Benjamin Steuer is assistant professor at the Division of Environment and Sustainability at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He obtained his PhD at the University of Vienna with a thesis on China’s Circular Economy. Since his research assistance at the Institute of Waste Management (BOKU University, Vienna), he spent over 12 years conducting field research on recycling and the Circular Economy in mainland China and Hong Kong. Next to his academic employment, Benjamin has been working as consultant for the Hong Kong NPOs and for the German development agency GIZ. His interdisciplinary (waste management, institutional economics, circular business management) and mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative survey methods) research has been published by Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Waste Management, Journal of Environmental Management, Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, Journal of Chinese Governance among others. His research outputs can be accessed under:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Steuer

Research Themes under ENVR

• Sustainable Finance and Net Zero Solutions

Research Areas

• Circular economy
• Circular Business Models
• Evolutionary Institutional Economics
• Waste management
• Sustainability transitions

Research Interests

• Circularity for plastics & e-waste
• Tipping points in sustainability
• Green Finance for circular economy
• Sustainable innovations in business strategy
• Policy experimentation

Research Projects

• RGC - Can we regulate our way to a circular economy? A study of the relationship between extended producer responsibility regulation and sustainable innovation in the textile industry
• France / Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme - Enabling Green Finance for Circular Economy Business Models
• RGC - Developing Hong Kong as a Global Green Finance Centre
• AIS Support Fund for Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration - Does learning and problem-solving influence the resource-efficiency of circular businesses?

Publications

Representative Publications

• Chow, Y.T. and Steuer, B.*. 2025. Informal Reuse, Repair and Refurbishment Business Networks for Air Conditioners in Gangxia Village, Shenzhen. In: de Jong, M., Schraven, D., Xin, T., Dong, L. (eds) The Inclusive Circular Economy. Urban Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-6867-0_10
• Steuer, B.*, S. May, and M. den Hollander. (2025). “ Analysing Circular Transitions Beyond Single-Use Plastics: How Do Problem-Solving and Learning Shape Circular Business Model Strategies?.” Business Strategy and the Environment 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70238.
• Chen, P., Steuer, B.*, Wu, G., Dong,  L., Tong,  X., de Jong, M., Sauerwein, M. (2025). A life cycle assessment on food delivery packaging in Guangzhou, China: Using consumer preferences to infer viable circular economy policy pathways. Journal of Environmental Management 391, 126478. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126478.
• May, S.O. and Steuer, B.* (2025). Electrical and electronic equipment repair in a circular economy: Investigating consumer behaviour in Hong Kong. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 215, 108036. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.108036.
• Zisopoulos, F.K.*, Fath, B.D., Toboso-Chavero, S., Huang, H., Schraven, D., Steuer, B., Stefanakis, A., O. Clark, G., Scrieciuk, S., Singh, S., Noll, D., de Jong, M. (2024). Inequities blocking the path to circular economies: A bio-inspired network-based approach for assessing the sustainability of the global trade of waste metals. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 212, 107958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107958.
• Steuer, B.* (2024). Hong Kong's circular economy on plastics: are the economics failing? Detritus 27. Doi: 10.31025/2611-4135/2024.18387
• Chen, P. and Steuer, B*. (2024). A first assessment of Hong Kong’s circular economy for wastepaper: Material flows, value chains and the role of the semi-formal informal recycling sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 141939. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141939
• Zisopoulos*, F.K., Steuer, B., Abussafy, R., Toboso Chavero, S., Liu, Z., Tong, X., Schraven, D. (2023). Informal recyclers as stakeholders in a circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137894. 
• Chen P., Sauerwein M. and Steuer B.* 2023. Exploring greenhouse gas emission pathways and stakeholder perspectives: In search of circular economy policy innovation for waste paper management and carbon neutrality in Hong Kong. Journal of Environmental Management 341, 118072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118072
• Steuer, B*. and Chen, P. 2023 Exploring capacities, environmental benefits and potential for a circular economy on waste plastic bottles in Hong Kong. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 199, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107270
• Steuer, B. and Li H. (2022). An effective system for recovering recyclable waste from households in China: Ant Recovery’s bottom-up scheme in Changchun city. Waste Management (accepted for publication). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.12.039

Full Publication List