Pe ik, Dimi i; Hille , Simon; Mo a , Dominik
A icle — Published Ve sion
Digi al pla o ms o ci cula economy: Empi ical
de elopmen o a axonomy and a che ypes
Elec onic Ma ke s
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Pe ik, Dimi i; Hille , Simon; Mo a , Dominik (2025) : Digi al pla o ms o
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RESEARCH PAPER
Digi al pla o ms o ci cula economy: Empi ical de elopmen
o a axonomy anda che ypes
Dimi iPe ik1 · SimonHille 2· DominikMo a 2
Recei ed: 17 No embe 2024 / Accep ed: 8 May 2025
© The Au ho (s) 2025
Abs ac
Digi al pla o ms hold p omise o le e age he ansi ion om a linea o a ci cula economy (CE), as hey ha e al eady
dis up ed alue-c ea ion mechanisms and o med dynamic ecosys ems in a ious domains. Howe e , he solu ion space o
CE pla o ms is as and emains unde - esea ched, challenging pla o m p o ide s o ind pu pose ul pla o m con igu a-
ions and indus ial companies o choose he igh pla o m on he ma ke . To suppo in o med pla o m design decisions
and unco e he exis ing CE pla o m con igu a ions, we de elop a axonomy om a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew and an
empi ical da ase o 129 cases o CE pla o ms. The axonomy p o ides a holis ic iew o he solu ion space, ad ancing ou
unde s anding o key con igu a ion op ions. The axonomy allows us o pe o m clus e analysis and de i e six CE pla o m
a che ypes. These indings ad ance he heo e ical knowledge indica ing how pla o ms can suppo CE and help decision-
make s design CE pla o ms o iden i y sui able CE pla o ms o hei own ci cula ac i i ies.
Keywo ds Ci cula economy pla o ms· Ma ke places o ci cula economy· Taxonomy· A che ypes· Clus e analysis
In oduc ion
Popula ion g ow h and economic p ospe i y a e d i ing
global sus ainabili y p essu es by deple ing he Ea h’s
esou ces (K ausmann e al., 2009). The ci cula economy
(CE) is a c i ical pa adigm o decoupling alue c ea ion
om ini e esou ces (Lüdeke‐F eund e al., 2019). CE p o-
poses di e en app oaches o mo e away om linea ‘ ake-
make-was e’ alue s eams, such as slowing hem down,
na owing hem, closing hem, o opening hem up o new
applica ion scena ios o addi ional li e cycles (Bocken
e al., 2016). This shi equi es sys emic changes beyond
he bounda ies o indi idual o ganiza ions (Geisendo
& Pie ulla, 2018; I ani & Sha i , 2018; Ko honen e al.,
2018; Manninen e al., 2018). Consequen ly, a success ul
ealiza ion o a CE is conside ed a socio echnical challenge
ha a ec s he business p ocesses o all ac o s in he alue
c ea ion sys em (Aa ikka-S en oos e al., 2021). To o e -
come his challenge, esea ch sees he necessi y o bundle
in e -o ganiza ional alue c ea ion in ci cula ecosys ems
(Che ow, 2007; Kanda e al., 2021).
Ecosys ems ac as an alignmen s uc u e o a mul ila -
e al ne wo k o ac o s ha need o in e ac wi h each o he
o ma e ialize a ocal alue p oposi ion (Adne , 2017).
Simila ly, he join app oach in ci cula ecosys ems aims o
educe esou ce consump ion and launch ci cula business
models (CBMs) h ough collabo a ion (Kanda e al., 2021;
Pa ida e al., 2019; Po ing e al., 2017). Digi al pla o ms
enhance collabo a ion as digi al hubs, p o iding a alue-
c ea ion a chi ec u e ha es ablishes a “hub and spoke”
s uc u e. In his s uc u e, companies a e connec ed as dis-
ibu ed nodes o a pla o m, which ac s as a cen al hub.
The e o e, in ecosys ems ha employ digi al pla o ms,
alue s eams and associa ed ansac ions inc easingly shi
o he pla o m, including hose ha suppo ci cula ac i i-
ies (Blackbu n e al., 2023; Jacobides e al., 2018).
Exis ing esea ch sugges s ha digi al pla o ms can
ake on he ole o me a-o ganiza ions o o ches a ing
ci cula alue c ea ion (Blackbu n e al., 2023). Ini ial
case s udies illus a e how a digi al pla o m o ci cula
Responsible Edi o : Ma in Adam
* Dimi i Pe ik
dimi i.pe [email p o ec ed]a .de
1 G adua e School o Excellence Ad ances Manu ac u ing
Enginee ing (GSaME), Uni e si y o S u ga , Nobels . 12,
70569S u ga , Ge many
2 Fe dinand S einbeis Ins i u e, Bildungscampus 9,
74076Heilb onn, Ge many
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 2 o 25
alue c ea ion can be se up in ce ain domains and which
p ocesses he pla o ms ake o e (Hi o a e al., 2022,
2023). F om he pe spec i e o incumben s, he e a e
ini ial insigh s in o how such companies need o ans-
o m hemsel es in o de o ope a e a digi al pla o m and
commi o he ecosys em based on i (Budde e al., 2024;
Pa ida e al., 2019). Exis ing esea ch s ill ba ely co e s
he e sa ili y o digi al pla o ms, well-documen ed in
o he pla o m-media ed domains (A nold e al., 2022;
Dupa c e al., 2022), and likely applicable o he se ing
o CE (Hen y e al., 2020; Lüdeke‐F eund e al., 2019).
Despi e he empowe ing ole ha digi al pla o ms can
play in he ealiza ion o CE (Al , 2020; Ki chhe e al.,
2023a, 2023b), p e ious esea ch has mainly examined
he pla o m assessmen based on en i onmen al, social,
and go e nance (ESG) c i e ia, as well as he design o
pla o ms o ESG wi hou speci ically add essing CE (Li
e al., 2023; Plugge e al.; Ryu e al., 2024).
As a esul , he solu ion space o he ea u es o digi al
pla o ms and hei con igu a ion pa e ns o le e aging
he CE emains poo ly unde s ood (Zeiss e al., 2021). As
e idenced in o he pla o m-media ed domains, sus aining
digi al pla o ms is a om i ial due o necessa y busi-
ness model changes and he complexi y o he in e -o gani-
za ional o ches a ion o alue on he pla o m (Pa ke e al.,
2017; an Als yne e al., 2016). Hence, we a gue ha he
exis ing lack o knowledge hinde s esea ch on s a egies
o he success ul launch and es ablishmen o CE pla o ms.
Acknowledging he challenges o es ablishing digi al pla -
o m in business- o-business se ings (Mosch e al., 2023;
Pauli e al., 2021) and he signi ican isks o ailed pla o m
launches (Jesus e al., 2024; Pidun e al., 2022), we conclude
ha wi hou a s uc u al analysis o he alue p oposi ions
unlocked by digi al pla o ms o CE, success ul con igu a-
ions o CE pla o ms canno be unde s ood well. P e ious
esea ch has iden i ied ini ial go e nance mechanisms and
p ac ices o ans o m a adi ional business model in o a
pla o m-based business model o ul ill he CE p inciples
(Blackbu n e al., 2023; Budde e al., 2024), bu a holis ic
iew o he digi al pla o m solu ion space o CE is lack-
ing. On he o he hand, exis ing mo phological analyses do
no ye ocus speci ically on digi al pla o ms (Lüdeke‐F e-
und e al., 2019). This calls o u he sys ema iza ion o
pla o m cha ac e is ics ele an o CE and he associa ed
alue p oposi ions o dema ca e he solu ion space o CE
pla o ms. Guided by his esea ch gap, his s udy aims o
sys ema ize he knowledge on he con igu a ions o CE pla -
o m cha ac e is ics and o illus a e he exis ing CE pla -
o m a che ypes. The e o e, we ask:
RQ1: How can digi al pla o ms o CE be classi ied
acco ding o key dimensions and cha ac e is ics?
RQ2: Wha a e he a che ypes o CE pla o ms?
To answe hese esea ch ques ions, his s udy employs
a wo-phase esea ch design. In he i s phase, he s udy
syn hesizes he exis ing scien i ic li e a u e on CE pla o ms
and an empi ical da ase o 129 CE pla o ms o iden i y el-
e an CE pla o m cha ac e is ics h ough a mo phological
analysis. These cha ac e is ics a e o ganized in a axonomy
because axonomies a e ecognized as classi ica ion a i ac s
sui able o o ganizing knowledge abou a ce ain phenom-
enon and helping sys ema ize eme gen esea ch ields (Kun-
disch e al., 2022; Schoo mann e al., 2023). In he second
phase, we pe o m a clus e analysis o he empi ical da a
sample based on he axonomy o de i e six a che ypes o
CE pla o ms. This also se es as an e alua ion o he ax-
onomy by applying i o eal-wo ld cases. We addi ionally
e alua e he axonomy in 16 in e iews. In conclusion, he
axonomy p o ides a s uc u ed iew o he di e en pla -
o m cha ac e is ics in he con ex o CE and con ibu es
o he desc ip i e knowledge in he hi he o insu icien ly
esea ched esea ch ield o pla o m cha ac e is ics ele an
o he CE pa adigm. The a che ypes help p ac i ione s make
in o med decisions abou con igu ing o inding he igh
pla o m o suppo he ci cula ans o ma ion o hei busi-
ness and hei ne wo k.
Rela ed wo k
In o de o ou line ela ed concep s and p e ious wo k el-
e an o ou s udy, his sec ion in oduces he no ion o CE
and explains why da a is so impo an o i s ealiza ion. I
hen p esen s he no ion o digi al pla o ms, explains how
hey can suppo he emb acemen o CE, and p o ides an
o e iew o he cu en s a e o esea ch.
