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The research topic proposed in the special issue allows advancing knowledge regarding the interrelationship between Circular Economy (CE) and Open Innovation (OI), aiming to promote the green transition. The environmental emergency requires the transition to new models of sustainable development. Consequently, governments worldwide are taking action to develop green policies (i.e., The European Green Deal, the United Nations 2030 Agenda, etc.). Specifically, the UN organization has compiled a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, among which can be found to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. Underlying this goal is the concept of the CE, which is considered the economic approach to be embraced to reduce the pressure on natural systems.
For this reason, implementing CE principles supports the green transition. This subject particularly appeals to governments, practitioners, and academics, justifying an in-depth study of how organizations can effectively implement CE principles to accomplish a green transition. In this context, OI represents a viable approach to foster and speed up the implementation of circular initiatives. Specifically, the literature (elucidated in the following paragraphs) highlights how the ecosystem approach enabled by OI facilitates this process, thus deserving attention. For the reasons stated here and for relevance to the journal’s scope, the research topic related to the transition from Linear to CE through OI deserves an entire issue.
Guest editors:
Madjid Tavana (Business Systems and Analytics Department, Distinguished Chair of Business Analytics, La Salle University, Philadelphia, United States, tavana@lasalle.edu and Business Information Systems Department, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany)
Serena Strazzullo (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy. serena.strazzullo@unina.it)
Mark Anthony Camilleri (Department of Corporate Communication), University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta, mark.a.camilleri@um.edu.mt)
Moacir Godinho Filho (Department of Industrial Engineering, EM Normandie Business School Metis Lab, France & Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, moacir@dep.ufscar.br)
Serena Filippelli (Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 181/A, 43124, Parma, Italy. Serena.filippelli@unipr.it )
Benedetta Pini (Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 181/A, 43124, Parma, Italy. benedetta.pini@unipr.it)
Special issue information:
Motivation for Special Issue:
The research topic proposed in the special issue allows advancing knowledge regarding the interrelationship between Circular Economy (CE) and Open Innovation (OI), aiming to promote the green transition. The environmental emergency requires the transition to new models of sustainable development. Consequently, governments worldwide are taking action to develop green policies (i.e., The European Green Deal, the United Nations 2030 Agenda, etc.). Specifically, the UN organization has compiled a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, among which can be found to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. Underlying this goal is the concept of the CE, which is considered the economic approach to be embraced to reduce the pressure on natural systems.
For this reason, implementing CE principles supports the green transition. This subject particularly appeals to governments, practitioners, and academics, justifying an in-depth study of how organizations can effectively implement CE principles to accomplish a green transition. In this context, OI represents a viable approach to foster and speed up the implementation of circular initiatives. Specifically, the literature (elucidated in the following paragraphs) highlights how the ecosystem approach enabled by OI facilitates this process, thus deserving attention. For the reasons stated here and for relevance to the journal’s scope, the research topic related to the transition from Linear to CE through OI deserves an entire issue.
Background of the Special Issue:
The CE approach departs from the Linear Economy, which is based on the ‘take-make-dispose’ principle, aiming to promote production and consumption systems that exploit existing products and natural resources to extend their life cycle and reduce the derived waste. For this reason, the CE is earning growing interest in sustainable business as an effective strategy to mitigate environmental damage (Lopes et al. 2017; Camilleri 2019; Centobelli et al. 2022). Indeed, the finiteness of natural resources compels organizations to adopt circular principles, although their actual implementation is still embryonic (Köhler et al., 2022). CE represents a big challenge for companies, as many factors can affect their success in sustainable development. Achieving sustainability objectives is no longer just a mere responsibility of the state but is also becoming central for individual companies that acquire a pivotal role (Gjølberg, 2009; Brammer et al., 2012). There are various reasons why CE implementations have not progressed as much as expected. Still, much of the problem can be attributed to the various barriers that stand in the way of CE implementation. Many scholars have studied the barriers hindering CE adoption (De Jesus et al., 2018; Ranta et al., 2018; Kirchherr et al., 2018; Camilleri, 2019). What emerges from this extensive discussion is that most of the studies focus on the analysis of the technical aspects that prevent the construction of circular processes, mainly related to inadequate equipment (Kumar et al. 2019), lack of knowledge, and lack of information concerning the design of environment-friendly products (Jaeger e Upadhyay 2020).
