The circular economy in public purchasing : a qualitative research

The goal of this research was to develop a model on how to introduce a circular economy model in public organisations and develop a model in which organisations can find which purchasing categories are and are not suitable for use in a circular economy model. A combination between a literary research and semi-structured in-depth interviews with open questions were performed. The results show that there are differences between the use of a circular economy model. Public purchasing has to adhere to extra demands which can make the introduction of circular purchasing more difficult. Subsequently, the interviewees named seven steps to implement a circular economy model in public purchasing based on their experience, these steps are compared to change management models and a model was developed which names the steps on how to introduce a circular economy in public purchasing. Furthermore, the analyses of the interviews shows that there are differences between product categories which can make a category suitable for use in a circular economy model or not. The lifespan and market development of a product category can influence the suitability for use in a circular economy model.