The ci cula economy
The CE pa adigm has eme ged as a esponse o en i onmen-
al cons ain s undamen ally challenging he consump ion
o ini e esou ces (Du án-Rome o e al., 2020). Despi e pos-
sible ebound e ec s, CE is seen as an e ec i e app oach o
sus ainable alue c ea ion ha minimizes esou ce inpu and
was e (Ba os e al., 2021; Zink & Geye , 2017). I d aws on
a ich his o y o ideas om indus ial ecologis s, no ably
d awing on he concep s such as he spaceman economy, he
indus ial ecology, o he pe o mance economy (Kalmyko a
e al., 2018). The spaceman economy iews plane Ea h as
a spaceship, a closed sys em wi h limi ed esou ces (Bould-
ing, 1966). Acco ding o he indus ial ecology, indus ial
sys ems a e unde s ood as biological ecosys ems, in which
was e is ans o med in o a esou ce, ollowing na u al cycles
(G aedel, 1996). Meanwhile, he pe o mance economy pos-
ula es ha i is necessa y o ocus on p oduc pe o mance
a he han p oduc owne ship o imp o e esou ce e iciency
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 3 o 25 60
(S ahel, 2016). In he ecen academic discou se, he CE
has been u he de eloped and concep ualized as a dis inc
academic discipline, wi h p oposals on how o en ich i s
heo e ical ounda ions (Ki chhe e al., 2023a, 2023b; Mig-
nacca e al., 2025).
As CE has been esea ched o se e al decades, he e a e
many de ini ions, and his agmen a ion has led o a lack o
consensus on wha CE is (Hom ich e al., 2018). To p omo e
he di usion o he CE, he Ellen MacA hu Founda ion,
a non-p o i o ganiza ion, emphasizes h ee co e p inciples:
educ ion o was e and pollu ion, keep p oduc s and ma e i-
als in use as long as possible, and egene a ion o na u al
sys ems (MacA hu , 2013). Wi hin he academic discou se,
Ki chhe e al. (2017) syn hesized 114 CE de ini ions and
p oposed a uni ying de ini ion. Recen ly Ki chhe e al.,
(2023a, 2023b) e isi ed and ex ended a uni ying de ini ion
o a CE. Fo ou s udy, we la gely ollow his de ini ion and
sha pen i by addi ionally including he 10 ci cula i y p in-
ciples in he de ini ion. Hence, based on ecen de ini ions
(Geissdoe e e al., 2017; Ki chhe e al., 2023a, 2023b;
Po ing e al., 2017), we concep ualize CE as a egene a-
i e economic sys em which necessi a es a pa adigm shi
o eplace he “end o li e” concep and minimize esou ce
inpu , was e, emission, and ene gy leakage h ough he 10
ci cula i y p inciples anging be ween e use and eco e
o os e alue main enance and sus ainable de elopmen ,
enabled by s akeholde alliances, hei echnological inno-
a ions and capabili ies. In line wi h his de ini ion, wi h
i s di e se p inciples, CE a ec s p ocesses h oughou he
en i e li e cycle o a p oduc (Ande sen e al., 2023; Geiss-
doe e e al., 2020; an Loon & an Wassenho e, 2020), as
shown in Fig.1.
The e is also a g owing na a i e ha CE is a sys emic
app oach and ha eaching he highe -o de ci cula -
i y p inciples equi es in e -o ganiza ional collabo a ion
(Geisendo &Pie ulla, 2018; S ahel, 2016). To achie e
his, exis ing esea ch shows ha he ealiza ion o CE can
bene i signi ican ly om using digi al echnologies and
closing da a gaps. In pa icula , da a p ocessing and u iliz-
ing in o ma ion lows a e impo an (Chauhan e al., 2022;
Jäge -Roschko & Pe e sen, 2022). Fo example, was e- o-
esou ce ma ches can bene i signi ican ly om bo h desc ip-
i e and p esc ip i e da a analy ics. E ec i e localiza ion
o p oduc s o ake-back and edis ibu ion o addi ional
li ecycles also elies on accu a e da a (Pe ik e al., 2025).
This ha nessing o da a and digi al echnologies o hei
gene a ion o p ocessing o p omo e CE is also known as
sma CE (K is o e sen e al., 2020; Zeiss, 2019). Howe e ,
adi ional IT sys ems s uggle o manage in e -o ganiza-
ional da a s eams due o in e ope abili y limi a ions, which
is why digi al pla o ms a e conside ed p omising o suppo
ci cula alue s eams (An ikainen e al., 2018; Heinz e al.,
2024; Zeiss e al., 2021).
Digi al pla o ms o aci cula economy
In he con ex o sma CE, digi al pla o ms a e iewed
as digi al echnologies ha can p ocess and o ganize da a
s eams h ough open in e aces and hei laye ed a chi ec-
u e (Cusumano e al., 2019; Yoo e al., 2010). Howe e , a
pu ely echnical iew o digi al pla o ms is insu icien o
unde s and hei impac on alue c ea ion. Pla o ms can
simul aneously suppo ansac ions be ween ac o s (i.e.,
supply and demand) and o m he a chi ec u al basis o
inno a ions and digi al se ices ha u ilize he pla o m
unc ionali ies (Cusumano e al., 2019; Hein e al., 2020).
Thus, a dis inc ion can be made be ween inno a ion and
ansac ion pla o ms, depending on hei p edominan
alue acili a ion mechanism. When such pla o ms a e
accessible o hi d pa ies, hey ca alyze he eme gence o
Inbound
logis ics Take-back Redis ibu ion
Use in he i s li ecycle
Use in hen li ecycle
Use in hesecond li ecycle
Reuse
Remanu ac u e
Re hink/
Recycle /
Reco e
P e-use
In-use
Pos -use
Was e and
emission
leakage
Repai /
Re u bish
Disposal
Human esou ces
P ocu emen
Re use
Re hink
Reduce
Ou bound
logis ics
Ma ke ing
and Sales
Manu-
ac u ing
Se ice
Technology and p oduc de elopmen
Fig. 1 Concep ualiza ion o a ci cula economy
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 4 o 25
pla o m-based ecosys ems (Gawe , 2014; Jacobides e al.,
2018). Such pla o ms gene a e di e en le e age e ec s,
wi h pla o m-based ou pu exceeding he inpu (Thomas
e al., 2014) and a e subjec o ne wo k e ec s ha inc ease
alue o pla o m use s (Kö ppen e al., 2024; McIn y e &
S ini asan, 2017).
Following he logic desc ibed abo e, digi al pla o ms
can also be used o na iga e he ci cula alue lows be ween
s akeholde s. Business ecosys ems based on pla o ms a e
known o p omo e collec i e ac ion a a sys em le el, os-
e ing collabo a ion be ween o ganiza ions (Ri ala, 2024).
Fo example, a c i ical success ac o o inc easing he use
o seconda y esou ces is he exis ence o a ma ke , which
digi al pla o ms can c ea e (Hen y e al., 2020; Kno h e al.,
2022; Kuma e al., 2023). In addi ion o ac ing as an in e -
media y, he po en ial o digi al pla o ms in he con ex o
CE also ela es o he join collec ion o da a ela ed o ci -
cula i y p inciples o co-c ea ion (Konie zko e al., 2019).
Pla o ms can also gene a e ne wo k e ec s in he CE con-
ex , o example, by inc easing he numbe o ci cula solu-
ions. This leads o an imp o ed o e ing o he demand side
(Kö ppen e al., 2024), inc easing he pla o m alue and
acili a ing he emb acemen o CE. The e o e, pla o ms
should be ecognized as socio echnical digi al a i ac s ha
no only o e echnical ea u es bu also de elop business
alue ha can be used o he emb acemen o CE and guide
u he mo phological analysis (Kosmol & Leyh, 2020;
Zeiss e al., 2021). In his con ex , he concep o on ologi-
cal e e sal p o ides a aluable lens o unde s anding he
ole o digi al pla o ms in he CE. I was in oduced by
Baske ille e al. (2020) o emphasize ha digi al echnolo-
gies no longe me ely ep esen physical eali y bu inc eas-
ingly shape i . By ac ing as in e media ies and p ocessing
la ge amoun s o da a om he pla o m-based ecosys em,
pla o ms can ac as cons i u i e elemen s in o ganizing he
CE p ac ices and c ea ing ci cula ma ke s.
Be g and Wil s (2019) e lec on he exis ing de ici s o
esou ce supply ma ke s and eason ha digi al pla o ms
can help sol e hem, no ing ha ypical pla o m issues
such as da a quali y, algo i hm pe o mance, use p o ec-
ion, in o ma ion asymme ies, p ope y igh s, lock-ins,
and ga ekeeping mus be managed by pla o m p o ide s.
Balde e al. (2023) p opose a p ocess model o shi ing CE
ansac ions o a digi al pla o m. In addi ion o his, Budde
e al. (2024) de elop a p ocess model ha depic s he ans-
o ma ion o a ecycle in o a digi al pla o m p o ide wi h
an inc easing numbe o di e en pla o m use g oups. He
e al. (2021) s udy he dilemmas o pla o m use pa icipa-
ion. Kosmol and Leyh (2020) p esen a ool o building
digi al pla o ms o suppo indus ial symbiosis. Ma an es
e al. (2023) p esen a socio echnical amewo k o suppo
he de elopmen and deploymen o CE pla o ms.
