Framework of conditions for establishing regional sustainable clusters
Abstract
It has become evident that corporate competitiveness depends not only on a company's own resources and competencies but also on its local, geographically proximate business environment. Companies do not compete in isolation; instead, strategic alliances dominate the landscape. The role of clusters in the competitiveness of specific regions and industries has long been recognized. Today, the key to competitiveness lies in how individual actors integrate into value chains and how they address sustainability—a pressing socio-economic challenge. Beyond competitiveness, cluster-level cooperation is also crucial for fostering an efficient circular economy. In a given region, the aggregation of market players into sustainable regional clusters can be of paramount importance for enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, optimizing resource allocation, and securing the necessary competencies. This research focuses on examining effective cluster-level operations and the successful implementation of circular economy and sustainability principles. The findings presented are based on the author’s empirical research, comprising expert interviews and questionnaire-based surveys. The identification of necessary, existing, and emerging competencies is also supported by the established capacity-building model.
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