Circular insurance: Customer-centric, data-driven services for the Circular Economy

Abstract

Advances in digital technology are driving the digital transformation of many sectors facilitating new business models, changes to business processes and the emergence of technology-driven start-ups. It is clear that technology is important in facilitating a servitisation business model. However, customers are increasingly identified as the ones driving innovation and, therefore, the digital transformation of an organisation. There is also a push for all sectors to play their role in moving to a more sustainable system by embedding Circular Economy principles into their organisations. This conceptual paper explores the interactions between digital transformation, servitisation and the Circular Economy and how these might transform the insurance sector, leading to the proposal of a new finance insurance ecosystem, Circular Insurance. The implications for the future of the insurance market are explored highlighting areas of future research and the beginnings of a possible research agenda.