Se e al pape s show insigh s om echnical implemen-
a ions o pla o ms. Ai alio is e al. (2021) and Amb osio
e al. (2021) ou line he a chi ec u es o IoT-enabled pla -
o ms o sma was e managemen . Boukha mi e al. (2023)
conduc a design science esea ch s udy and de i e design
p inciples, ocusing on da a a chi ec u e. Fozza e al. (2023)
de elop a pla o m a chi ec u e elec ical and elec onic
was e logis ics equi emen s. Solda os e al. (2021) p esen
a logical and da a a chi ec u e o a pla o m o enable c oss-
sec o al euse o esou ces.
In e ms o business-o ien ed esea ch, Hi o a e al.,
(2022, 2023) p esen business a chi ec u es o pla o ms,
de ailing he business p ocesses hese a chi ec u es should
suppo . Konie zko e al. (2019) in es iga e he di e en
oles o digi al pla o ms and ind ha pla o ms suppo
ma ke s, ope a ions, and co-c ea ion. Blackbu n e al. (2023)
concep ualize pla o ms as me a-o ganiza ions o o ches-
a ing ci cula alue c ea ion. Schwanholz and Leipold
(2020) pe o m a business model analysis o pla o ms ha
suppo sha ing and ela e o CE, dis inguishing h ee ypes
o pla o m business models ha aim ei he a social in e -
ac ion, p o i and sus ainabili y, o a mixed goals. Hence,
despi e hese wo excep ions (Blackbu n e al., 2023;
Schwanholz &Leipold, 2020), mos exis ing s udies epo
single implemen a ion cases.
In summa y, he e iew o exis ing wo k indica es ha he
s udies mainly ocus on he po en ials, challenges, and ech-
nical ealiza ion o digi al pla o ms o CE. This sugges s a
lack o a comp ehensi e o e iew o he solu ion space o
con igu ing CE pla o ms, al hough hese s udies a e la e
used o de elop he axonomy.
Me hodology
Taxonomy de elopmen
To delinea e he solu ion space o CE pla o ms, we pe -
o med a mo phological analysis and o ganized i in o a ax-
onomy. Taxonomies a e aluable o s uc u ing desc ip i e
knowledge and gi ing o de o complex esea ch objec s
(Glass & Vessey, 1995). In addi ion, axonomies a e pu -
pose ul in delinea ing solu ion spaces, as hey can be used as
desc ip i e heo ies (G ego , 2006) s o ing mul idimensional
empi ical knowledge applicable in business, o ins ance, as
con igu a ional models (Lüdeke‐F eund e al., 2019; Mölle
e al., 2022). The axonomy de elopmen app oach u ilized
he me hod p oposed by Nicke son e al. (2013) o wo ea-
sons. Fi s , i suppo s a sequen ial use o concep ual da a
om he scien i ic li e a u e and empi ical da a om eal-
wo ld scena ios. Second, i is i e a i e and p o ides guidance
o de ining ending condi ions.
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 5 o 25 60
Me a-cha ac e is ic: The i s s ep o he axonomy
de elopmen app oach is o o mula e he me a-cha ac e is-
ic o he axonomy, which de ines i s pu pose and he a ge
use g oups. The axonomy aims o sys ema ize he cha ac-
e is ics o digi al pla o ms o CE. As he axonomy p o-
ides an o e iew o he possible cha ac e is ics, he esul -
ing solu ion space aims o guide esea ch a he in e sec ion
o pla o m and CE while suppo ing decision-make s in
he p ocess o con igu ing digi al pla o ms h ough a make
app oach o assessing exis ing ma ke solu ions h ough a
buy app oach.
Ending condi ions: The second s ep equi es o de ine
he ending condi ions. We ely on he eigh objec i e c i e-
ia p oposed by Nicke son e al. (2013) and i e subjec i e
ending condi ions p oposed by Szopinski e al. (2020):
(S1) i is concise, wi h a numbe o dimensions and cha -
ac e is ics ha do no c ea e men al o e load when wo k-
ing wi h he axonomy; (S2) i is obus , allowing a clea
di e en ia ion o he di e se pla o m con igu a ions;
(S3) i is comp ehensi e, enabling he classi ica ion o
all pla o m cases om he empi ical web sea ch; (S4) i
can be ex ended due o he ela i e no el y o he applica-
ion o pla o m echnologies o CE; (S5) i is su icien ly
explana o y, helping o explain he di e en pla o m con-
igu a ions o CE.
Taxonomy design app oach: The nex s eps, 3 o 7,
equi e choosing he design app oach. The de elopmen
o he axonomy wen h ough ou i e a ions desc ibed in
Table1.
Sys ema ic li e a u e e iew: Gi en he schola ly in e -
es in he opic, we i s pe o med a concep ual- o-empi ical
app oach. We conduc ed a sys ema ic li e a u e analysis a
he da abase le el o achie e ex ensi e co e age o esea ch
ela ed o digi al pla o ms o CE. A e es ing di e en
sea ch s ings, we op ed o an inclusi e sea ch s ing ha
included a di e se spec um o ele an li e a u e (La sen
e al., 2019). Thus, we de ined a sea ch s ing combining
he keywo ds “ci cula economy” wi h he combina ion o
keywo ds “pla o m” OR “ecosys em.” This s ing was used
o he sea ch in nine scien i ic da abases: EBSCOhos , Web
o Science, ScienceDi ec , ACM, IEEE Explo e, AiSeL,
Sp inge link, Taylo &F ancis, and Wiley. The sea ch was
pe o med in No embe 2023 and epea ed in June 2024
since academic esea ch on CE is apidly e ol ing. Figu e2
illus a es he s eps o building a li e a u e sample by ollow-
ing he PRISMA guidelines. The PRISMA guidelines ep e-
sen an es ablished s anda d o documen ing he sc eening
and analysis o a li e a u e sample e ie ed om he da a-
bases (Page e al., 2021).
The li e a u e sample c ea ion was guided by inclu-
sion and exclusion c i e ia o minimize he sampling bias,
which a e included on he igh side o Fig.2. In pa icula ,
only pee - e iewed jou nal o con e ence pape s published
in English we e conside ed o sc eening. The i les and
abs ac s o all iden i ied pape s we e sc eened o es ima e
he ele ance o each pape o he esea ch opic. This was
done by assessing whe he he pape s conduc ed empi i-
cal o concep ual esea ch using he concep o digi al
pla o ms, which was signi ican ly shaped by Cusumano
e al. (2019), dis inguishing he acili a ion o inno a ion
o ansac ions, and Gawe (2014), highligh ing he sup-
ply-chain o indus y le el o openness. To be conside ed
ele an , pape s had o explo e hese pla o m concep s
and link hem o he con ex ualiza ion o CE p esen ed ea -
lie . Al hough we did no ind any de ia ions in he de ini-
ion o CE, we excluded many pape s du ing he sc een-
ing p ocess ha pu sued a echnically di e en no ion o
pla o ms (e.g., I ano e al., 2022), examined CBM o
ci cula ecosys ems ha do no ely signi ican ly on pla -
o ms (e.g., Thaku & Wilson, 2024), examined consume
beha io om social media pla o ms (e.g., Lima, 2022),
o , o example, e e ed o bio e ine ies o o he chemical
plan s as pla o ms (e.g., Leong & Chang, 2023). Gi en
he concep ual compa ibili y be ween he CE and he sha -
ing economy (Hen y e al., 2020), s udies on pla o ms
ha p omo e sha ing we e also included in he sample. We
also excluded publica ions ha we e no esea ch pape s
in jou nals o con e ences, MDPI publica ions, and pape s
ha we e no w i en in English. Du ing he ull- ex analy-
sis, we excluded u he pape s ha de ia e concep ually
om ou unde s anding o CE and pla o ms o i hey
only occasionally men ioned he e ms “CE” o “pla o m.”
Subsequen con en analysis o he ull ex s educed he
inal sample o 19 pape s. A backwa d sea ch yielded h ee
addi ional pape s. Du ing he epea ed sea ch, one pape
was added. Appendix 1 con ains he en i e sample.
Table 1 O e iew o he i e a ions pe o med o build he axonomy
I e a ion App oach Sample Resul
1 Concep ual- o-empi ical 14 pape s Two me a-dimensions and six dimensions
2 Empi ical- o-concep ual 50 websi es, andomized Fi s e sion o he axonomy wi h an addi ional me a-dimension
3 Empi ical- o-concep ual 80 emaining websi es Re ined e sion o he axonomy
4 Empi ical- o-concep ual 130 websi es End o he de elopmen p ocess as no changes ha e been made
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 6 o 25
Fi s i e a ion: Relying on a mix o an induc i e ca ego y
o ma ion, as p oposed by May ing (2022), and he deduc i e
sea ch based on he p e-codi ica ion scheme, as p oposed by
Banda a e al. (2015), ou li e a u e analysis enabled us o
cha ac e ize CE pla o ms and de ine an ini ial se o me a-
dimensions: (1) scope and (2) pla o m. This ini ial analysis
led o he iden i ica ion o i e p ima y dimensions, in eg a -
ing he pla o m alue c ea ion mechanisms o inno a ion and
ansac ion pla o ms as desc ibed by Blackbu n e al. (2023),
ci cula s a egies based on he 9R amewo k by Po ing e al.
(2017), alue pu pose as ou lined by A i (2023), and wo
scope dimensions a ge ing ma chmaking o di e en ia e
be ween B2B and B2 C, and he business s uc u e, which
can be o -p o i o non-p o i , as discussed by Ciulli e al.
