Transitioning to a circular economy (CE) poses challenges for the manufacturing industry in addressing resource scarcity and environmental degradation. This paper presents a conceptual framework to enable effective cross-company collaborations for implementing CE principles. The framework integrates (1) an organizational tool guiding collaboration phase, (2) an information and data logistics component for seamless data flow, and (3) an analytical tool with a multidimensional indicator system covering technical, economic, environmental, and social dimensions. This data-driven, iterative approach supports manufacturing companies in implementing CE strategies and will be validated through practical case studies to ensure its effectiveness along diverse value chain steps.