Few studies, on the contrary, analyze the human and organizational aspects that hinder the adoption of a systemic circular approach. Indeed, a paradigm shift as radical as that from Linear Economy to CE requires effort from organizations, which often have to rethink their business models to integrate circular practices. In addition, most CE projects require new knowledge and technologies, making collaboration among various stakeholders essential (Köhler et al., 2022). In this context, the explosion of collaborative systems and OI has opened up many new value-creation opportunities. OI has been defined by Henry Chesbrough (2003, 37) as “a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as the firms look to advance their technology.” OI allows for increased knowledge flows, consistently accelerating the innovation process. Thus, it represents a valuable tool for driving the transition to CE. Several contributions in the literature (e.g., Kennedy et al., 2017; Cassetta et al., 2022; Jesus and Jugend, 2023) emphasize the importance of OI in promoting the adoption of CE principles, highlighting how the diversity of partners involved in CE processes coupled with the iterative nature of the development process, benefit from the collaborative approach of OI. This allows for multi-stakeholder dialogue on sustainability issues and enables individuals and organizations to connect through interactive ecosystems to share exchange and capture value. However, building collaborations among a diversified group of stakeholders adds complexity to the network. It gives rise to challenges related to goal alignment and incentives that can facilitate the CE success. The literature briefly introduced above must be expanded and updated to open up further research avenues that shed light on both the OI and CE concepts, better clarifying the results of their interconnectedness.
Objectives and Themes of the Special Issue:
This Special Issue investigates the relationship between CE and OI. Indeed, although the scientific community’s interest in the disjointed themes of CE and OI is high, research regarding their relationship is still in its infancy (Bigliardi and Filippelli, 2021). Specifically, research has mostly focused on the competitive advantage of firms by applying CE principles. At the same time, little attention has been paid to the role of collaborative networks in an OI context in implementing such practices. Below are some research themes that should be explored to advance knowledge on the topic.
First, it is interesting to investigate the difference between a closed and an open approach to innovation in the development of circular initiatives to validate the actual superiority of the OI paradigm in fostering the green transition of enterprises. Most companies are still resorting to closed innovation or, at most, alliances with a single entity to implement circular solutions. However, an emerging strand of research is beginning to examine a more collaborative approach, referred to as Open Circular Innovation (OCI) or Collaborative Circular Oriented Innovation (Brown et al., 2019; Eisenreich et al., 2021). It draws its roots from the concepts of CE and Sustainable OI, combining the traditional elements of the definition of OI with the definition of Sustainable Development given by Brundtland (1987). Based on this formalization, it is possible to understand that innovation management, particularly OI, is a fundamental tool for the concrete pursuit of sustainability and CE objectives (Bogers et al., 2020). In this context, it is interesting to investigate the relational dynamics among the stakeholders involved in the network and how the interaction among them succeeds in fostering the development of CE initiatives.
Another emerging issue concerns the adoption of the OI paradigm to foster the implementation of circular business models by companies. Few contributions are currently in the literature on the topic, warranting further investigation (Bigliardi and Filippelli 2021). Prominent among these is Bocken and Ritala’s (2021) work, which identified three distinct circular business model strategies based on adopting OI. They are based on collaboration among a plurality of actors to reduce the environmental impact of production processes, extend the useful life of products, and reduce waste generation. Some potential research questions and themes are discussed in the following.
Research Topics:
OI to support organizations’ circular transition
Stakeholders’ relevance and institutions’ role in OI-driven CE Initiatives
Circular business model enabled by OI
Manuscript submission information:
The Journal’s submission system will be open for submissions for the Special Issue ‘Transition from Linear to Circular Economy through Open Innovation’. When submitting your manuscript please select the article type “VSI: Open Innovation”. Please submit your manuscript before 31st December 2025.
All submissions deemed suitable to be sent for peer review will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers.
References:
through keywords analysis». Sustainability 13 (9). MDPI: 5036.
Bocken, Nancy, and Paavo Ritala. 2021. «Six ways to build circular business models». Journal of Business Strategy. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Bogers, Marcel, Henry Chesbrough, and Robert Strand. 2020. «Sustainable open innovation to address a grand challenge: Lessons from Carlsberg and the Green Fiber Bottle». British Food Journal 122 (5). Emerald Publishing Limited: 1505–17.