(2020) as well as Schwanholz and Leipold (2020). Howe e ,
ou sea ch also e ealed ha he esea ch on digi al pla o ms
o CE is s ill in i s in ancy, wi h only a ew case s udies. This
sugges s ha , a he ime o he sea ch, he esea ch landscape
lacked a comp ehensi e iew o he solu ion space o digi al
pla o ms o CE and did no o e a mo phological analysis o
NOITACIFITNEDI
EBSCO
hos
n = 222
GNINEERCSYTILIBIGILEDEDULCNI
Remo ed duplica es be o e sc eening: n = 202
Web o
Science
n = 139
Science
Di ec
n = 340
IEEE
Explo e
n = 29
ACM
Digi al
n = 1
Sp inge
Link
n = 2453
Taylo &
F ancis
n = 17
Reco ds iden i ied om he da abases: n =
3377
Wiley
n = 6
Reco ds sc eened ( i le and abs ac ): n = 3175
Reco ds emo ed a e he sc eening p ocedu e:
n = 2948
•Wo kshop pape s, pos e s, in e iews o TREOs
•Pape s published by MDPI
•Pape s w i en in languages o he han English
•Pape s dealing wi h di e en digi al echnologies
as in luencing ac o s on CE wi hou a ocus on
pla o ms
•Pape analyzing CBM, CE ecosys ems wi hou
ocusing on CE pla o ms
•Pape s analyzing use beha io based on da a
om social media pla o ms
•Concep ual de ia ion om he pla o m concep
coined by Cusumano e al. (2019) and Gawe
(2014)
Reco ds ead ( ull- ex ): n = 227
Reco ds emo ed a e eading and analyzing ull-
ex s: n = 208
•Focus on o he sus ainabili y p ac ices such as
sus ainabili y accoun ing ins ead o CE
•Occasional men ions o pla o ms o CE wi hou
an in eg a ed analysis o bo h concep s
•Concep ual de ia ion om he pla o m concep
coined by Cusumano e al. (2019) and Gawe
(2014)
Rele an eco ds a e ull- ex eading: n = 19 Reco ds added a e backwa d sea ch: n = 3
Final sample o academic li e a u e: n = 22
Ex ended sample a e he epea ed sea ch in
No embe 2024: n = 23
AiSeL
n = 170
Fig. 2 O e iew o he li e a u e sample building p ocess based on PRISMA guidelines
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 7 o 25 60
pla o m a che ypes ha acili a e CE. Based on his inding,
we conduc ed an addi ional empi ical web sea ch o c ea e a
da abase o eal-wo ld CE pla o m examples, ex end he da a
ounda ion, and imp o e he axonomy.
Analysis o eal-wo ld objec s: The web sea ch was pe -
o med in Feb ua y 2024. The sample was buil by explo a-
i e sea ch o pla o ms ia C unchbase and LinkedIn.
C unchbase is a ele an sou ce o business da a, p o iding
i ms an en i onmen o p esen hemsel es and sea ch o
in es o s. To mi iga e he bias o using only one sou ce,
LinkedIn buil an addi ional da a sou ce chosen because
i is he la ges p o essional social ne wo k, wi h 850 mil-
lion membe s in a ound 200 coun ies. Fo he CE pla o m
sea ch, we used simila keywo ds “ci cula economy” AND
“pla o m.” The sea ch led o he iden i ica ion o 697 i ms
on C unchbase and 1000 addi ional hi s on LinkedIn. No all
hi s co esponded o ou de ined concep o CE pla o ms,
which is p esen ed in “Me hodology”, so each websi e had
o be assessed o con i m whe he hey ep esen pla o ms
wi h open access o hi d pa ies o o m a CE pla o m eco-
sys em. Consul ancies o unding ini ia i es ha ad ise o
und pla o m p o ide s we e excluded om he sample.
Fu he mo e, pla o mless communi ies we e also excluded.
To inc ease he alidi y o ou esul s, h ee esea che s om
he eam independen ly adjus ed and compa ed he sample,
discussing disc epancies un il a consensus was eached.
This educed he sample o 151 po en ial pla o ms. A e
elimina ing duplica es om LinkedIn p e iously iden i ied
on C unchbase, an addi ional 45 pla o ms we e included,
b inging he o al o 196 suspec ed CE pla o ms. Each pla -
o m was u he analyzed by eam membe s using websi e
in o ma ion. This analysis, which in ol ed induc i ely de i -
ing ca ego ies o axonomy o ganiza ion, excluded some
solu ions ha appea ed o be pla o ms bu only suppo ed
in e nal analy ics. We also excluded websi es ha we e no
longe online. The e ined and inal sample comp ised 129
pla o ms, lis ed in Appendix 2.
Second i e a ion: Once he empi ical sample was inal-
ized, ou i e a ions we e pe o med o c ea e he inal ax-
onomy and cha ac e ize he pla o ms om he sample.
Figu e3 ou lines he e olu ion o he dimensions du ing he
ou i e a ions. The sample was andomized using Mic oso
Excel’s andomiza ion unc ion and consis ed o 50 pla o ms,
ep esen ing a ela i e p opo ion o 38%. This sub-sample
was used o he second i e a ion o de i e he dimensions
and hei cha ac e is ics induc i ely o ming he second e -
sion o he axonomy. F om a esea ch me hod pe spec i e,
we pe o med elec onic documen analysis (Bowen, 2009)
o de i e ele an pla o m cha ac e is ics, as companies usu-
ally communica e he co e elemen s o hei pla o ms (Teece,
2010). Each esea che p oposed he cha ac e is ics o CE
pla o ms by s udying he sub-sample independen ly. Open
coding was used o ex ac pla o m cha ac e is ics, guided by
he expe ise o he esea ch eam. A o al o i e addi ional
dimensions we e de ined. Fou dimensions we e dis ibu ed
ac oss he me a-dimensions iden i ied in he i s i e a ion. The
need o an addi ional me a-dimension, called echnology, was
ecognized o o ganize he complemen a y echnologies. As
addi ional me a-dimensions and dimensions we e added o he
axonomy, a hi d i e a ion was pe o med.
Thi d i e a ion: Du ing he hi d i e a ion, he axonomy
was used o cha ac e ize he emaining 80 pla o ms, du ing
which an addi ional dimension wi h wo cha ac e is ics was
added o he axonomy. This change was also de ined by
consensus and ca ego ized wi hin he axonomy acco ding o
i s o de and a ilia ion wi h he h ee me a-dimensions. The
addi ion o ano he dimension mean ha he objec ending
condi ion p oposed by Nicke son e al. (2013) was no me ,
necessi a ing a u he i e a ion.
Fou h i e a ion: Du ing his las i e a ion, he en i e
sample was cha ac e ized by applying he axonomy. No
changes we e made du ing his i e a ion, which indica es
he obus ness and comple eness o he axonomy and he
ul ilmen o he objec i e ending condi ions p oposed by
Nicke son e al. (2013). Appendix 3 p esen s he ending con-
di ions, while Appendix 4 p esen s he da a s uc u e ables
and an exce p o he coding scheme.
When deciding how o isualize he axonomy, a mo -
phology was chosen om he exis ing op ions (Szopinski
e al., 2020) o wo easons. Fi s , mo phologies a e well
sui ed o enable axonomy use s o isualize and compa e
di e en pla o m con igu a ions. Second, mo phologies can
g oup dimensions in o me a-dimensions, allowing mul iple
op ions o be logically o ganized a a highe le el (Mölle
e al., 2022).
Gi en he in e p e a i e na u e o he sample cons uc-
ion (Bowen, 2009; C am e al., 2020) and he axonomy
de elopmen p ocess, ca ego y building was pe o med
independen ly by each esea che and hen discussed. The
names o he dimensions and hei cha ac e is ics, as well as
hei g anula i y, exclusi i y, and sequence in he axonomy,
we e discussed and assigned o he me a-dimensions by con-
sensus. This helped o ensu e he gene al objec i i y o he
axonomy. To u he imp o e he usabili y o he axonomy
as a means o s uc u e he solu ion space, we decided ha
ce ain dimensions should no be mu ually exclusi e, as o h-
e wise he possibili ies o analyze exis ing pla o ms om
he ield o o design a pla o m would be hampe ed and
become imp ac ical o use in pla o m con igu a ion (Mölle
e al., 2019).
E alua ion: To imp o e he igo o he axonomy de el-
opmen and o gain deepe insigh s in o how po en ial use s
unde s and and a e he use ulness o he axonomy, we
conduc ed in e iews (Szopinski e al., 2020). Ini ially, we
p esen ed he axonomy o he s uden s o a uni e si y Mas-
e ’s le el sus ainabili y cou se. We asked hem whe he hey
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 8 o 25
ound he axonomy unde s andable enough and whe he i
helped hem o cha ac e ize ce ain pla o ms om he sam-
ple in oduced du ing he cou se. We assessed he o e lap
wi h he cha ac e iza ion by he esea che s.
A e wa d, we consul ed 16 expe s om p ac ice and
esea ch o e alua e he axonomy. To be conside ed o he
e alua ion, we ensu ed ha he expe s we e po en ial use s
o he axonomy. Acco ding o Szopinski e al. (2019), such a
sample size is app op ia e o e alua ing he axonomy. The
in e iews las ed 1h each. In he i s hal hou , he pu pose
o he axonomy and all dimensions and cha ac e is ics we e
explained. The expe s we e able o commen i e a i ely on
each componen o he axonomy. In he nex hal hou , we
used a ques ionnai e and asked he in e iewees o explain
how hey would use he esul s and e alua ed i based on a
p ede ined se o c i e ia. In line wi h Rosemann and Vessey
(2008) and Szopinski e al. (2020), he c i e ia aimed o cap-
u e eedback on he ele ance, no el y, applicabili y, acces-
sibili y, and con idence in he use o he axonomy. We used
o dinal scales wi h a ings o “1” o “5” o a e he c i e ia
and eques ed quali a i e s a emen s o jus i y each a ing.
