Laura Beyeler
After completing a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the University of Bern, Laura Beyeler successfully completed a Master's degree in Sustainability Economics and Management at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. In her Master's thesis, she focussed intensively on the topics of the circular economy. In her thesis "European Plastic Policy Mapping - a cross-country analysis of national recycling system", she qualitatively analysed and evaluated the political instruments of extended producer responsibility and their influence on the circular economy of plastic packaging.
After a year as a circular economy consultant in various practical projects, Laura Beyeler recognised a research gap: research in the field of circular economy mainly focuses on technology-based solutions to close the resource cycle efficiently. Changes in production and consumption practices that enable a complete reduction in the quantity of goods and material flow in the cycle are neglected. Her doctoral studies address this need for development. As part of her research, Laura Beyeler is investigating corporate sufficiency strategies and practices with the aim of exploring business models of "less, slower, regional or beyond market logic". Efforts that limit production volumes or support consumers in reducing consumption thanks to new services are possible examples of corporate sufficiency strategies. Laura Beyeler is funded by the doctoral scholarship programme of the German Environmental Foundation.
For me, the connection between technology and the environment means that environmental protection and sustainable development are not exclusively driven by new technologies. New patterns of behaviour and a change in current practices are necessary to enable economic and social action within planetary boundaries. Taking an environmentally harmful technology off the market or breaking social path dependencies are further necessary innovations that must be pursued.
Beyeler, L. & Jaeger-Erben, M. (2025) Sufficiency as a matter of care: practices to provide for needs. Ecological Economics, 238(108737), 1-15. doi. org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108737
Beyeler, L., Eimterbäumer, M., Jürgens, M., Böckel, A., Schoch, K., Bichler, R. M., Straub-Mück, M., Molnár, M., & Jaeger-Erben, M. (2025). We have to talk! Claims of early career researchers to transform circular economy research. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 221(108423), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108423
Niessen, L., Gossen, M., Beyeler, L., Strobel, H. & Königs, J. (2024) How to Survive in a Growth-Oriented Economy- Findings of a Semi-Systematic Literature Review on the Role of Growth for Sufficiency-Oriented Businesses. Zfwu (submitted)
Beyeler, L. (2024). Sufficiency and the Logic of Care Transforming the Relationships, Practices and Temporalities of Businesses. In M. Gossen & L. Niessen (Eds.), Sufficiency in Business - The Transformative Potential of Business for Sustainability (pp. 95-114). Transcript. https://doi.org/0.14361/9783839469101-008
Beyeler, L., & Jaeger-Erben, M. (2024). Sufficiency as a matter of care: practices to provide for needs. Ecological Economics. (pre-print)
Klose, J., Meißner, M., Beyeler, L., Stuhr, L., & Jaeger-Erben, M. (2023). Designing repair education - experience reports and suggestions for teachers. In Designing repair education. wbv. https://doi.org/10.3278/9783763976140
Nesterova, I., Beyeler, L., & Niessen, L. (2023). Business of deep transformations - A non-binary approach. In P. Jankowski, A. Höfner, M. L. Hoffmann, F. Rohde, & J. Graf (Eds.), Shaping digital transformation for a sustainable society - contributions from Bits & Bäume (pp. 82-86). Berlin University of Technology. doi. org/https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-17526
Beyeler, L., & Böckel, A. (2022). Myth: Sufficiency is incompatible with economic efficiency. In A. Böckel, J. Quaing, I. Weissbrod, & J. Böhm (Eds.), Myths of the Circular Economy.https://doi.org/10.25368/2022.163
Beyeler, L., & Jaeger-Erben, M. (2022). How to make more of less : Characteristics of sufficiency in business practices. Frontiers for Sustainability, 3(949710). https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2022.949710
Completed projects:
Interdisciplinary college in the scholarship programme "Better management and living in cycles - transformation potentials of the circular economy"