Turning old into new - The lane change to a circular economy in the automotive industry

Sustainability and circular economy have gained significant interest in research, politics, and society. The circular economy is a product of the transformation from a traditional "take-makedispose"-approach to a closed-loop system, intending to reduce waste and reuse existing resources. The circular economy (CE) is particularly important for the automotive industry as it contributes greatly to global waste and pollution. Although many companies see the potential in the circular economy, research on it is still in its infancy. This paper starts precisely at this point, and analyses publicly presented measures for circular behavior in the automotive industry. We constructed a final sample of nine companies and conducted a website analysis. We assigned 150 identified measures to 30 dimensions and the 9R framework. Our findings indicate that recycling is the most applied principle in the automotive industry. Some measures do not fit the 9R framework. Thus, we argue to supplement the CE principles.