Brammer, S., Jackson, G. and Matten, D. 2012. «Corporate Social Responsibility and Institutional Theory: New Perspectives on Private Governance». Socio-Economic Review, 10, 3–28.
Brown, Phil, Nancy Bocken, and Ruud Balkenende. 2019. «Why do companies pursue collaborative circular oriented innovation?» Sustainability 11 (3). MDPI: 635.
Camilleri, Mark Anthony. 2019. «The circular economy’s closed loop and product service systems for sustainable development: A review and appraisal». Sustainable Development 27 (3). Wiley Online Library: 530–36.
Cassetta, Ernesto, Ivano Dileo, and Marco Pini. 2022. «Linking external collaborations, eco-innovation and sustainable growth. An empirical analysis on the Italian manufacturing firms». Industry and Innovation. Taylor & Francis, 1–28.
Centobelli, Piera, Roberto Cerchione, Livio Cricelli, Emilio Esposito, and Serena Strazzullo. 2022. «The future of sustainable supply chains: a novel tertiary-systematic methodology». Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 27 (6). Emerald Publishing Limited: 762–84.
Chesbrough, Henry. 2003. «The logic of open innovation: managing intellectual property». California management review 45 (3). SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: 33–58.
De Jesus, Ana, Paula Antunes, Rui Santos, and Sandro Mendonça. 2018. «Eco-innovation in the transition to a circular economy: An analytical literature review». Journal of cleaner Production 172. Elsevier: 2999–3018.
Eisenreich, Anja, Johann Füller, and Martin Stuchtey. 2021. «Open circular innovation: How companies can develop circular innovations in collaboration with stakeholders». Sustainability 13 (23). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute: 13456.
Gjølberg, M. 2009. «The Origin of Corporate Social Responsibility: Global Forces or National Legacies? ». Socio-Economic Review, 7, 605–637.
Jaeger, Bjoern, and Arvind Upadhyay. 2020. «Understanding barriers to circular economy: cases from the manufacturing industry». Journal of Enterprise Information Management 33 (4). Emerald Publishing Limited: 729–45.
Jesus, Gessica Mina Kim, and Daniel Jugend. 2023. «How can open innovation contribute to circular economy adoption? Insights from a literature review». European Journal of Innovation Management 26 (1). Emerald Publishing Limited: 65–98.
Kennedy, Steve, Gail Whiteman, and Jan van den Ende. 2017. «Radical innovation for sustainability: The power of strategy and open innovation». Long Range Planning 50 (6). Elsevier: 712–25.
Kirchherr, Julian, Laura Piscicelli, Ruben Bour, Erica Kostense-Smit, Jennifer Muller, Anne Huibrechtse-Truijens, and Marko Hekkert. 2018. «Barriers to the circular economy: Evidence from the European Union (EU)». Ecological economics 150. Elsevier: 264–72. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.04.028.
Köhler, Julia, Sönnich Dahl Sönnichsen, and Philip Beske‐Jansen. 2022. «Towards a collaboration framework for circular economy: The role of dynamic capabilities and open innovation». Business Strategy and the Environment 31 (6). Wiley Online Library: 2700–2713.
Kumar, Vikas, Ihsan Sezersan, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Ernesto DRS Gonzalez, and Moh’d Anwer Al-Shboul. 2019. «Circular economy in the manufacturing sector: benefits, opportunities and barriers». Management Decision 57 (4). Emerald Publishing Limited: 1067–86.
Lopes, Cátia Milena, Annibal Scavarda, Luiz Fernando Hofmeister, Antônio Márcio Tavares Thomé, and Guilherme Luís Roehe Vaccaro. 2017. «An analysis of the interplay between organizational sustainability, knowledge management, and open innovation». Journal of cleaner production 142. Elsevier: 476–88.
Ranta, Valtteri, Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, Paavo Ritala, and Saku J. Mäkinen. 2018. «Exploring institutional drivers and barriers of the circular economy: A cross-regional comparison of China, the US, and Europe». Resources, Conservation and Recycling 135 (December 2016). Elsevier: 70–82. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.017.
WCED, UN. 1987. «Our common future—The Brundtland report». Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, 11.
Keywords:
Circular economy; Open Innovation
Why publish in this Special Issue?
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In this Special Issue, we consider sustainable innovation ecosystems as complex adaptive systems, in which many autonomous and heterogeneous actors leverage their resources and capabilities and create new ones, by interacting with each other at multiple levels, to allow innovative solutions to new problems to emerge, in a very short time.