Wi h ep esen a i es om CE pla o ms, we addi ionally
conduc ed a sel -assessmen , which added a c i e ion on
he pe cei ed expe ience o applying he axonomy. We
also asked he expe s abou limi a ions and po en ial o
imp o emen in o de o lea n abou he po en ial uses and
cu en limi a ions o ou axonomy as a desc ip i e a i ac .
Appendix 5 p o ides u he de ails on he e alua ion, he
expe s, and he ques ionnai e design.
A che ype iden i ica ion
A e de eloping he axonomy, we used he empi ical sam-
ple o pe o m clus e analysis and iden i y CE pla o m
a che ypes as con igu a ion pa e ns based on he axonomy.
A che ypes ep esen a ypical con igu a ion o a pa e n o
an objec o in e es , such as CE pla o m designs, om
which copies can be made (Johnson, 1994). In ou con ex ,
as desc ibed by Mölle e al. (2019), he mo phological isu-
aliza ion o he axonomy can c ea e pa e ns, and he cen al
con igu a ions ep esen a che ypes. Clus e analysis helps
o g oup simila objec s based on he mani es a ions o hei
cha ac e is ics o de i e a che ypes. Clus e analysis uses
s a is ical me hods o achie e high in e nal homogenei y
I e a ion 1I e a ion 2I e a ion 3
Concep ual- o-empi ical Empi ical- o-concep ualEmpi ical- o-concep ual
ScopeCi cula i y
p inciples
Technology
Ci cula i y
p inciples
Value objec
Value objec
Business model
Technologies
Ta ge ed
ma chmaking
P oximi y
O ganiza ional
o m
I e a ion 4
Empi ical- o-concep ual
Ci cula i y
p inciples
Value objec
Business model
Technologies
Ta ge ed
ma chmaking
P oximi y
O ganiza ional
o m
Complemen a y
Technologies
Ta ge ed
ma chmaking
P oximi y
Business
s uc u e
Ci cula i y
p inciples
Dimension o
cha ac e is ic no
changed
New me a-dimension New dimension
Dimension enamed o
numbe o
cha ac e is ics
changed
Legend:
Ta ge ed
ma chmaking
Business
s uc u e
Pla o mValue-c ea ing
mechanism
Value-c ea ing
mechanism
Value pu pose
A ea o
applica ion
Suppo ed
capabili ies
Pa ne ne wo k
Value-c ea ing
mechanism
Value pu pose
A ea o
applica ion
Suppo ed
capabili ies
Pa ne ne wo k
Value-c ea ing
mechanism
Value pu pose
A ea o
applica ion
Deg ee o
openness
Pa ne ne wo k
Value pu pose
A ea o
applica ion
Fig. 3 O e iew o he axonomy changes wi h each i e a ion
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 15 o 25 60
Clus e 1Clus e 2
Clus e 3Clus e 4
Clus e 5 Clus e 6
ecna siD
Dendog am
Fig. 6 Clus e dend og am wi h six clus e g oups
Table 3 Dis ibu ion o he CE pla o m cha ac e is ics
Ci cula ma ke places Ci cula ope a ions
enable s
Packaging acking
pla o ms
Was e managemen
pla o msWas e ma ke places T acking pla o ms
67 8224
81
1
Ma e ials12% 0% 0% 21%13% 45%
P oduc s 12% 88%0%50% 13%64%
Packaging3% 0% 100% 17%0%0%
Was e6% 25%0%67% 100% 9%
In an gibles 4% 25%0%0%0%18%
People3% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Re use 3% 0% 0% 8% 0% 0%
Re hink6% 0% 0% 33%0%0%
Reduce6% 13%0%63% 0% 27%
Reuse84% 75%0%21% 25%82%
Repai 30% 25%100%4%0%45%
Re u bish24% 0% 0% 8% 0% 36%
Remanu ac u e6% 0% 0% 0% 0% 45%
Repu pose 13% 13%0%21% 0% 45%
Recycle24% 0% 0% 58%25% 55%
Reco e 6% 0% 0% 17%38% 0%
B2B43% 88%0%100%88% 100%
B2C37% 100% 100% 8% 0% 0%
B2G1% 0% 0% 8% 13%9%
B2B2C7% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0%
C2C24% 13%0%0%0%0%
C2G4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
B2B2G1% 0% 0% 8% 0% 9%
Local 1% 25%100%4%38% 0%
Na ional 39% 25%0%25% 25%0%
In e na ional57% 63%100%75% 63%100%
Non-p o i 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Fo -p o i 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Pla o m access 100%25% 100% 100% 100% 9%
Pla o m license0% 75%0%0%0%91%
Inno a ion6% 38%50% 21%50% 82%
T ansac ion97% 88%50% 83%63% 73%
Collec i e in elligence 7% 0% 0% 0% 13%0%
In o ma ion p o isioning 7% 38%0%71% 25%18%
Ope a ions 25% 50%50% 75%63% 45%
T acking 9% 13%50% 58%38% 91%
Connec ing93% 13%0%13% 38%55%
Design 4% 0% 0% 13%13% 0%
Manu ac u ing3% 0% 0% 33%25% 36%
Logis ics9% 25%100%67% 38%55%
Sales55% 88%0%8%0%27%
Se ice40% 63%50% 100% 50%73%
Knowledge13% 38%0%58% 13%45%
Repo ing 7% 0% 50%25% 50%18%
Benchma king 0% 0% 0% 13%13% 9%
Financing3% 0% 0% 4% 0% 0%
Wi hin one o ganiza ion 10% 88%0%88% 0%
Closely connec ed ne wo k o supply chain3% 38%100%0%0%100%
Loosely coupled ecosys em 87% 0% 0% 13%88% 0%
Visible28% 25%0%25% 13%9%
Hidden72% 75%100%75% 25%91%
None 93% 88%0%50% 75%36%
Fo da a in eg i y6% 0% 0% 0% 100% 9%
Fo da a collec ion0% 0% 100% 8% 0% 9%
Fo da a p ocessing6% 13%0%38% 0% 45%
Fo da a sha ing0% 0% 0% 4% 0% 9%
Complemen a y
echnologies
Pa ne ne wo k
Deg ee o openness
A ea o applica ion
Value pu pose
Value-c ea ing
mechanism
Business model
Pla o m
Technology
Business s uc u e
P oximi y
Ta ge ed ma chmaking
Ci cula i y p inciples
A he ypes
Numbe o cases o each clus e
Scope
Value objec
Me a-
dimensions Dimensions Cha ac e is ic
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 16 o 25
AI capabili ies. While pla o ms, such as “Cloud Cycle,”
ocus on ma e ial logis ics, o he s such as “Ka alx” ocus
on ad anced supply chain analy ics. By enabling ake-back,
hese pla o ms suppo epai , e u bishmen , emanu ac-
u ing, euse, o epu posing, depending on he na u e and
alue o he angibles. Six pla o ms in his a che ype a e
hyb ids, combining inno a ions wi h ansac ion mecha-
nisms. Ra he han es ablishing ull ci cula ecosys ems,
mos pla o ms ocus on ans o ming supply chains. Fo
ins ance, “Block Ma e ials” u ilizes blockchain o make
in o ma ion abou building ma e ials immu able o p omo e
ma e ial euse, mi iga ing he p oblem o lemon ma ke s
and educing he p oblems o in o ma ion asymme ies and
unce ain esidual alue.
Ou lie s as dis inc i e pla o ms: Al hough ou lie s
educe he obus ness o he de i ed a che ypes, hey ep e-
sen aluable niches add essed by CE pla o ms ha dese e
a en ion om a business pe spec i e. The pla o m “Cap-
u e,” o ins ance, suppo s he dissemina ion o knowledge
and he in eg a ion o he la es esea ch esul s on plas ics,
wa e , and CO2 in o business p ocesses, while he “Design
o Ci cula i y” pla o m p omo es ci cula design and
knowledge abou p oduc design o ci cula ecosys ems.
“Deply” and “lablaco” a e pla o ms o managing DPPs
h oughou he p oduc li e cycle. “In es men Ready” con-
nec s in es o s and ounde s wi h ideas o CBMs, building
a ounda ion o an en ep eneu ship ecosys em ocusing
on CE. Al hough hese pla o ms we e excluded du ing he
clus e ing p ocedu e, hey can be seen as pionee s o inno a-
i e CE pla o m a che ypes in he u u e.
E alua ion
Pa icipan s in he e alua ion con i med he use ulness o
he axonomy and pe cei ed i as ele an . Acco dingly, he
ele ance was a ed 4.19/5. Rep esen a i es o CE pla o m
p o ide s helped us o unde s and ha he axonomy can
be used o guide u he pla o m de elopmen , in addi-
ion o p o iding con igu a ional guidance du ing pla o m
launch: “I is use ul o use i in de eloping a pla o m o in
e hinking i . I ’s like ime o ime you s op and you say okay
wha a e we doing in which di ec ion. I ’s no some hing
you use daily.” We also lea ned ha i can be pa icula ly
use ul in discussions wi h in es o s and sha eholde s o
jus i y decisions on u he de elopmen goals. Indus ial
company ep esen a i es, who a e mo e likely o ake on
he ole o pla o m use , ound he axonomy e ec i e and
e icien o iden i ying he bes -ma ching pla o m o e ings
on he ma ke o hei CE plans and o ini ia ing eques s
o p oposals o ende s. A ep esen a i e om he indus-
y said: “…I simply helps me o achie e anspa ency
in s a egic decisions and o jus i y hem. Tha 's o en he
ques ion ha comes om he op down—why and how. And
hen, o cou se, I can hen ge se e al a gumen s … o hink
h ough ( he pla o m selec ion) and hen use i ( axonomy)
as a s a egic decision-making ool.” Simila ly, esea che s
no ed ha he axonomy enables a anspa en , c i e ia-based
jus i ica ion o selec ing a pla o m o sha e p oduc da a
wi h pa ne s in an ongoing esea ch p ojec . S a e agency
ep esen a i es s a ed ha he axonomy would imp o e hei
unde s anding o he CE pla o m business models o com-
panies applying o unding, he eby enabling hem o make
be e unding decisions — especially gi en ha many busi-
ness models a e complex and no all companies claiming o
de elop a pla o m ac ually do so.
