Parallel to this, many countries have started moving towards sustainability and realized the importance of circularity on a large scale. Thus, international industrial firms must deal with new regulations. Despite the growth of research on digitalization and circular economy, our understanding of international industrial manufacturers and their business models, in particular, is limited. Thus, this research aims to study international industrial manufacturers digitally enabled circular business models. A case study approach covered a case company, six partners, three sister companies, and the parent company. The findings reveal the characteristics of a digitally enabled circular business model and its outcomes, including resource utilization, supply chain, and sustainable efficiency. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.