Structuring co-creation for circular ecosystem emergence: The minimum viable circular ecosystem framework

Abstract

Circular economy transitions require coordinated action among multiple interdependent actors across value chains. While research on circular ecosystems has expanded rapidly, two interrelated gaps persist: existing frameworks remain largely conceptual and provide limited process-level guidance for orchestrators, and the field lacks a theoretical account of how circular ecosystem emergence unfolds through co-creation; what orchestration activities are required at each stage and through what mechanisms they shape alignment and value creation outcomes. This study addresses both gaps by developing the Minimum Viable Circular Ecosystem (MVCE) framework through a design science research approach combining a literature synthesis, fifteen semi-structured expert interviews, and three multi-actor workshops conducted in the context of emerging reusable packaging ecosystems. The MVCE framework conceptualises circular ecosystem emergence as an iterative co-creation process unfolding through four interrelated phases: visioning, ecosystem framing, experimentation and learning, and structuring and governance, each operationalised through a dedicated boundary tool supporting collective sensemaking, ecosystem configuration, hypothesis-driven experimentation, and collaborative governance. While prior ecosystem frameworks address individual functions such as actor mapping, readiness assessment, or governance design in isolation, to our knowledge, prior frameworks have not integrated all four functions within a single co-creation process architecture operationalised through complementary boundary tools. The study advances four theoretical contributions: a theoretically grounded process framework for circular ecosystem emergence; the operationalisation of distributed orchestration through boundary objects; an account of value co-creation at the ecosystem emergence level; and a nascent design theory for circular ecosystem orchestration. Together, these contributions advance understanding of how circular ecosystems can be deliberately designed, aligned, and validated through structured co-creation.