Pa icipan s also pe cei ed he axonomy as e y no el,
a ing i 4.69/5 and admi ing ha hey do no ye know a
axonomy ocusing on CE pla o ms. One esea che s a ed:
“I was amilia wi h he p inciples o he ci cula economy
and he pla o m ca ego ies, bu no he way you ha e
b ough hem oge he .” Mos p ac i ione s amilia wi h he
CE and digi al pla o ms ound he choice o a mo phologi-
cal box and he used e minology qui e easy o unde s and,
esul ing in an accessibili y a ing o 4.34/5. One p ac i ione
s a ed: “The c i e ia a e sel -explana o y o me. So i you
ead hem and a e a bi amilia wi h he subjec ma e ,
you unde s and wha i ’s all abou .” Howe e , p ac i ione s
wi hou p io knowledge no ed ha a glossa y was needed
o cla i y indi idual cha ac e is ics, such as he di e ences
be ween inno a ion and ansac ion pla o ms, as well as
he associa ed ansac ion mechanisms and he obse ed
na u e o inno a ion h ough en e p ise business p ocesses.
One p ac i ione om he indus y explained: “You jus need
someone o explain he axonomy o a co esponding pape .
Because o he wise you jus ha e a bunch o ca ego ies o
cha ac e is ics and don’ know wha ’s behind hem.” Despi e
his sugges ion, we ha e e ained he o iginal e minology
as i was judged o be well-chosen by he pa icipa ing
esea che s.
The applicabili y was a ed 3.94/5, indica ing ha he
pa icipan s ound he axonomy qui e applicable. The use
o a mo phological box o d aw signal pa hs and assess
ma ke - eady pla o ms based on hei alignmen wi h he
desi ed pa h was commended. One ep esen a i e o an
indus ial company said: “I’m a an o desk esea ch, and
o cou se, he e a e now ools like he Co-Pilo , bu as an
enginee , I always hink in hese mo phological boxes. And
I always y o gi e he whole hing a s uc u e. And when
I pu a signal pa h in he (mo phological) box and succeed
in hi ing i wi h a pla o m assessmen — hen I can say
ha ’s he pla o m ha I ake a close look a .” To u he
enhance he applicabili y, p ac i ione s demanded a p esc ip-
i e ex ension, sugges ing o implemen he axonomy as a
digi al assessmen ool wi h a linked da abase o a che ypes
and in e ac i e ool ips o each pa h o be e unde s and
he consequences o a desi ed CE pla o m con igu a ion.
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 17 o 25 60
The expe s did no iden i y any gaps o aspec s no co -
e ed by he dimensions o he axonomy p esen ed, indica -
ing i s concep ual comple eness and alidi y. Showing he
a che ypes has u he s eng hened he p ac i ione s’ con i-
dence in he applica ion o he axonomy. One ep esen a i e
om he indus y s a ed: “I would de ini ely make my deci-
sion easie . Tha ’s why I would always ely on some hing like
ha and us i . You s ill ha e o make he decision you sel .
Bu o say, wi h wha logic do I now app oach he decision?
I would de ini ely say ha his is a good basis.” One pa -
icipan commen ed ha i would be bene icial o conside
and bundle he CE aspec s wi h ca bon accoun ing in mo e
de ail, al hough epo ing as an applica ion a ea is included.
Gi en he di e ences in he ca bon accoun ing suppo ena-
bled by pla o ms, we concluded ha a s and-alone axon-
omy could be dedica ed o ca bon accoun ing and decided
no o ex end ou axonomy. Mul iple pa icipan s also no ed
ha he axonomy’s unc ional logic is only a s a ing poin ,
o e ing ini ial guidance. I can be combined wi h addi ional
ools, such as a weigh ed sco ing model o alue analysis
du ing pla o m selec ion and ende ing: “When i comes o
e alua ion, some kind o weigh ing o he dimensions would
be help ul.” A pla o m p o ide con i med his, explaining
ha decisions ega ding u he pla o m de elopmen a e
in es men decisions — whe e he axonomy would cla i y
wha is in ended bu no why and wha he consequences
may be. This, howe e , i s wi h he desc ip i e aim o he
axonomy. In addi ion, consul an s commended he axon-
omy o i s u ili y in pla o m idea ion wo kshops o ex end
adi ional business models wi h digi al and ci cula op ions,
and i was conside ed applicable o echnical due diligence
in pla o m me ge s and acquisi ions. This s ong con idence
in he axonomy’s applica ion is e lec ed in i s high a ing
o 4.44/5. Fu he illus a i e s a emen s can be ound in
Appendix 5.
Discussion
Wi h he g owing awa eness o sus ainable alue c ea ion,
he e is an inc easing need o use digi al echnologies o le -
e age CE (Chauhan e al., 2022; Winkelmann e al., 2024).
Wi h i s long adi ion in ad ancing he knowledge on digi-
al pla o ms (Hein e al., 2020; Reu e e al., 2018), IS
esea ch is p edes ined o con ibu e o he knowledge base
o how digi al pla o ms can help le e age he CE (Heinz
e al., 2024; Schoo mann e al., 2025; Zeiss e al., 2021).
Agains his backg ound, he s udy examines he con igu-
a ional aspec s o CE pla o ms by p oposing a axonomy
o answe RQ1. Fu he mo e, he s udy explo es hei dis-
inc i e a che ypes o answe RQ2 and suppo he ci cu-
la ans o ma ion o o ganiza ions. Bo h esul s espond
o ecen calls o empi ical esea ch on CE ealiza ion
h ough he pla o m lens (Al , 2020; Ma ín-Peña e al.,
2024; Suchek e al., 2021). Conside ing he abili y o digi-
al pla o ms o b idge o ganiza ions and close da a gaps
be ween hem (Blackbu n e al., 2023; Cusumano e al.,
2019), ou s udy ad ances he knowledge o he ealiza ion
o sma CE app oaches wi h digi al pla o ms as means o
c ea ing, p ocessing, and sha ing da a be ween o ganiza-
ions and decision-make s (K is o e sen e al., 2020). In
his con ex , he a che ypes show how digi al pla o ms can
con ibu e o CE, and he axonomy summa izes di e en
ea u es o CE pla o ms o a lexible con igu a ion. Bo h
con ibu ions p o ide empi ical e idence on he exis ing CE
pla o ms and hei a ie y.
Conside ing he challenges ha o ganiza ions ace in he
ci cula ans o ma ion o ope a ions, he es ablishmen o
ci cula business models, and he di icul ies o es ablishing
a digi al in as uc u e o his ( an Loon e al., 2022), ou
s udy shows ha digi al pla o ms play a decisi e ole in he
implemen a ion and p omo ion o a CE by p o iding he
echnological in as uc u e o he ne wo king o s akehold-
e s o ci cula alue s eams. In pa icula , ou s udy shows
he e sa ili y o ansac ion pla o ms ha acili a e pa ici-
pa ion in he CE ia use - iendly in e aces, enabling di e -
en ypes o ansac ions such as selling, lending, sha ing, o
ba e ing. Ou s udy shows ha pla o ms can help collec
and analyze di e en ypes o da a, o e ing aluable da a-
d i en insigh s in o he composi ion o was e s eams, supply
chains, o cus ome beha io , going beyond he ma chmak-
ing mechanisms. Mo eo e , pla o ms can signi ican ly help
wi h in en o y managemen , p oduc acking, e e se logis-
ics, and sus ainabili y epo ing. As pla o m capabili ies
e ol e, hey will enable u he bene i s, as indica ed by he
dis inc i e niche pla o ms (i.e., decla ed as ou lie s). These
niche pla o ms a e o pa icula in e es o pla o m-based
CE inno a ion and esea ch on he up ake o new ci cula
business models.
Resea ch implica ions
An up ake o CE equi es digi aliza ion and emains a
la gely unexplo ed p oblem space in IS esea ch (Reich
e al., 2025; Zeiss e al., 2021). Since a che ypes ha e a
gene alized na u e and he axonomy o e s he possibil-
i y o illus a e op ions, ou pape p o ides a desc ip i e
heo y on business model inno a ion h ough CE pla o ms
(An ikainen & Valkoka i, 2016; Geissdoe e e al., 2023;
G ego , 2006). The axonomy aligns wi h he pa e n o
iden i ying cha ac e is ics o eal-wo ld ins ances (Schoo-
mann e al., 2023) o build an empi ical unde s anding o
CE pla o ms’ main ea u es, he eby complemen ing exis -
ing axonomical esea ch in he con ex o CE (Lüdeke‐
F eund e al., 2019). F om he pe spec i e o CBM esea ch
(Lüdeke‐F eund e al., 2019), he heo e ical con ibu ion
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 18 o 25
o ou s udy g ounds in he c ea ed o e iew o he al eady
launched CE pla o m a che ypes. Complemen ing exis ing
o e iews o sha ing pla o ms (Schwanholz &Leipold,
2020) and CE s a -ups (Hen y e al., 2020), as well as
single cases o CE pla o ms (Balde e al., 2023; Budde
e al., 2024; Fozza e al., 2023), ou s udy p o ides a s uc-
u al analysis o CE pla o ms h ough he de ini ion o
six a che ypes. Fu he mo e, he axonomy suppo s a
consolida ion o he ib an landscape o CE pla o ms.