Submission deadline 31 de August de 2025 Background and Motivation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of disruptive technologies, driving transformative changes across the business world (Almansour, 2023). Sachs (2023) highlights a significant surge in market interest in AI, noting that investments could reach $100 billion in the United States and $200 billion globally by the end of 2025. As firms increasingly invest in AI-based technologies, recent studies further confirm AI’s positive influence on innovation management. Wael AL-Khatib (2023) and Khan et al. (2024) affirm that AI based tools has a positive influence on both exploitable and exploratory innovation. Indeed, the capacity of AI to quickly create new content is completely in line with the concept of exploratory innovation, which focuses on experimenting with new ideas, technologies, and markets to create disruptive advancements. On the other side, its ability to analyze data patterns and generate tailored solutions can support exploitable innovation, which emphasizes refining and optimizing existing processes, products, or services to maximize efficiency and profitability (Jansen et al., 2006). Furthermore, Xu et al. (2024) identify the quality of AI-generated content as a key factor in stimulating enterprise innovation behavior.
While AI adoption is undoubtedly accelerating innovation, sustained organizational success in this domain also depends on humans’ interaction dynamics and knowledge-related processes. Human interactions are essential for enhancing innovation, as effective interpersonal relationships positively influence the innovation process (Lee and Wu, 2010). Collaboration creates an environment where new ideas can emerge and be refined (Walsh et al., 2016), while teamwork and cooperation serve as key drivers of innovation (West and Hirst, 2005). Additionally, effective conflict management has been shown to positively impact innovation performance (Chen et al., 2012). Furthermore, trust plays a crucial role in encouraging innovative behaviors among employees and strengthening organization’s overall capacity for innovation (Lee, 2008).
Beyond human interactions, knowledge management processes also serve as a cornerstone of innovation (Costa and Monteiro, 2016; Idrees et al., 2023; Mubarak et al., 2025). Acquiring, creating, sharing, and applying knowledge enable organizations to engage in open innovation which leads to improved innovation performance (Laursen and Salter, 2006). Organizations that implement structured knowledge-sharing practices can accelerate the innovation process (Wang and Wang, 2012). Additionally, according to Soomro et al. (2024) team knowledge-sharing encourages team members to look for innovative solutions.
The interconnection between human interactions and knowledge management is also fundamental to driving innovation. In fact, human interactions serve as the foundation for effective knowledge exchange (He et al., 2009) and successful knowledge management (Jiarui et al., 2022), both of which are critical for enhancing innovation (Corvello et al., 2023).
Within this research framework, it is necessary to recognize that AI adoption in the workplace is also fundamentally transforming these two interconnected factors. On the one hand, AI exerts a significant influence on critical aspects of human interactions (Zimmerman et al., 2023; Fahad et al., 2024). On the other hand, AI is reshaping knowledge-related processes (Al Mansoori et al., 2021; Taherdoost and Madanchian, 2023; Fahad et al., 2024). A thorough understanding of how AI influences these factors is essential for organizations aiming to leverage AI’s capabilities while promoting innovation and continuous learning.
Despite the acknowledged importance of AI adoption, human interactions, and knowledge management in advancing innovation, a significant gap remains in the academic literature regarding the interconnections among these factors. While AI is widely acknowledged as a powerful enabler of innovation, its broader implications for human interactions and knowledge-related processes within organizations are still insufficiently explored.
Therefore, this special issue seeks to examine the interplay between AI adoption, human interactions, and knowledge-related processes to advance innovation within organizational contexts. The special issue will benefit scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. Academics in innovation management, AI, human interaction, and knowledge management will gain insights into the complex relationships between AI, human interactions and knowledge processes. Managers and executives will find practical guidance on leveraging AI to drive innovation and develop strategies for sustainable growth. Additionally, policymakers and organizational leaders will understand how AI can be integrated to optimize innovation processes and address its broader impact on the workforce and organizational culture.
