The movement of manufacturing organisations towards a circular economy sets the scene for extensive industrial change. This change is not simply a continuation of current business; instead, it brings up multiple questions concerning ways of thinking, modes of operation, and the very foundation of a business. Manufacturing organisations are experiencing uncertainty regarding how to address this transformation due to its multi-faceted nature. Maturity models are seen by some as a tool for assessing and guiding manufacturing organisations when it comes to complex and multi-faceted agendas, such as that of the circular economy (CE). Maturity models provide scaffolding in the form of presentation of a desired evolution path from which manufacturing organisations can define reasonable and desirable plans for engagement with the circular economy. This study adopts the cumulative capability perspective in developing a CE maturity reference model that explicates the circular transformation by noting six discrete maturity levels across six organisational dimensions: value creation, governance, people and skills, supply chain and partnership, operations and technology, and product and material. The progression of circular maturity is explained by the principles of expertise and the systems perspective. The explication of CE transformation across dimensions and levels provides a boundary object for organisations, i.e., a scaffolding for moving from its current zone of development to its proximal zone of development.

Purpose: This paper investigates how manufacturers can develop a learning-to-learn capability for enabling Industry 4.0 adoption.Design/methodology/approach: This research design is guided by our research question: How can manufacturers develop a learning-to-learn capability that enables Industry 4.0 adoption? The authors adopt action research to generate actionable knowledge from a two-year-long action learning intervention at the Danish rooftop window manufacturer VELUX.Findings: Drawing on emergent insights from the action learning intervention, it was found that a learning-to-learn capability based on lean was a core construct and enabler for manufacturers to adopt Industry 4.0 successfully. Institutionalizing an organizational learning scaffold encompassing the intertwined learning processes of systems Alpha, Beta and Gamma served as a significant way to develop a learning-to-learn capability for Industry 4.0 adoption (systematic problem-solving abilities, leaders as learning facilitators, presence of a supportive learning environment and Industry 4.0 knowledge). Moreover, group coaching is a practical action learning intervention for invoking system Gamma and developing leaders to become learning facilitators – an essential leadership role during Industry 4.0 adoption.Originality/value: The study contributes to theory and practice by adopting action research and action learning to explore learning-to-learn as a core construct for enabling Industry 4.0 adoption and providing a set of conditions for developing a learning-to-learn capability. Furthermore, the study reveals that leaders are required to act as learning facilitators instead of relying on learning about and implementing Industry 4.0 best practices for enabling adoption.

Digital product passports are considered key levers for a circular economy. By encouraging intraorganizational and interorganizational exchange of data and information, they enable informed life cycle decision‐making to circulate products and materials at their highest utility. This is contingent on the engagement of supply chain actors to contextualize the industrial implications in the span between regulatory compliance and additional value‐generation. Through the lens of ecosystem orchestration, this multiple case study draws upon industrial insights from three product manufacturers as well as a sample of their respective suppliers, service partners, customers, and third‐party recycling companies to identify 16 practices and five orchestration mechanisms. These unfold at different stages of ecosystem maturity. Combined, they construct a framework for the adaptation of digital product passports in industrial ecosystems. This provides guidance for practitioners throughout the contextualization and utilization of digital product passports and extends the scientific debate in the direction of operationalization. As digital product passports are still in their infancy, avenues for further research are identified, particularly concerning the operational foundations, including the adherent driving and inhibiting factors toward the implementation of digital product passports.