Is Circular Economy a Success Factor for Electronic Waste Management Projects? Investigating Consumer Behavior in the Context of Crowdfunding

Abstract

Electronic waste is at the center of the debate on resource sustainability. Despite this, there is still very little research conducted to investigate consumer behavior in the field of electronic waste management. Currently, the circular economy is essential for electronic products and for creating value for businesses and the environment. This study sheds light on the importance of the circular economy for the decision‐making process of consumers by analyzing the crowdfunding context; this is a significant context to investigate how the backers act as consumers who support specific initiatives and commit financial resources to pre‐order products/services. Specifically, we explored the role of the circular economy in influencing the success of crowdfunding campaigns. We used the population of campaigns focused on electronic waste posted on Kickstarter (2009–2025). The findings highlight that the circular economy has a significant positive effect on the amount of funding raised and backers involved at the end of the campaigns.