Exploratory Study on Circular Economy Approaches A Comparative Analysis of Theory and Practice

4.9 Case Eta 87

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The third approach towards circular economy is the product life extension which

is achieved through a repairing service for old and broken products to enhance the

product life and to enable a second, third or fourth use for the product.

4.9.2 Motivation to engage in Circular Economy

The motivation to engage in issues such as sustainability, circular economy, and

closed-loop production stems from the personal conviction of the company’s

founder and his love of nature. Furthermore, the company’s products are made

to be used outdoors. The founder’s commitment to the environment is shared by

his employees and customers who care for the environment and strive to save the

natural ecosystem, as this quote shows: “For years, case Eta has been passionately

and actively involved in environmental protection. Why? It runs in our blood: many

‘case Eta-ers’ are committed nature-enthusiasts and feel that it is their obligation to

contribute to protecting the environment” (see Appendix: German Quote 44). This

intrinsic motivation has resulted in the organization having a leading position in

the industry in terms of sustainability commitment.

The second motivation for engaging in the circular economy concept is found in

the corporate’s missions statement. The mission statement is the following: “Case

Eta has set its sights on becoming Europe’s most sustainable outdoor brand, and

not just on paper, but also in objective comparisons that are understandable to the

average consumer” (Quote from Sustainability Report of case Eta).

4.9.3 Challenges for the Implementation

The organization has a long commitment to sustainability and was one of the first

organizations in Germany to begin the transition towards circular economy. As a

result, it has considerable experience of circular economy implementation and has

been able to identify several challenges.

The first two challenges are recycled resources require high efforts of quality

management to ensure that only healthy and non-toxic substances are contained

and that recycled resources are more expensive than virgin ones. The following

quote taken from the interviewee, documents these challenges: “The more expensive

the virgin resources become the more the price for recycled resources is relativized.

Currently recycled material is more expensive. Furthermore, we have higher expens-

es, e.g. managing pollutants” (see Appendix: German Quote 45). The organization

strongly emphasizes their belief that the existing public waste-disposal infrastructure