As men ioned by Lüdeke‐F eund e al. (2019), axonomies
o e esea che s analy ical cla i y abou he possible and
exis ing CE pla o m con igu a ions, gi ing esea che s a
ounda ion o empi ical s udies o ce ain CE pla o m
a che ypes. Fo example, since we ha e iden i ied pla -
o ms ha ewa d sus ainable beha io , esea che s can
s a esea ching he design pa e ns o IS wi h a long- e m
e ec o keeping use s engaged wi h sus ainable beha io
(Ixmeie e al., 2024), building upon he iden i ied a che-
ypes and hei cha ac e is ics.
P e ious pla o m esea ch has ecognized ha esea ch
esul s can con adic each o he depending on he appli-
ca ion domain o he pla o m (Reu e e al., 2018) and
ha he e a e many examples o he ailu e o digi al
pla o ms. Conside ing con ex ual speci ics is he e o e
essen ial when es ablishing digi al pla o ms. Hence, om
he pla o m esea ch pe spec i e, ou s udy o e s new
insigh s in o he nascen ins an ia ion o digi al pla o ms
o CE (Heinz e al., 2024; Kö ppen e al., 2024). Wi h
he a che ypes and he ela ed examples o CE pla o ms,
ou s udy showcases mul iple pa hways o how digi al
pla o ms can be used o c ea e capabili ies o manage
ci cula i y, se ing mul iple cus ome s o jus one physi-
cal objec ins ead o jus acili a ing sales. In e es ingly,
in he con ex o CE, ansac ion pla o ms can p omo e
euse no only h ough sales bu also h ough leasing and
sha ing, whe eby sales can also be suppo ed in an inno-
a i e way h ough acking and li ecycle capabili ies,
which ha e so a ecei ed li le a en ion in he pla o m
con ex . O e all, ou s udy shows ha digi al pla o ms
can in e ene in mul iple ways h oughou he en i e p od-
uc li ecycle o enable ci cula alue c ea ion. Using he
iden i ied a che ypes and a desc ip i e a i ac o classi y
CE pla o ms and dema ca e a che ypes, we p o ide new
insigh s in esponse o he ecen IS calls on how digi al
pla o ms can be designed and le e aged o he CE (Zeiss
e al., 2021).
The abili y o digi al pla o ms o o m ecosys ems and
ac as me a-o ganiza ions (Blackbu n e al., 2023) can
also help o ganiza ions o e come he challenges o CE
ans o ma ion (Takacs e al., 2022) and was p esen in all
CE pla o m a che ypes. In pa icula , he ealiza ion ha
he e a e pla o ms ha enable o he companies o own
pla o ms also ies in wi h he ealiza ion ha pla o ms
help companies o build a pla o m om exis ing business
and build capabili ies o win ans o ma ion (Budde e al.,
2024; Ch is mann e al., 2024). Ou da a also indica es
ha some pla o m p o ide s wan o educe in o ma ion
asymme ies and educe he lemon ma ke p oblem by
ha ing he pla o m p o ide s check o epai he aded
p oduc s hemsel es o , in some cases, e en use immu able
echnologies such as blockchain. Hence, ou esul s also
con ibu e o he discussion a ound he ole o cen alized
and decen alized app oaches as ou da ase sugges s ha
he e a e cen al pla o ms o di e en capabili ies (Reu e
e al., 2024). Fu he mo e, he iden i ied a che ypes o di -
e en CE pla o ms on he ma ke sugges ha pla o ms
cause he on ological e e sal in he ealm o digi al sus-
ainabili y (Baske ille e al., 2020; Ko la sky e al., 2023).
The pla o ms embed ules, acili a e in o med decision-
making, c ea e new p ocesses, and o ches a e collabo a-
ion a scale. All hese unc ions help o close loops and
ealize a CE. By in eg a ing on ological e e sal in o he
CE discou se, i becomes e iden ha digi al pla o ms a e
cen al o he c ea ion o ci cula ecosys ems, which helps
o unde s and how digi al sus ainabili y is suppo ed by
pla o ms (Schoo mann e al., 2025).
In addi ion, ou s udy o e s empi ical da a o he
discou se on pla o m dis inc i eness (Du and & Haans,
2022) as he axonomy, a che ypes, and clus e dis ibu-
ion help iden i y pla o ms al eady widely o e ed and
analyze gaps in he pla o m-based landscape. This helps
esea che s concep ualize new ypes o CBM based on
digi al pla o ms and p ac i ione s o ensu e compe i-
i e ad an age h ough a su icien ly la ge dis inc i e-
ness o o he al eady launched pla o ms. CE pla o m
p o ide s can use he axonomy o assess and e lec on
hei pla o ms, and he a che ypes can also help wi h
pla o m edesign. In he u u e, he symbiosis be ween
digi al pla o ms and DPPs can be explo ed o unleash
ci cula i y p inciples (Langley e al., 2023) and he align-
men o ci cula ecosys ems (Jensen e al., 2024) h ough
be e in o ma ion sha ing. This is pa icula ly impo an
because DPPs a e becoming manda o y o new p od-
uc s in a ious indus ies and can imp o e da a sha ing
be ween s akeholde s in addi ion o pla o ms. Simila ly,
based on ou s udy, design op ions o pla o ms o man-
aging DPPs can be esea ched, as his could ep esen a
new a che ype in he u u e.
We a e also con iden ha in e es ed esea che s and p ac-
i ione s can use he axonomy and he empi ical da ase
o c ea e a da abase o he pa e n-based de elopmen o
CE pla o ms (D ewel e al., 2021). Pa e n-based pla o m
design is conside ed meaning ul, especially when assis -
ing p ac i ione s who lack p o ound expe ience wi h he
pla o m business model elemen s and he aligned building
blocks o he pla o m a chi ec u e.
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 19 o 25 60
P ac ical implica ions
Fu he mo e, ou esul s o e aluable p ac ical insigh s.
The axonomy and he a che ypes can s eng hen he dis-
semina ion o CE pla o ms in p ac ice o mo e om local-
ized indus ial symbiosis (Che ow, 2007) o mo e lexible,
geog aphically dispe sed, and digi ally connec ed loops.
As empi ically con i med, he axonomy is sui able o
desc ibing and cha ac e izing CE pla o ms o help o gani-
za ions in ending o become CE pla o m p o ide s wi h
decision-making when na iga ing he as solu ion space
o CE pla o ms (Mölle e al., 2022). In pa icula , he
axonomy can p o ide analy ical suppo and sys ema ize
al e na i e scena ios by compa ing possible pla o m con-
igu a ions when launching a pla o m. Fo pla o m p o-
ide s, he axonomy can also be used o cha ac e ize exis -
ing pla o ms and, ollowing he concep o dis inc i eness
(Du and &Haans, 2022), o ind ma ke en y poin s and
dis inguish a pla o m-based CBM om he al eady exis -
ing ones. Thus, he axonomy and he a che ypes assis
decision-make s in p ac ice in he sea ch o ma ke niches.
Especially since pla o ms a e cons an ly e ol ing digi al
a i ac s (Kallinikos e al., 2013), ou esul s can suppo
decision-make s in he u he de elopmen o a pla o m
a e i s in oduc ion. The axonomy also aligns well wi h
he wo k o Pa ida e al. (2019) o complemen o ches a-
ion mechanisms o ci cula ecosys ems wi h an app op i-
a e pla o m con igu a ion.
In addi ion, he a che ypes can be used by pla o m
launching o ganiza ions o communica e hei own CE pla -
o m s a egy o o he s akeholde s, such as unding agen-
cies o in es o s. Fo indus ial o ganiza ions ha wan o
make hei ope a ions mo e sus ainable h ough CE bu do
no wan o become CE pla o m p o ide s, ou axonomy,
combined wi h he a che ypes, can help hem unde s and he
complex ma ke o CE pla o ms and ind pla o ms ha
op imally i hei needs. Simila ly, s a e agencies can use
bo h esul s o be e unde s and s a -ups seeking pla o m
unding and compa e hem mo e e ec i ely wi h p e iously
unded en u es. Fo decision-make s om he p ac ice, a
cus omizable empla e ha lexibly suppo s he a o emen-
ioned scena ios can be downloaded om he ollowing
URL: h p:// bi . ly/ 415XM DV.
Conclusions andou look
Limi a ions
Gi en he quali a i e-in e p e a i e na u e o ou s udy,
po en ial limi a ions need o be discussed. We ook an
ou side ’s pe spec i e and ou analysis elies, o a sig-
ni ican ex en , on publicly a ailable pla o m p o ide ’s
sel -desc ip ions. To mi iga e his h ea o alidi y, we i-
angula ed da a om C unchbase and LinkedIn desc ip ions,
pla o m websi es, and ex e nal epo s whe e a ailable o
code he cha ac e is ics. Despi e he sys ema ic app oach
and iangula ion, he eliance on company sel -desc ip ions
a ailable on LinkedIn, C unchbase, and o icial websi es
may in oduce sel - epo ing bias. Thus, he classi ica ion
o CE pla o ms depended on publicly a ailable in o ma ion,
which may no accu a ely e lec he in e nal unc ionali y o
ac ual pla o m s a us. The eal-wo ld objec s we e indepen-
den ly examined and coded by he esea ch eam membe s.
Each esea che also independen ly w o e he desc ip ions
o he a che ypes, and hey we e compa ed and discussed.
To enhance he alidi y o bo h he axonomy and he a che-
ype, epea ed discussions we e held un il a consensus was
eached on he de i a ion o cha ac e is ics, hei classi i-
ca ion in o dimensions, and he desc ip ion o a che ypes.
