With a foreword by Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Cornelius Herstatt. Facing a dramatic depletion of
finite resources increased price volatility and changing customer expectations with respect to
product sustainability the Circular Economy (CE) presents an alternative paradigm to the
current 'take-make-waste' economy with linear material flows and thus offers a major business
opportunity for companies. This work qualitatively and quantitatively explores why and how
companies can succeed in the shift towards a CE building on the exemplary case of the Cradle to
Cradle (C2C) certification program. Based on results of an interview series and statistical
analyses implications for theory and practice are derived in order to establish a corporate
environment that fosters CE innovations.
