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This study addresses the problem of the slow take-up of ecodesign in industry by identifying and categorising the implementation challenges faced by practitioners. Case studies from nine manufacturing companies from five different countries are reported based on interviews with key ecodesign personnel. A literature-derived framework is used to analyse each case, allowing for robust cross-case analysis. Challenges are identified in five areas: strategy, tools, collaboration, management and knowledge. The management category of challenges is the most frequently mentioned by the companies sampled. The tools category is not as prominent as might have been expected given the on-going focus on tool development within this field. The main contributions of the study are the updating of the main challenges for ecodesign implementation faced by industry, and the development of a rich framework of challenges, including new challenges not previously mentioned in the literature. It is suggested that the framework can be used (and evolved) by other ecodesign researchers when developing surveys or questions for indepth case study interviews as this will facilitate more robust comparisons between studies and support the development of a more consolidated body of knowledge in this field.

Transitioning from the current linear economic development model to a circular economy (CE) is a hot topic in academic literature, public governance, and the corporate domain. Actors have implemented CE strategies to reduce their resource use and its associated impacts, while boosting economic competitiveness and generating positive social impact. Companies are identified as key actors in transitioning to a CE, and many academics have proposed tools to assess CE and guide them in this process. This paper critically reviews such academic ‘assessment approaches’ at the micro level in order to reflect on their key properties. Seventy-four approaches are inventoried through a systematic literature review of academic literature. A critical review framework is constructed and applied, containing four perspectives: A general perspective, a descriptive perspective (methodological aspects), a normative perspective (connections to Sustainable Development), and a prescriptive perspective (implementation-focused). Methodologically, the 74 approaches are highly diverse, having various connections to previously established methodologies. Eighteen of the reviewed assessment approaches include all three dimensions of Sustainable Development (SD), in addition to a ‘circular’ dimension. Roughly one quarter of the approaches apply a participatory design approach. Suggested key desired properties of CE assessment approaches include making use of existing assessment methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and a closer collaboration between science and practitioners to consider end-user needs in the design of CE assessment approaches.

System innovation for sustainability requires innovation in corporate governance. Social, ecological, economic, territorial and governance dimensions of sustainability are explored and a set of sustainability principles are integrated into a governance maturity grid. This grid enables both the assessment and the improvement of current strategic and operational practices regarding sustainability. It has been implemented in two industrial companies. As a result, it promotes senior management's reflection on their current strategies regarding value creation systems, and supports them in the definition of their sustainable strategies and the means of achieving them. This study is designed for businesses and presents a tool under development to support organizational innovation for system sustainability.