Sustainable Business Models for Circular Economy in Urban Ecosystem

On one hand, sustainable business models have been recognized has facilitator to foster the transitions towards sustainability. On the other hand, politics and the scientific community have identified circular economy as the most promising mean to reach sustainability. While challenges regarding sustainability and climate change in urban area will increase, the development of Sustainable Business Model for Circular Economy (SBMfCE) in urban ecosystem is considered as crucial. Although pioneers created SBMfCE in different sectors, scaling up and business case reproductions are still lacking to insure the transition toward sustainability at urban level. The focus is made on one sector in a specific urban area: the built environment in Brussels. In order to give a new momentum to the SBMfCE, this paper analyses through a qualitative research based on institutional isomorphism why SBMfCE are developed at urban level and highlights barriers and enablers faced by actors. Then, it gives some insights linked to normative, coercive and mimetic pressures that could foster SBMfCE.