Linking Loops: How Digital Platforms Orchestrate Circular Economy Networks

ABSTRACT This study investigates how digital platforms can drive the transition to a circular economy by developing multi‐stakeholder collaboration and fostering innovation. Using the Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ICESP) as case study, it explores the mechanisms through which digital infrastructures orchestrate knowledge flows, facilitate structured learning, influence policy, and strengthen network governance. Findings reveal that ICESP's combination of technical tools and inclusive governance enables diverse actors—public institutions, businesses, academia, civil society—to co‐create and disseminate best practices, overcome systemic barriers, and align regulatory frameworks with practical needs. The study extends social capital theory by showing how digital platforms simultaneously build structural, relational, and cognitive capital to sustain circular innovation ecosystems. It also contributes to platform ecosystem research by illustrating how digital infrastructures act as socio‐technical systems that integrate bottom‐up collaboration with top‐down coordination. Managerially, the paper provides guidance for designing participatory, trust‐based platforms that enhance collaboration, learning, and policy coherence in circular transitions.