Samenvatting

This study investigates the adoption of a circular product innovation in the context of circular workwear in healthcare organizations. Public sector organizations, due to large volume and buying power, have the potential to accelerate circular economy transformation through circular procurement. Our study poses the question, how do barriers to circular product adoption within the public healthcare context interact and how do the interactions influence strategic responses. From 2021-2024, we conducted a longitudinal single case study on a collaborative innovation project that designed, developed and piloted a circular isolation gown. We collected data from field participation, project meetings, semi-structured interviews and workshops with key project stakeholders. Our findings uncover various user and organizational barriers that interact, amplifying resistance and slowing the adoption of circular products. We uncover the strategic responses to barrier interactions and show that integrated management approaches are needed to support circular product adoption in public healthcare organizations. Our paper makes important empirical contributions to the literature on circular product adoption, circular procurement and circular workwear as well as salient recommendations to healthcare managers and policy makers.