Fu he mo e, he axonomy was empi ically e alua ed by
po en ial use s and subsequen ly e ined o imp o e i s use-
ulness and applicabili y. Ini ial axonomy applica ion wi h
s uden s and a subsequen ex e nal e alua ion wi h p ac-
i ione s and academics ha e shown ha he axonomy is
accessible, consis en , comple e, and has ex e nal alidi y.
In pa icula , con idence in he alidi y o he axonomy has
been con i med as he axonomy in eg a es he 9R ame-
wo k (Po ing e al., 2017) and cap u es di e en a eas ha
can be posi i ely impac ed by he use o CE pla o ms.
While he axonomy p o ides a con igu a ional
ool, i does no speci y which con igu a ions should
be adop ed unde speci ic condi ions, hus limi ing he
con ex ual knowledge de i ed om ou s udy. By iden-
i ying a che ypes ha can be unde s ood as es ablished
con igu a ions, we ha e made a i s a emp o mi iga e
his limi a ion. Consequen ly, u u e esea ch is needed
o ad ance ou knowledge abou how o gain a compe i-
i e ad an age h ough CE pla o ms (Konie zko e al.,
2019; Suchek e al., 2021). I emains an open ques ion
whe he CE pla o ms should mimic he a che ypes o
di e om hem o long- e m success (Du and &Haans,
2022). Taking he ou side ’s pe spec i e, we did no ha e
access o he inancial da a o he pla o ms in he sam-
ple. Thus, we canno assess he economic pe o mance
o speci ic pla o m a che ypes unde ce ain condi ions
o how economically sus ainable ce ain a che ypes a e.
Ou da ase e eals ha mos CE pla o ms a e ecen ly
launched mic o o small en e p ises. Some o he exam-
ined pla o ms ceased ope a ions du ing ou analysis,
indica ing a sho li espan o some CE pla o ms. This
as -mo ing e olu ion o he CE pla o m landscape
poses a limi a ion o any axonomy, which e ec i ely
cap u es only a snapsho in ime (Nicke son e al., 2013).
I is easonable o assume ha ha u u e de elopmen s
— especially e ol ing sus ainabili y legisla ions in he
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 60 Page 20 o 25
Eu opean Union — will likely in oduce new cha ac e -
is ics and dimensions, a ec ing pu pose ul con igu a-
ion o pla o ms (Chaudhu i e al., 2024; Ope a o e al.,
2025). Ne e heless, we chose a mo phological box o
ep esen he axonomy because i is lexible and can be
upda ed in esponse o he changing egula o y equi e-
men s and new CE pla o m con igu a ions ha may no
be ully cha ac e ized by he axonomy.
We also canno gua an ee ha ou sample is exhaus-
i e despi e using wo sou ces and iden i ying nume -
ous duplica es. Some CE pla o ms may no be lis ed on
LinkedIn o C unchbase o may no use he e m “pla -
o m” in hei sel -desc ip ion. In addi ion, ou s udy is
subjec o language bias, as we we e only able o analyze
pla o ms wi h English websi es. Ou sample con ains
ew pla o ms om Asia o he Global Sou h. Gi en he
pla o m po en ial o de elopmen (Bonina e al., 2021),
u he esea ch ocusing on con inen s o he han Eu ope
and No h Ame ica could help o disco e new alue-add-
ing ac i i ies (Hille e al., 2022) ha can be digi ally sup-
po ed by pla o ms and e eal new pla o m con igu a-
ions. We, he e o e, encou age esea che s o explo e he
in e sec ion o CE and digi al pla o ms in o he egions
o imp o e ou unde s anding o he impac o pla o ms
in suppo ing he CE.
Ano he limi a ion ela es o clus e ing. While he a che-
ypes a e gene ally eliable, wi h he la ge numbe o dimen-
sions, i canno be uled ou ha he clus e assignmen is no
op imal. We ha e ied o mi iga e his limi a ion by combin-
ing di e en clus e ing me hods and pe o ming a quali a i e
plausibili y check o he clus e s.
Fu u e esea ch
Following he limi a ions, we see se e al oppo uni ies
o u u e esea ch. The landscape o CE pla o ms is
s ill nascen , and ou analysis e ealed dynamism. Con-
side ing his, a be e unde s anding o which a che ypes
and con igu a ion pa e ns sus ain in he long e m ep-
esen s a p omising a enue o u he esea ch. Fu u e
esea ch should e isi he CE pla o m a che ypes and
check whe he no el a che ypes ha we e no co e ed
by ou sample eme ge. To add ess he limi a ion o ely-
ing on publicly a ailable sel -desc ip ions, we encou age
u u e s udies o ocus on in-dep h analysis o speci ic
pla o m clus e s o indi idual cases h ough in e iews
wi h key in o man s and quali a i e case s udies. Using
ou axonomy as a s a ing poin , such esea ch could
explo e he p ocesses and alue c ea ion mechanisms o
CE pla o ms in mo e de ail. Modeling echniques such
as e3- alue could be applied o sys ema ically cap u e
pla o m con igu a ions and alue exchange om he
in e iew da a (Hille e al., 2022; Schul ze & A i al,
2011). This would allow o a mo e de ailed unde s and-
ing o how CE pla o m a che ypes mani es hemsel es,
suppo hei alida ion and e inemen , and po en ially
e eal new pa e ns, as well as consequences ha canno
be iden i ied h ough desk esea ch (Schoo mann e al.,
2025).
Due o he ou side ’s pe spec i e and lack o insigh
in o he inancial da a o he CE pla o ms, he e a e
oppo uni ies o esea ch on CBMs wi h a pa icula
ocus on he pla o ms. The axonomy and he a che ypes
p o ide a s a ing poin o adop ing an inside pe spec-
i e, allowing case s udy esea ch and di ec engagemen
wi h key in o man s o iden i y success ac o s and deepen
ou unde s anding o pla o m a che ypes ha e ec i ely
os e ci cula i y. Analyzing business p ocesses o mic o-
ounda ions would also ad ance ou knowledge o how
ci cula i y p inciples a e le e aged by digi al pla o ms
(Bingham e al., 2019; Khan e al., 2020). In his con ex ,
u u e esea ch should also in es iga e he alue cap u e
mechanisms o CE pla o ms, gi en he complexi y o
cap u ing alue om pla o ms as indica ed by p e ious
wo k (Pe ik e al., 2024; Sch eieck e al., 2017). Follow-
ing he e alua ion eedback, an ex ension o he axonomy
o c ea e an in eg a ed iew o pla o m-based suppo o
CE and ca bon accoun ing is ano he pu pose ul oppo u-
ni y o u u e esea ch.
Gi en ha pla o ms p omo e powe and in o ma ion
asymme ies (Pauli e al., 2021; Zhu, 2019) and some imes
ail o c ea e ib an ecosys ems, pa icula ly obse ed in
B2B domains wi h high c i icali y o da a (Jesus e al.,
2024; Pauli e al., 2021). The eluc ance o sha e c i i-
cal da a u he hampe s he up ake o CE (Hoppe e al.,
2024). Fu u e esea ch can use he axonomy o obse e
dialec ical ensions (Recke e al., 2024), in es iga e he
isks o pla o m ailu e in he con ex o sma CE, and
o mula e s a egies o o e come hem (K is o e sen
e al., 2020). The de eloped axonomy p o ides a ounda-
ion o s udying success and ailu e ac o s in shi ing
CE on pla o ms o close da a gaps and c ea e app op ia e
in o ma ion lows o scale CE (Jäge -Roschko &Pe e sen,
2022; Reich e al., 2025; Rich, 1992).
Following e alua ion eedback ega ding he axonomy’s
desc ip i e na u e, we ecognized he need o a comp e-
hensi e p esc ip i e me hod o suppo decision-making o
implemen ing CE ia pla o ms (Ma ch & Smi h, 1995).
Consequen ly, de eloping a so wa e-suppo ed me hod
o sel -assessmen , which p o ides g ounded ecommen-
da ions, explains he impac o con igu a ional decisions
and implemen a ion op ions, and in eg a es a da a model
o exis ing CE pla o m con igu a ions, ep esen ing a
p omising design-o ien ed esea ch oppo uni y. In his
espec , domain-speci ic adap a ions o he axonomy a e
also possible.
Elec onic Ma ke s (2025) 35:60 Page 21 o 25 60
Concluding ema ks
The s udy p esen s a mo phological analysis o exis ing
li e a u e and 129 eal-wo ld cases o CE pla o ms. The
esul ing axonomy comp ises 12 dimensions wi h 56 cha -
ac e is ics and add esses RQ1 by p o iding a comp ehen-
si e o e iew o he solu ion space o CE pla o ms. As
he ex e nal e alua ion has shown, esea che s and decision-
make s can use his axonomy as a con igu a ional model
o analy ical cla i y wi hin he CE pla o m solu ion space.
Fu he mo e, he axonomy can assis in he con igu a ion
o one’s own CE pla o m in he sea ch o sui able pla -
o ms o join. Addi ionally, we applied he axonomy o eal-
wo ld cases o add ess RQ2, de i ing six a che ypes ha
p o ide an o e iew o exis ing CE pla o ms, e eal he CE
mechanisms hey acili a e, and iden i y gaps o guide u u e
esea ch. O e all, he s udy ad ances ou unde s anding o
CE pla o ms and p o ides a ounda ion o in-dep h explo-
a ion o he exis ing CE pla o m a che ypes, hei business
models, and he oppo uni ies and challenges associa ed wi h
acili a ing CE h ough pla o ms.
Supplemen a y In o ma ion The online e sion con ains sup-
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s12525- 025- 00792-w.
Funding Open Access unding enabled and o ganized by P ojek
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Minis e ium ü Wissenscha ,Fo schung und Kuns Baden-
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