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Digital Platforms and Product–Service Business Models in Promoting the Circular Economy: A Comparative International Analysis and Policy Implications For Vietnam

Nguyen Duy Tao Chu The Tiep Pham The Anh

Abstract

In the context of the circular economy having been institutionalized in Vietnam through the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and Decision No. 687 approving the Scheme for Circular Economy Development, and amid a broader shift in developed economies from product-ownership models toward digital-platform-enabled product–service systems , this study aims to analyze the mechanisms through which digital platforms affect the operation of product–service business models in advancing the circular economy, to compare international experience across country groups with differing levels of digital readiness, and to propose policy implications for Vietnam. Using a desk-research method that synthesizes, analyzes, evaluates, and compares secondary literature grounded in three theories - transaction cost theory, business model innovation theory, and technology diffusion theory - the study constructs a three-layer conceptual framework linking digital platform functions, PSS operating mechanisms, and circular economy outcomes, and shows that the difference between country groups lies in which actor leads the institutionalization process rather than merely in technological availability. On this basis, the study identifies two main gaps facing Vietnam and proposes a set of policy implications grouped by implementing actor, contributing a unified analytical pathway to a field that still lacks evidence from transitioning-economy contexts.

Keywords

circular economy; digital platforms; product–service system; Vietnam

References

handbook for designing leasing or sharing contracts, thereby reducing the individual legal-consultation costs that small enterprises would otherwise have to bear on their own. 5. Conclusion This study has built and provided an initial test of an integrated analytical framework combining three theories - transaction cost theory, business model innovation theory, and technology diffusion theory - to explain the mechanism through which digital platforms are translated into product–service business models and generate circular outcomes. The study’s theoretical contribution lies in connecting three theories that are typically used separately in prior research into a single, unified analytical pathway. Its practical contribution is reflected in the three-country-group comparative framework and the set of policy implications grouped by implementing actor, prerequisite condition, and specific order of priority, suited to Vietnam’s current institutional context and digital capacity. The study’s main limitation stems from the nature of the desk-research method. Because no primary data were collected, the comparative findings and policy implications are drawn from published secondary literature and have not been directly verified through surveys or interviews with Vietnamese enterprises; the suitability of each recommendation to the specific operating conditions of individual sectors may therefore require adjustment in practical application. On this basis, future research should conduct empirical surveys assessing Vietnamese enterprises’ readiness for circular product– service models, as well as evaluate the impact of pilot programs once they have been implemented in practice. References A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech). (n.d.). Waste-to- resource reverse logistics platform: Facilitating B2B waste-to-resource operations for circular economies. 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