Beyond linear growth: toward a circular value ecosystem

Abstract

This paper aims to critique the prevailing linear growth model in hospitality, which is associated with volume-driven expansion, intensive resource use and the externalisation of environmental and social costs. It examines the implications of these practices for environmental sustainability, community stability and economic resilience, and proposes a circular value ecosystem as an alternative framework through which hospitality systems can generate regenerative ecological, social and economic value. As a critical reflection, the paper uses a conceptual synthesis of literature and theory to interrogate dominant growth assumptions, contrast them with socio-ecological alternatives and develop a regeneration-orientated research and practice agenda, calling for a shift in the underlying logic through which hospitality growth, performance and responsibility are understood. The paper argues that dominant growth-orientated models misalign with long-term environmental and social goals, and that indicators such as RevPAR and occupancy maximisation fail to capture wider value creation. It develops the Circular Value Ecosystem (CVE) as a regenerative alternative and introduces three novel conceptual metrics, namely, the Regenerative Value Index (RVI), the Resource Circularity Score (RCS) and the Community Embeddedness Ratio (CER), to operationalise multi-capital value creation in hospitality contexts. It proposes three metrics (regenerative value, resource circularity and community embeddedness) to support strategic decision-making and performance assessment and shows how business models can be reconfigured to operate within environmental limits while strengthening the role of hospitality firms within their local ecosystems. This paper provides practical tools and guidance for hospitality managers to move beyond incremental sustainability. It introduces clear metrics – such as regenerative value, resource circularity and community embeddedness – that can support performance assessment and strategic decision-making. The findings also outline how business models can be adapted to operate within environmental limits while strengthening the role of hospitality firms as active contributors to their local ecosystems. This paper offers an original contribution by integrating circular and regenerative thinking into a hospitality-specific framework, underpinned by three novel metrics, that collectively reorients the trajectory of hospitality innovation toward regeneration, circularity and place-based stewardship.