Dario Cottafava, Assistant Professor in Management, Department of Business, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Member, Centre for Studies and Research in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CREIS)
Email: [email protected] | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5391-096X

SHORT BIO

Dario Cottafava is Assistant Professor (Professor Lector) in the Department of Business at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and a researcher at the Centre for Studies and Research in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CREIS). His work explores how businesses, institutions, and territories can transition toward regenerative and circular models of value creation through interdisciplinary approaches that bridge management studies, ecological economics, and system dynamics.

He holds a Ph.D. in Innovation for the Circular Economy from the University of Turin and an M.Sc. in Physics of Complex Systems from the Polytechnic of Turin and Université Paris XI. His research has been published in leading journals such as Business Strategy and the Environment, Journal of Business Research, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, and Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal.

RESEARCH INTEREST

My research lies at the intersection of circular economy, sustainability accounting, and innovation ecosystems, with a transdisciplinary approach that combines management studies, ecological economics, and systems thinking. Broadly, I study how businesses and territories can transition from extractive and linear models toward regenerative, inclusive, and impact-oriented systems of value creation. My work integrates conceptual, methodological, and empirical perspectives, from the design of circular and regenerative business models to the development of impact measurement frameworks and the governance of regenerative ecosystems. Within this overarching framework, my research is organized into three main interconnected lines:

1. Sustainability, circular and regenerative practices in businesses
2. Impact accounting and sustainability measurement
3. Regenerative economy, stakeholder management, and innovation ecosystems

1. Sustainability, Circular and Regenerative Practices in Businesses

My research in this area focuses on the transformation of business models towards circular and regenerative paradigms capable of reconciling economic viability with ecological balance and social inclusion. Drawing from systems thinking, industrial ecology, and complex systems theory, I examine how organizations design and implement circular practices that extend product life cycles, close material loops, and create shared value at the territorial level. I am particularly interested in the emerging frameworks of the social circular economy and the circular bioeconomy, which address material circularity while fostering employment, community engagement, and bioregional development.

Keywords: Circular economy; regenerative business models; social circular economy; bioeconomy; systems thinking; industrial ecology; sustainability transitions; business model innovation.

Selected works:           

Cottafava, D., & Ritzen, M. (2021). Circularity indicator for residential buildings: Addressing the gap between embodied impacts and design aspects. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 164, 105120.

Cottafava, D., Riccardo, L., & D'Affuso, C. (2019). From flow to stock. new circular business models for integrated systems: A case study on reusable plastic cups. Procedia Environmental Science, Engineering and Management, 6(1), 81-94.

Marengo, F., Cottafava, D., Ferrero, E., & Corazza, L. (2025). Modeling Social Circular Economy Business Models in the Fashion Industry: The Atelier Riforma Case Study. In Circular Business Models in the Apparel Industry (pp. 65-94). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

1. Impact Accounting and Sustainability Measurement

This research line investigates new accounting and reporting frameworks that capture the multidimensional impacts of organizations and infrastructure projects within the general framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), or Megaproject Social Responsibility (MSR) for infrastructure, and sustainability accounting. My focus is, among other focus, on developing integrated and geo-spatial accounting tools that combine environmental, social, and economic indicators, reflecting both inside-out and outside-in impacts within the context of the planetary boundaries and the doughnut economics model. I explore how organizations react to climate change issues by integrating approaches such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), or the Impact-Weighted Accounting Framework (IWAF). Through empirical studies, my work demonstrates how impact measurement can inform responsible decision-making and support transformative governance aligned with regenerative principles.

Keywords: Impact accounting; integrated value; biodiversity accounting; sustainability reporting; planetary boundaries; social and environmental accounting; megaproject assessment; corporate social responsibility, megaproject social responsibility, ESG disclosure.

Selected works:

Cottafava, D., Corazza, L., & Torchia, D. (2023). Geo-spatial accounting for the socio-economic impacts of megaprojects: Towards operationalization of Megaproject Social Responsibility. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 103, 107288.

Corazza, L., Torchia, D., Marengo, F., & Cottafava, D. (2023, November). Accounting for Impact: Bridging the Gap in Megaproject Social Impact Evaluation. In International Workshop “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Embrace Complexity and Sustainability in Megaprojects (pp. 131-141). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

1. Regenerative Economy, Stakeholder Management, and Innovation Ecosystems

This stream examines how innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems evolve toward regenerative and impact-oriented models that prioritize collective well-being over exponential growth. My research investigates the convergence of innovation ecosystems, traditionally driven by technology and competitiveness, with impact ecosystems, oriented toward social and ecological value creation. Through stakeholder theory and social network analysis, I study how universities, startups, public institutions, and civil society co-design systemic innovations that foster inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability. The aim is to conceptualize the governance of regenerative ecosystems, understand their key drivers and barriers, and identify leverage points for policy design and collaborative transformation.

Keywords: regenerative economy; stakeholder theory; innovation ecosystems; impact ecosystems; ecosystem governance; participatory mapping; relational value; post-growth transition; systems thinking; complexity and social network analysis.

Selected works:           

Corazza, L., Cottafava, D., Torchia, D., & Dhir, A. (2024). Interpreting stakeholder ecosystems through relational stakeholder theory: The case of a highly contested megaproject. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(3), 2384-2412.

Cottafava, D., & Corazza, L. (2021). Co-design of a stakeholders’ ecosystem: An assessment methodology by linking social network analysis, stakeholder theory and participatory mapping. Kybernetes, 50(3), 836-858.

Corazza, L., Truant, E., Cottafava, D., & Dhir, A. (2023). Higher education institutions and multistakeholders’ engagement: A longitudinal study of an anchor institution's legitimacy and dynamism. IEEE transactions on engineering management, 71, 13572-13585.

Cottafava, D., Spinazzola, M., Corazza, L., & Llorens i Cervera, S. (2024). Anatomy of an innovation ecosystem: how do circular economy and social impact actors interrelate? A case study on Catalonia.