Dr. Denise Reike

Denise Reike is a researcher in Prof. Hoffmann’s Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec) at the Department of Management, Technology and Economics of ETH Zurich. She joined the Group in April, 2023, to conduct research on the transition to a sustainable circular economy.

Denise understands the circular economy transition as a collective process generated by the actions and interrelations of various individual actors, and aimed at designing circular value chains that attain reduced resource use and other environmental, economic and social benefits.

She is part of the Download INCREACE European Union Horizon project (Download Work Package 6 led by Catharina Bening) which is concerned with developing innovative circular economy solutions to increase the uptake of recycled plastics in value-added electronic products. In her research, Denise looks at the CE transition from a system’s perspective at various levels. She seeks to contribute scientific knowledge on the development of value chain reconfiguration processes that mark the formative phase of the circular economy (meso-level). This includes research on required changes in the resource-base and the capabilities of individual value chain actors (micro-level). Together with David Pfeffer, she also studies how established market structures and (prospective) policies affect the viability of using plastic recyclates (macro-level) with the aim to provide advice on ways forward that lead to stable market demand and supply of high-quality plastic recyclates.    

Denise commenced her research on the circular economy in 2014. She wrote her PhD thesis on circular economy conceptualization and system-oriented measurement of circular economy processes as a means to investigate circular economy implementation and progress. Together with her co-authors Denise was awarded several prices for the impact of her work such as: Download RCR Most Cited paper Award 2021 (Corona, Shen, Reike, Rosales Carreón, Worrell), Download RCR Most Cited Paper Award 2020, Download RCR Most Downloaded paper Award 2020 (both: Reike, Vermeulen, Witjes, 2018); Download RCR 30th Anniversary Best Paper Award, RCR Most Cited Paper Award 2017 (Kirchherr, Reike, Hekkert, 2017). She has contributed to several reports on circular economy commisioned by the Dutch Government (e.g. on Download circular economy measurement and Download circular textiles).

She completed her PhD next to her employment as Junior Assistant Professor at the Download Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (Utrecht University). In this role she coordinated and taught several course modules in the Master Sustainable Business and Innovation, in the Bachelor Science and Innovation Management, and in the Bachelor Global Sustainability Science (Track Coordinator ‘Business and Innovation’). Over the years, she contributed to eighteen different course modules; closest to her heart were those related to organizational change management, sustainable entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability implementation, sustainable innovation and transitions, technology related venturing, and technology assessment.

Denise holds a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies from the Download Maastricht University (2010), and a Master of Science in Environmental Management and Policy from Download Utrecht University. (2013). Her research focus gradually expanded from from policy, politics and governance to the study of sustainability in organizations. Her Master thesis spanned both fields, as she benchmarked corporate decision-making in Sustainable Supply Chain Governance. Denise completed an Honours Programme which resulted in the the Degree ‘Climate KIC Master of Innovation’ by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Climate KIC (2013).

Since 2014, Denise works as volunteer at the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (Vereniging van Beleggers voor Duurzame Ontwikkeling - VBDO). She is the Chair of the Sector Committee ‘Food, Beverages, and Retail’ and a member of the Sector Committee ‘Technology and Electronics’.