Interview with UVA

Dr Erwan Mouazan is a post-doctoral researcher on circular business models at the University of Vaasa, School of Marketing and Communication, he leads the activities related to Innovative business strategies, design and production models for food packaging.

1. What approach will be used in the context of the STOPP project to develop and validate future scenarios and business model strategies towards a circular food value chain?

In this work package, we are interested in using future thinking methods and applying scenario development and back-casting approaches to support creating successful circular businesses around plastic food packaging.

The future of plastic food packaging could develop in different directions, as several uncertainties may crystallise in alternative ways. In the next two decades, will sustainability-oriented policies push for more circularity? Will customers favour convenience over experience? Will new technologies redefine recycling business as usual?

Creating narratives around different possible futures can support today’s strategic decision-making by creating alternative pathways and bridging today’s business models with long-term visions. Creating these visions and pathways will be done collectively through different stakeholder’s workshops.

2. How will stakeholders, particularly the STOPP multi-actor community, be involved in the process? And the different partners of the project?

The STOPP community is at the core of this process, as we can only define future scenarios with the multiple voices currently shaping the market of plastic food packaging. We need to hear from packaging designers, retailers, reuse operators, recyclers, include expertise from research institutes, policy makers and NGOs to shape realistic visions of what the future of the plastic packaging industry could look like.

3. What is a business model blueprint? How will it be used to address different phases of the packaging value chain —design and production, use and reuse, and end-of-life recycling— and identify innovative circular business models?

A business model blueprint is a strategic framework that outlines the essential components and structure of a business model. It helps organisations and their stakeholders visualise how they create, deliver, and capture value in the marketplace.  It includes a set of key elements, such as the Value Proposition —what the business offers, and the interconnected Value Creation, Value Delivery, and Value Capture mechanisms —how the business creates value for customers, delivers that value through its offerings, and captures value through revenue generation strategies.

In the context of circular plastic food packaging, we explored different circular business models along the packaging value chain, highlighted which circular principles drive new value creation, and detailed how concretely this value creation is unravelling. We also looked at barriers that prevent these business models from scaling up today. This is actually a good starting point to link today’s emerging circular business models with future circular visions of the market and highlight which strategies should be prioritised to make these business models more successful in the future.