Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2026

The concepts of the circular economy and responsible innovation are never used in conjunction with a view to economic and organisational performance. Our article presents the circular economy approach to responsible innovation in a French industry: Brosserie Française, the last French toothbrush manufacturer. It is based on a unique case study, based on a series of interviews with the company's management and employees. The results show very strong links between circular economy practices, responsible innovation and the company's economic and organisational performance. As a result, the Brosserie Française is a very instructive case concerning its strong commitment to eco-circularity practices in the service of responsible innovation. Its involvement in the circular economy at all stages of production (upstream/downstream) including in its reverse logistics deserves attention, given its very risky bet of having since 2012 relocated its production to France and focused on “Made in France”. La Brosserie’s commitment is not limited to sustainable development stricto sensu. It represents a real corporate culture around responsible innovation. The approaches they undertake are both a source of societal value creation and economic and organizational performance.

Vanessa Casadella co-directs an innovation research laboratory in France (University Picardie Jules Verne) and is vice-president of the innovation research network. Full professor in innovation economics, she has been working on innovation systems for fifteen years. His research focuses in particular on the variation of innovation systems in economic development.