Digital platforms for nurturing circular neighbourhood spirits

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Angelina Korsunova University of Helsinki, Finland

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Marina Kurilova Università LUMSA, Italy

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Noora Viholainen University of Helsinki, Finland

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Piia Lundberg University of Helsinki, Finland

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Oleksandra Nenko University of Turku, Finland

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Anastasiia Galaktionova University College Dublin, Ireland

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The circular economy vision assumes that consumers will be increasingly turning into users of circular services, enabled by various digital platforms. Yet while apps can help to connect and educate consumers on circularity, the app market can be overwhelming. Moreover, many digital tools are designed for consumers as independent rational individuals, interested in self-gain and self-education. Our study combines social learning theory, literature on circular consumption and digitalisation to highlight the need for digital solutions that could reinforce existing social relations and serve as enabling tools for neighbourhood-based approaches of reusing, sharing, renting and recycling together with close circles of friends, relatives or neighbours. Empirically, we draw on everyday experiences of front-runner citizens who have been implementing circularity, zero waste and sustainable consumption principles to examine whether and how digital platforms have facilitated their circularity in everyday life. Our study is based on a set of 40 semi-structured interviews, analysing the circular experiences of eco-activists and eco-influencers from Finland and the city of St Petersburg (Russia) and their use of digital platforms for circularity. Our results show that despite the flourishing app market, the circular citizens from our data often relied on ad-hoc solutions developed through social media platforms and messenger apps to facilitate their circular consumption in local communities with shared values regarding circularity. While these solutions might lack the sophistication and technical flexibility for convenient search and filtering, they still remain attractive due to their capacity to embed circular consumption locally and among preferred social circles.

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Angelina Korsunova University of Helsinki, Finland

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Marina Kurilova Università LUMSA, Italy

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Noora Viholainen University of Helsinki, Finland

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Piia Lundberg University of Helsinki, Finland

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Oleksandra Nenko University of Turku, Finland

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Anastasiia Galaktionova University College Dublin, Ireland

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