Intermediation and the Transition to A Circular Economy: Investigating the Role of Innovation Intermediaries in Transforming the Plastics Packaging Industry

This article analyzes the role of innovation intermediaries in the transition toward a circular economy (CE) in the plastic packaging sector in France. Drawing on the socio-technical transitions framework, the study shows how these public and private actors contribute to the transition by mediating between companies within the sector. Based on 39 semi-structured interviews conducted with firms and intermediaries, the findings highlight a diversity of intermediaries, each promoting heterogeneous visions of circularity. We show that while the heterogeneity of these profiles facilitates coordination within the sector — as the transition can be approached from various angles, including technological, regulatory, environmental, and economic — it also generates tensions regarding preferred innovation trajectories (e.g., chemical recycling vs. source reduction, bio-based plastics vs. drop-in alternatives). These divergent approaches thus create tensions and reveal power asymmetries. Far from being neutral, intermediaries actively influence industry dynamics and public policies, playing a strategic role in the transition.