The relationship between digitalisation and the circular economy (CE) has attracted considerable scholarly attention. However, the empirical evidence on how this relationship actually functions at firm level remains surprisingly thin. This colloquium presents findings from a three-year Philipp Schwartz Fellowship project at CAIS. The main topic of the project was examine how digital technologies facilitate or restrict circular transitions.
One part of the study investigates how manufacturing companies in North Rhine-Westphalia integrate digital technologies with circular economy strategies. Based on semi-structured interviews with practitioners from ten NRW companies across distinct industrial sectors, the research reveals a persistent gap between strategic commitment and operational practice. The term “circular economy” scarcely features in organizational vocabulary. The regulatory pressure rather than voluntary initiative drives adoption.
The other part of the study extends this analysis toward Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. A $524 billion rebuilding challenge coincides with EU accession pressures and a global shift toward industrial systems aligned with the circular economy. The research uses Germany’s National Circular Economy Strategy as a model to develop five financing-technology pathways for circular industrial reconstruction. It applies this typology to four Ukrainian industrial corridors. Digital tools, specifically the Digital Product Passport and blockchain traceability, partially replace institutional trust in post-conflict areas. These technologies reduce information asymmetry when standard monitoring mechanisms fail.
Taken together, the study argues that circular reconstruction is not a supplementary agenda. This is a strategic necessity whose financial architecture, digital infrastructure, and institutional conditions can and should be designed deliberately, beginning now.