Customer engagement in circular economy initiatives : Exploring pathways toward climate change mitigation in the apparel Industry

Titelangaben

Dreher, Frederic ; Ströbel, Tim:
Customer engagement in circular economy initiatives : Exploring pathways toward climate change mitigation in the apparel Industry.
In: Journal of Business Research. Bd. 214 (2026) . - 116286.
ISSN 0148-2963
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116286

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Abstract

Understanding how brands foster customer engagement in the circular economy (CE) is a critical yet under-researched area. Here, we explore how specific circular practices manifest within the apparel industry. Building on Hollebeek et al.’s (2019) customer engagement framework and the circular engagement practices identified by Verleye et al. (2024), we conducted an abductive single-case study analyzing 31 semi-structured interviews with PUMA employees, partners, and customers.
We identify eight practices across knowledge sharing, resource integration, and customer learning. Beyond established practices, we reveal that networking, facilitating, and entertaining are critical for fostering social interaction, reducing participation effort, and catalyzing motivation. Theoretically, we propose a refined framework conceptualizing how customer engagement along these practices fosters sustained circular behavior. For managers, we show that circularity must be designed as a convenient, social, and rewarding experience to mobilize sustained customer involvement.