Firm-level evidence on the circular economy remains fragmented, limiting our understanding of how individual practices relate to innovation and business-model change. This position paper introduces the GRINS survey, a large-scale survey of Italian manufacturing firms with at least ten employees, and presents descriptive evidence for 2022–2024. 

The survey combines measures of environmental and circular practices, innovation and business models with information on capabilities, knowledge sources, cooperation, territorial conditions and perceived barriers. Around one-third of the sample reports adopting a circular business model, with experimental adoption more frequent than structured implementation. 

Firms reporting these models also report greater benefits from adopted practices, use a wider range of knowledge sources and place greater value on cooperation. Innovation is especially frequent in energy efficiency, renewable energy and waste management, while product redesign is less common. Perceived barriers differ across activities: weak customer demand is particularly salient for adoption, whereas regulatory complexity and financial constraints lead the rankings for innovation. 

These findings motivate a research and policy agenda that distinguishes operational adoption from innovation and strategic integration. GRINS provides a basis for investigating their relationships across firms and territories, while the descriptive evidence does not establish causal effects.