IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i16p9998-d886979.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Emerging Associates of the Circular Economy: Analysing Interactions and Trends by a Mixed Methods Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Animesh Ghosh

    (Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India)

  • Prabha Bhola

    (Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India)

  • Uthayasankar Sivarajah

    (School of Management, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, UK)

Abstract

Circular Economy (CE) frameworks augmented multi-dimensional research, including definitions, principles, indicators, history, limitations, enablers, and allied issues. Rethinking the designing strategies requires the exploration of CE associates and their functioning as companions for amplification through multiple suggestions, highlighting the interactions with the overall CE system towards sustainability. This paper focuses on how CE literature concentrates on premeditated areas and solution approaches. A lack of deterministic manifestations critically limits the interpretation and application of CE concepts. The paper contributes to the CE theoretical and practical understanding by for the first time outlining the CE associates, their connotation, progression, positioning in architecture, and their current state. These associates support individualization of a CE concept. The coherently applied methodology attempts to reduce the knowledge gap by following a systematic quantitative literature review process to screen 76 articles and 122 CE definitions, referencing one decade of literature. Application of comprehensive morphological mining facilitated the extraction of CE associates and later analysis. On application of Bibliometric Analysis, Text Analysis, Semantic Analysis, and Relation Mapping to the literature, 49 associates emerged. They were further validated by application of Content Analysis and Weighted Average Priority Ranking on extracted article content and definitions for deriving the most prominent associates. Subsequently, Association Rules Data Mining and K-Means Clustering were deployed in exploring the relations, ranking, and significance of CE associates. The findings consistently state that business actions (virtualize, exchange); sustainability pillars (society); and R strategies (refuse, refill, and repurpose) are unexplored CE associates, whereas Business, Economics, Environment, Measurement, Product, Industry, Resource, System, Waste, and Recycle are the most explored associates of the CE ecosystem.

