Facilitating most population engagement with the circular economy: Challenges for academics and (as) social media influencers

The lack of consumer engagement with the Circular Economy (CE) hinders the use of recycled materials in products manufactured by the B2B companies (e.g., recycled pet bottles in industrial adhesives). Such an institutional void gives space to the rise of a type of network activity: knowledge brokerage, which is a process of knowledge exchange facilitation. This multiple case study contributes with a practical description of brokerage activities in this context. It investigated how companies could interact with academics through knowledge exchange translated into campaigns to engage most consumers with CE. The network approach, under the knowledge brokerage perspective, was the main theoretical foundation of this work. Findings indicate doubts that prevent companies from developing better green marketing campaigns. Academics could help to fill these gaps. Regarding campaign management, academics could identify the different groups of consumers, the delivery channels, campaign duration, and disclosure days/times that most engage each consumer group. Campaigns require educational materials. Academics could identify the amount of information and the presentation format in printed materials. However, engaging most of the population requires a better use of social media. Academics must investigate the posts that could change each group of people's behaviors (including consumers with a lower educational level and less purchasing power). Companies plan to financially support academics who elucidate these doubts or those who succeed in using social media to induce consumers to review their postures. Such support could increase the research funds for the projects managed by the researchers we have named "academic influencers."