Topics and Research Questions
The special issue aims at examining the impact of AI adoption on both human interactions and knowledge management processes for advancing innovation. To achieve this, the issue will focus on two primary objectives. First, it aims to explore the impact of AI on human relationships within organizations, specifically assessing its effects on key interpersonal dynamics such as teamwork, collaboration, trust, cooperation, conflict resolution, and coordination. As these social and relational factors are central for enhancing innovation, it is essential to investigate whether AI acts as an enabler or a disruptor of these processes. Second, the special issue will examine AI’s role in shaping knowledge-related processes within organizations, with particular emphasis on how AI affects knowledge acquisition, creation, transfer, sharing, retention, application, and evolution. The goal is to explore how AI can enhance or hinder these processes in a way that drives innovation. Moreover, it is essential to recognize that human interactions and knowledge-related processes are not isolated factors but are deeply interconnected, both playing a vital role in driving innovation. Therefore, examining AI’s impact on these factors may also lead to a deeper understanding of the nature of their interconnections.
We invite researchers to contribute to the following subtopics, including but not limited to:
AI and human interactions in innovation-driven workplaces
AI and knowledge management for continuous innovation
AI enhanced decision making and open innovation ecosystems
The interplay between AI, human interactions, and knowledge sharing
Measuring and evaluating AI’s long-term impact on human relationships and knowledge management for innovation
This special issue seeks to attract high-quality contributions that explore the complexity of the proposed research topic. Furthermore, we welcome a diverse range of submissions, including qualitative studies, empirical research, theoretical contributions, conceptual and methodological papers, as well as longitudinal, interdisciplinary, and case studies.
Submission deadline 30 de November de 2025 Global financial and governance systems are increasingly critical in achieving sustainable development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the interconnectedness of economic growth, social equity, and environmental stewardship, urging institutions and decision-makers to align their practices with broader societal objectives (United Nations, 2015; Ahmad et al., 2024). In parallel, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks have gained traction among investors, businesses, and policymakers, recognizing that non-financial factors significantly influence long-term financial performance and social welfare (Kwilinski et al., 2025; Cai et al., 2022). This evolution underscores the importance of knowledge-sharing, innovation, and stakeholder collaboration in reimagining finance and governance for more equitable and sustainable outcomes (UNEP FI, 2022). Integrating SDGs and ESG objectives into financial decision-making, risk management, and regulatory frameworks can support resilient business models while fostering broader societal benefits (Delgado-Ceballos et al., 2023). This special issue explores how forward-thinking strategies and practices can transform traditional finance and governance, supporting the global transition toward sustainable and inclusive development.
Background and Motivation of the Special Issue
Historically, financial markets have prioritized short-term profitability, often overlooking long-term social and environmental consequences (Elkington, 1999). However, mounting evidence indicates that sustainable investing and stronger governance practices can drive financial performance and broader value creation (Lins et al., 2017). Many organizations now recognize the urgency of integrating SDGs into their strategic agendas, focusing on issues such as climate action (SDG 13), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10), among others (Fallah Shayan et al., 2022). Simultaneously, ESG considerations have become integral to corporate disclosure requirements, emphasizing transparency, stakeholder engagement, and risk mitigation (Cai et al., 2022). Innovative digital technologies—such as blockchain, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence—create opportunities for new financial instruments (e.g., green bonds, carbon offsets) and governance models (e.g., decentralized autonomous organizations), helping entities meet ESG benchmarks and SDG targets more effectively (Umar et al., 2022; Kolk, 2021; UNEP FI, 2022). As the global community seeks mechanisms to address pressing challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality, integrating knowledge and innovation into financial and governance spheres is a critical priority (World Economic Forum, 2023).
The motivation for this Special Issue stems from the growing consensus that finance and governance systems must undergo transformative change to meet 21st-century challenges (Helfaya & Bui, 2025; United Nations, 2015). Scholars, practitioners, and policymakers are increasingly called upon to design innovative frameworks and methodologies that integrate SDG and ESG imperatives into financial decision-making, corporate reporting, and public policy. This evolution hinges on interdisciplinary collaborations that fuse technology, data science, organizational behavior, and policy studies (Fallah Shayan et al., 2022).
By providing a dedicated platform in the Journal of Innovation & Knowledge (JIK), we aim to foster research that advances finance and governance innovations, ultimately positioning sustainability at the forefront of global economic development. We hope that contributions to this Special Issue will serve as a blueprint for these transformative efforts.
Topics and Research Questions
We invite original research articles that provide novel insights and significant contributions at the nexus of finance, governance, knowledge, innovation, and sustainability. Possible topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Submission deadline 30 de April de 2026 