Abstract
Collaboration is crucial to advance circularity and obtain system-level solutions. While existing research has explored how and why organisations collaborate in circular-oriented innovation, research is limited in exploring the processes through which circular start ups orchestrate and form collaborations with other organisations to implement circular actions. In our paper, we identify and explore the mechanisms through which inter-organisational collaborations are materialised in the circular economy among different types of organisations. Our findings highlight three distinct mechanisms of collaboration – forming, building and managing – to pursue collective goals and create shared values for wider stakeholders involved, the community and the environment. The mechanisms highlight how collaborations are formed, the capabilities required to build relationships and the enabling and challenging factors in managing relationships for effective collaboration in the CE. Our findings contribute to the existing literature on collaboration in the circular economy