Daniel Halbheer
HEC Paris
Product Design, End-of-life Recycling, and Waste Footprints in Circular Business Models
Monday, April 20, 2026 –05:15 – 06:30 PM (CEST)
This session will be held online only. To join virtually, please register in advance using this link.
Seminar Abstract
This paper develops an analytical framework to study how a firm’s product design decisions regarding recyclability and price interact with end-of-life product disposal decisions by consumers. When making their purchase decisions, consumers adopt a life-cycle perspective and account for the expected utility from end-of-life product disposal. We characterize the conditions under which a circular business model with end-of-life recycling is viable and creates a win-win outcome for profit and the planet. If circularity is socially desirable and consumers do not fully account for the waste-reducing effect of recyclability, then a profit-maximizing firm underprovides recyclability from a societal perspective. Yet, the firm may want to invest in improving consumer access to the reverse supply chain or providing monetary incentives for recycling. To assess the robustness of our results, we show that competition does not affect a firm's choice of recyclability under circularity but may undermine the viability of circularity itself. Finally, eco-segmentation under product line design can increase the corporate waste footprint.
Speaker Bio
Daniel Halbheer is the holder of the FII Institute chair on “Business Models for the Circular Economy” at HEC Paris, where he is also the Academic Director of the Climate and Earth Center at the Society and Organizations (S&O) Institute. His research interests are in the fields of Quantitative Marketing, Industrial Organization, and Applied Microeconomics to study optimal pricing strategies. In his research, he tackles phenomena that are relevant for business and society at large—including circular business models, decarbonization of supply chains, and corporate social responsibility—through the lens of marketing.
Admission information
The seminar is open to the public. To receive invitations for upcoming seminar talks, please sign up for the mailing list via this form.