ManCE, Research Centre for Managing Circular Economy, brings together and consolidates circular economy expertise and strengthens the specialized research on circular economy.
Tampere University and the Faculty of Management and Business (MAB) have strong and broad expertise in circular economy research, based on long-term research in areas such as sustainability and resource efficiency.
With climate change and diminishing natural resources, businesses, cities, and consumers need to recognize and harness the circular economy and the wide range of circular economy solutions and approaches. This requires leading the circular economy transformation in business and industry, in public policy making and in society, including consumers.
The ManCE research centre is multidisciplinary and clearly profiled in circular economy management. The focus on business, social debate and policy has increased the demand for knowledge and expertise on the business, management and economic performance aspects of the circular economy regarding, for example, the green transition programme, Finland's strategic programme for circular economy and the sustainable growth programme. The Research Centre's theme is also linked to wider sustainability, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and carbon neutrality, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Thanks to the multidisciplinary nature of the Faculty, ManCE covers the following aspects:
- circular economy business,
- management of circular economy technologies and innovations,
- management and economic understanding of real processes related to the circular economy, especially at industrial scale
- promotion of consumption patterns and habits enabling circular economy models and development of new circular economy business models and marketing management
- stakeholder cooperation and management
- environmental and social responsibility of companies in the circular economy.
Managing the circular economy also means strengthening it strategically and politically as part of the urban sustainability transition, integrating it into climate policy and urban development objectives, and linking circular economy thinking to biodiversity conservation
Impact
ManCE's research groups:
Wastebusters is a research group that focuses on food waste and circular economy. The group investigates how different economic actors, such as consumers and consumer communities, businesses, and organizations, can contribute to solving key sustainability challenges, such as food waste and the growing amount of waste. The research group is comprised of researchers from marketing, business management, and sociology.
Contact person: Elina Närvänen, elina.narvanen [at] tuni.fi (elina[dot]narvanen[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Research group Politics of Nature and the Environment (PONTE)
The PONTE research group focuses on environmental policy in Administrative Studies in MAB Faculty. It aims to increase theoretical and empirical knowledge on the social essence of environmental issues and produce practical solutions to address specific environmental problems. The research is structured according to three focal and interrelated research areas: Environmental policy and governance, Politics of Nature, and Urban studies. These areas cover a broad spectrum of substantive topics including major challenges such as sustainability, urbanisation, circular economy, and climate crisis.
Contact person: Ari Jokinen, ari.k.jokinen [at] tuni.fi (ari[dot]k[dot]jokinen[at]tuni[dot]fi)
The Center for Innovation and Technology Research (CITER) approaches the circular economy from a broad industrial business perspective. The group's expertise covers circular economy business models, circular economy strategies, circular economy value chains, circular economy innovations and their commercialization, circular economy ecosystems and their management, the customer perspective on the circular economy (customer value and experience), public-private cooperation to promote circular economy, and industry-specific circular economy processes (e.g. textiles, process, construction, manufacturing). CITER plays an important role in several major circular and low-carbon economy research projects such as CICAT2025, ReCreate, and Bio-CCU.
Contact persons:Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, leena.aarikka-stenroos [at] tuni.fi (leena[dot]aarikka-stenroos[at]tuni[dot]fi); Ulla Saari, ulla.saari [at] tuni.fi (ulla[dot]saari[at]tuni[dot]fi)
The Information and Knowledge Management Unit focuses on knowledge-based value creation in a digitalising environment, where sustainability and circular economy ecosystems play a key role. We aim to provide understanding and expertise on the complex issues of knowledge-driven governance and effectiveness in the circular economy and its ecosystems. At the heart of knowledge management is knowledge-based value creation, combining different methodologies and perspectives from management, business and information technology disciplines.
We research and develop tools and approaches for knowledge-based management and knowledge exploitation from an individual, organisational and societal perspective. This includes applying circular economy principles, understanding and developing circular economy ecosystems, and promoting resource efficiency and sustainable value creation. We aim to develop approaches that use knowledge to create value, improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts and promote new business opportunities in circular economy ecosystems.
Contact person: Marko Seppänen, marko.seppanen [at] tuni.fi (marko[dot]seppanen[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Center for Research on Project and Service Business investigates value creation in organizations and inter-organizational relationships, particularly in project and service business. The emphasis is on the strategic phenomena that organizations face in their project and service business throughout the lifecycle of complex systems and during the renewal of organizations.
Contact person: Tuomas Ahola, tuomas.ahola [at] tuni.fi (tuomas[dot]ahola[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Cost Management Center (CMC) - We explore profitability. CMC aims to improve the competitiveness and profitability of organizations using the means and tools of accounting. The core competence of our research group is in the field of management accounting, especially in analyzing costs and profits. We work in long-term cooperation with our industrial partners and our high-quality research results also in scientific publications in international journals and forms a solid foundation for up-to-date training. Currently, one of our key research themes is to create knowledge on companies’ decision-making can be made more ecologically sustainable while at the same time creating economic, measurable customer value. We are part of the Unit of Industrial Engineering and Management, located at the Hervanta campus.
Contact person: Tuomas Korhonen, tuomas.korhonen [at] tuni.fi (tuomas[dot]korhonen[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Responsible Management Research Group conducts research on the relationships between business, society and nature from different perspectives, including responsible management, firm-stakeholder interaction, corporate responsibility and sustainable development. We have been operating since 2006.
In addition to the research and teaching, we participate in societal discussions regarding corporate responsibilities and business ethics. Likewise, we also co-operate with companies from different industries in the issues of corporate responsibility and business ethics as well as stakeholder management and stakeholder strategies.
Our special research focus and experience is on:
– responsible management
– social and environmental accounting and reporting
– business-stakeholder interaction
– business ethics
Contact person: Johanna Kujala, johanna.kujala [at] tuni.fi
