Business Models in the Circular and Collaborative Economy: New Horizons for Sustainable Development in the São Francisco Valley

Abstract

The Vale do São Francisco in Pernambuco, known nationally for its irrigated fruit farming, faces environmental and social challenges arising from the traditional development model. This study analyzes the application of the principles of the collaborative and circular economy in the context of business models developed from actions to encourage the creation of innovative ventures in this territorial context. Since 2018, operators in this territory have been encouraged to organize themselves as a network during the structuring of the Local Innovation Ecosystem. This is a national policy created by the Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) to stimulate business competitiveness and mechanisms for generating wealth in a sustainable way. Between 2022 and 2023, 2,214 people and 307 companies were impacted by SEBRAE's actions, only in the city of Petrolina. This objective study analyzes three business models, at different stages of maturity, and verifies the potential impacts that these businesses cause in the territory. The methodology developed to carry out this study occurred in three phases, the first being a dive into the state of the art and selection of companies; the second involved the preparation and application of questionnaires; and finally, in the third phase the data was analyzed. Therefore, the study fills a gap that has not yet been explored in the literature, which is the lack of in-depth analysis of the subjective aspects of circular and/or collaborative entrepreneurship and contributes to the contextualization of the dynamics in an Innovation Ecosystem.