The EU Circular Economy Package and SMEs in Amsterdam

Mgr. Godelief Henrike Maria Wösten, B.Sc.

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The main research question for this thesis is: To what extent do the EU support mechanisms articulated in the EU Circular Economy Package of 2 December 2015 provide a sufficient basis for SMEs in Amsterdam to support them in the transition towards a new circular business model? The short answer to this question is that the Circular Economy Package does not provide a sufficient basis for SMEs in Amsterdam to make the transition to a circular business model. The interviews showed that the SMEs in this study were environment-driven enterprises due to their strong drive from their personal conviction about the circular economy. They did not start with circular activities based purely on economic grounds, but from a personal need. The majority of them do not favor coercive strategies to ensure a transition towards the circular economy, but believe that governments has to establish capacity-building interventions to ensure the transition. Subsidies, tax concessions, environmental audits and business advice were seen by them as effective intervention to stimulate SMEs to implement circular business models. But the most effective intervention for them is for the government to create an economic market for circular products and services.

Keywords

Circular Economy Package, SMEs, circular business model

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 8. 7. 2016

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 8. 7. 2016
• Supervisor: prof. dr. Joop Schippers
• Reader: PhDr. Zdeněk Sychra, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Master programme / field:
International Territorial Studies / European Governance