Program on the Environment

At the expense of a sustainable future, the current linear economic model of mass material consumption degrades ecosystems and encourages short product lifespans. The circular economic model is an alternative, offering a path of reuse and repair by circulating resources and cultivating community connections. Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) establish the partnerships required for such circular transformation. Prior research has identified limited municipal, infrastructural, and communal support as barriers to the expansion of the circular economy. Building on these assumptions, this study explores the barriers to collaboration between NPOs and circularity-focused organizations, with the goal of increasing the frequency and longevity of relationships. Seattle REconomy, a tool library in the Shoreline and NE Seattle area, served as the organization from which qualitative interview data were collected and analyzed thematically, supported by a literature review. Through 15 interviews with partners of Seattle REconomy, including government personnel, business owners, and non-profit employees, three main barriers in circularity-focused collaboration were identified. Collaborative systems of reuse stagnate when faced with inadequate funding, awareness, and infrastructure, all three of which can be addressed with relationship maintenance. Long-lasting partnerships were observed between organizations that tracked relationships using an internally accessible customer relationship management software to keep connections active and therefore productive. For NPOs to tackle the barriers of reuse spread across financial, infrastructural, participatory limitations, relationship maintenance must be prioritized. Strengthening the relationships between NPOs and collaborators serves to better circulate resources and further initiate connections critical to the pursuit of reuse and repair.