Understanding the dynamics of diffusion and fostering emulation in the circular economy
Release of a research report and launch of the “SME and SMO Circularity Index” tool. The conference will be in french.
The SME Research Institute (InRPME), in collaboration with the RRECQ, invites you to the conference “Understanding Percolation Dynamics and Fostering Emulation in the Circular Economy,” the result of a project funded by the Network to develop the “SME and PMO Circularity Index” tool.
Description
Over the past decade, several initiatives have been launched in Quebec to promote the development of the circular economy. These include Synergie Québec, the Quebec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ), and the 2024–2028 Government Roadmap for the Circular Economy.
At the same time, scientific research on the circular economy has grown remarkably. While only three articles were listed in the Web of Science database in 2000, more than 4,000 publications were recorded there by 2022 (Zavos, Lehtokunnas, and Pyyhtinen, 2024).
Despite these institutional and scientific advances, Quebec’s circularity rate remains limited, reaching only 2.5% (Circle Economy and RECYC-QUÉBEC, 2025). This paradox raises important questions regarding the mechanisms that promote or hinder the adoption of circular practices within SMEs and micro-enterprises.
This research focuses specifically on the dynamics of the diffusion of circular economy practices through two complementary concepts:
- percolation, which refers to the transmission of institutional expectations (coercive and normative) to organizations;
- emulation, which refers to mechanisms of mimetic isomorphism, that is, the influence exerted by companies’ practices on one another.
This conference will notably allow us to:
- Present the conceptual research framework to better understand the factors that hinder or promote the percolation effect;
- Reveal the preliminary results of a survey conducted among 125 French-speaking SMEs;
- Present the tool “The SME and PMO Circularity Index”, designed to stimulate and analyze emulation mechanisms between organizations.
Lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, the session will include a 30-minute Q&A and discussion period focusing on areas for improvement and next steps
Speaker
François Labelle, Ph.D., is a full professor in the Department of Management at the School of Management of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). He is a researcher at the Institute for Research on SMEs (INRPME) and a regular member of the Quebec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ) and the Interdisciplinary Research Center for the Operationalization of Sustainable Development (CIRODD). He is also responsible for the Vigie-PME website and the “SME Sustainability Compass” tool featured there. His research focuses on social responsibility, the circular economy, and sustainable development in the context of entrepreneurship and SMEs.
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