The role of procurement in (un)locking circular transitions: A case of circular standstill

This study examines the role of procurement in stalling systemic change toward a circular economy. We address a paradox: despite strong ambitions and technically feasible alternatives, in many industries, circular solutions remain at a standstill. Drawing on institutional theory in combination with supply chain theory, we study the lack of uptake of circular synthetics in Dutch construction procurement, particularly how institutional pressures are filtered through procurement routines and with what effects for supply chain governance and systemic change. We leverage meetings of a Special Interest Group and individual interviews with its members to trace the process from initial exploration of circular synthetics to the point where this alternative remains non-default in practice. Our findings reveal that procurement does not merely lag circular ambitions but actively constrains transition pathways. Established practices such as bid scoring logics, certification regimes, and risk-averse evaluation criteria lock supply chain actors into linear routines, preventing experimentation with and adoption of circular alternatives. This challenges the dominant narrative in extant literature that positions procurement primarily as an enabler of circular transitions: instead, we demonstrate how procurement is not simply a lever for circular transitions, but a translation arena in which circular ambitions are reformulated through procurement practices and routines that reproduce institutional inertia and stall systemic change. Our study unpacks the processes through which procurement reflects and reinforces institutional logics in supply chains, highlighting the need for rethinking procurement design if uptake of circular alternatives is to become structural.