The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance: A network theory perspective

Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance: A network theory perspective
Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance: A network theory perspective
The purpose of this study is to explore the application of blockchain technology (BCT) in recycling. This research applies a multiple case study approach with six pioneer organisations, based on secondary data. We found that BCT is an effective approach to promote recycling performance: it can provide tokenisation, waste flow tracking and recycling chain integration. The benefits include ‘Eco-friendly’, ‘Stimulate participation’, ‘Social inclusion’, ‘Transparent recycling chains’ and ‘Extended producer responsibility accountability’. However, the majority of existing BCT-based initiatives are in the pilot stage and face cognitive, technology, internal and external barriers. Our research is one of the first studies on blockchain-based recycling. We applied the network theory of ‘Reachability’, ‘Richness’ and ‘Receptivity’ and ‘network formation’ barriers to propose a conceptual framework of BCT-based recycling, which serves as a practical reference for the recycling industry.
blockchain technology, circular economy, network theory, recycling chain, sustainability, sustainable supply chain
0964-4733
3717-3741
Gong, Yu
86c8d37a-744d-46ab-8b43-18447ccaf39c
Xie, Shenghao
218c6b7c-71c9-4acf-b995-05aad9557d8d
Arunachalam, Deepak
a2086559-489b-46e9-8d0a-0504a5150499
Duan, Jiang
c5cd5d14-c6d5-435e-a0e4-188c84877773
Luo, Jianli
b7e9f85c-6295-4fdc-9797-94ac23206f94
Gong, Yu
86c8d37a-744d-46ab-8b43-18447ccaf39c
Xie, Shenghao
218c6b7c-71c9-4acf-b995-05aad9557d8d
Arunachalam, Deepak
a2086559-489b-46e9-8d0a-0504a5150499
Duan, Jiang
c5cd5d14-c6d5-435e-a0e4-188c84877773
Luo, Jianli
b7e9f85c-6295-4fdc-9797-94ac23206f94

Gong, Yu, Xie, Shenghao, Arunachalam, Deepak, Duan, Jiang and Luo, Jianli (2022) Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance: A network theory perspective. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31 (8), 3717-3741. (doi:10.1002/bse.3028).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the application of blockchain technology (BCT) in recycling. This research applies a multiple case study approach with six pioneer organisations, based on secondary data. We found that BCT is an effective approach to promote recycling performance: it can provide tokenisation, waste flow tracking and recycling chain integration. The benefits include ‘Eco-friendly’, ‘Stimulate participation’, ‘Social inclusion’, ‘Transparent recycling chains’ and ‘Extended producer responsibility accountability’. However, the majority of existing BCT-based initiatives are in the pilot stage and face cognitive, technology, internal and external barriers. Our research is one of the first studies on blockchain-based recycling. We applied the network theory of ‘Reachability’, ‘Richness’ and ‘Receptivity’ and ‘network formation’ barriers to propose a conceptual framework of BCT-based recycling, which serves as a practical reference for the recycling industry.

Text
Bus Strat Env - 2022 - Gong - Blockchain‐based recycling and its impact on recycling performance A network theory - Version of Record
Available under License Other.
Download (2MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 5 January 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 11 April 2022
Published date: December 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: This research was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JBK2103012). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords: blockchain technology, circular economy, network theory, recycling chain, sustainability, sustainable supply chain

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 457749
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/457749
ISSN: 0964-4733
PURE UUID: 94cce6b7-e036-4a0c-8a62-f25c5b437396
ORCID for Yu Gong: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-376X
ORCID for Shenghao Xie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1134-5285

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Jun 2022 00:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:04

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Yu Gong ORCID iD
Author: Shenghao Xie ORCID iD
Author: Deepak Arunachalam
Author: Jiang Duan
Author: Jianli Luo

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×