Suggested Citation

  • Animesh Ghosh & Prabha Bhola & Uthayasankar Sivarajah, 2022. "Emerging Associates of the Circular Economy: Analysing Interactions and Trends by a Mixed Methods Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-41, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:9998-:d:886979
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/9998/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/9998/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Sara Russo-Garrido & Nicolas Merveille, 2020. "Addressing the Social Aspects of a Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Kannan Govindan & Mia Hasanagic, 2018. "A systematic review on drivers, barriers, and practices towards circular economy: a supply chain perspective," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(1-2), pages 278-311, January.
    3. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    4. Jabbour, Charbel Jose Chiappetta & Jabbour, Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa & Sarkis, Joseph & Filho, Moacir Godinho, 2019. "Unlocking the circular economy through new business models based on large-scale data: An integrative framework and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 546-552.
    5. Kirchherr, Julian & Reike, Denise & Hekkert, Marko, 2017. "Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 221-232.
    6. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    7. Gill Seyfang, 2004. "Consuming Values and Contested Cultures: A Critical Analysis of the UK Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(3), pages 323-338.
    8. Marcus Linder & Steven Sarasini & Patricia Loon, 2017. "A Metric for Quantifying Product-Level Circularity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 545-558, June.
    9. Fenna Blomsma & Geraldine Brennan, 2017. "The Emergence of Circular Economy: A New Framing Around Prolonging Resource Productivity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 603-614, June.
    10. Kirchherr, Julian & Piscicelli, Laura & Bour, Ruben & Kostense-Smit, Erica & Muller, Jennifer & Huibrechtse-Truijens, Anne & Hekkert, Marko, 2018. "Barriers to the Circular Economy: Evidence From the European Union (EU)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 264-272.
    11. Carl Roberts, 2000. "A Conceptual Framework for Quantitative Text Analysis," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 259-274, August.
    12. Florian Lüdeke‐Freund & Stefan Gold & Nancy M. P. Bocken, 2019. "A Review and Typology of Circular Economy Business Model Patterns," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(1), pages 36-61, February.
    13. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 2, number 978-0-230-27490-7.
    14. Alicia Mas-Tur & Maria Guijarro & Agustín Carrilero, 2019. "The Influence of the Circular Economy: Exploring the Knowledge Base," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    15. Fleischmann, Moritz & Bloemhof-Ruwaard, Jacqueline M. & Dekker, Rommert & van der Laan, Erwin & van Nunen, Jo A. E. E. & Van Wassenhove, Luk N., 1997. "Quantitative models for reverse logistics: A review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 1-17, November.
    16. Chun-Li Peng & Domenic Scorpio & Charles Kibert, 1997. "Strategies for successful construction and demolition waste recycling operations," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 49-58.
    17. Patrick Schroeder & Kartika Anggraeni & Uwe Weber, 2019. "The Relevance of Circular Economy Practices to the Sustainable Development Goals," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(1), pages 77-95, February.
    18. Mariale Moreno & Carolina De los Rios & Zoe Rowe & Fiona Charnley, 2016. "A Conceptual Framework for Circular Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-15, September.
    19. Walter R. Stahel, 2010. "The Performance Economy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-0-230-28884-3.
    20. Alan Murray & Keith Skene & Kathryn Haynes, 2017. "The Circular Economy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Global Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 369-380, February.
    21. Winans, K. & Kendall, A. & Deng, H., 2017. "The history and current applications of the circular economy concept," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P1), pages 825-833.
    22. Paul Olk & Terri L. Griffith, 2004. "Creating and Disseminating Knowledge Among Organizational Scholars: The Role of Special Issues," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(1), pages 120-129, February.
    23. José Luis Ruiz-Real & Juan Uribe-Toril & Jaime De Pablo Valenciano & Juan Carlos Gázquez-Abad, 2018. "Worldwide Research on Circular Economy and Environment: A Bibliometric Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-14, November.
    24. Peter Birch Sørensen, 2017. "The Basic Environmental Economics of The Circular Economy," EPRU Working Paper Series 17-04, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    25. Marcus Linder & Mats Williander, 2017. "Circular Business Model Innovation: Inherent Uncertainties," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 182-196, February.
    26. Mateusz Lewandowski, 2016. "Designing the Business Models for Circular Economy—Towards the Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-28, January.
    27. Clube, Rebecca K.M. & Tennant, Mike, 2020. "The Circular Economy and human needs satisfaction: Promising the radical, delivering the familiar," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    28. Gianmarco Bressanelli & Marco Perona & Nicola Saccani, 2019. "Challenges in supply chain redesign for the Circular Economy: a literature review and a multiple case study," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(23), pages 7395-7422, December.
    29. Donthu, Naveen & Kumar, Satish & Pattnaik, Debidutta, 2020. "Forty-five years of Journal of Business Research: A bibliometric analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-14.
    30. Qinghua Zhu & Yong Geng & Kee‐hung Lai, 2011. "Environmental Supply Chain Cooperation and Its Effect on the Circular Economy Practice‐Performance Relationship Among Chinese Manufacturers," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 15(3), pages 405-419, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Armaghan Chizaryfard & Paolo Trucco & Cali Nuur, 2021. "The transformation to a circular economy: framing an evolutionary view," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 475-504, April.
    2. Maryam Hina & Chetna Chauhan & Rajat Sharma & Amandeep Dhir, 2023. "Circular economy business models as pillars of sustainability: Where are we now, and where are we heading?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 6182-6209, December.
    3. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    4. Gabi Försterling & Ronald Orth & Benjamin Gellert, 2023. "Transition to a Circular Economy in Europe through New Business Models: Barriers, Drivers, and Policy Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-40, May.
    5. Daniel A. Salas & Paulina Criollo & Angel D. Ramirez, 2021. "The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Implementation of Circular Economy in Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-27, August.
    6. D. D’Amato, 2021. "Sustainability Narratives as Transformative Solution Pathways: Zooming in on the Circular Economy," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    7. Lis J. Suarez-Visbal & Jesús Rosales Carreón & Blanca Corona & Ernst Worrell, 2023. "The Social Impacts of Circular Strategies in the Apparel Value Chain; a Comparative Study Between Three Countries," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    8. Hervé Corvellec & Alison F. Stowell & Nils Johansson, 2022. "Critiques of the circular economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(2), pages 421-432, April.
    9. Yamoah, Fred A. & Sivarajah, Uthayasankar & Mahroof, Kamran & Peña, Iker González, 2022. "Demystifying corporate inertia towards transition to circular economy: A management frame of reference," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    10. Miha Dominko & Kaja Primc & Renata Slabe-Erker & Barbara Kalar, 2023. "A bibliometric analysis of circular economy in the fields of business and economics: towards more action-oriented research," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 5797-5830, July.
    11. Raphaëlle Stewart & Monia Niero, 2018. "Circular economy in corporate sustainability strategies: A review of corporate sustainability reports in the fast‐moving consumer goods sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 1005-1022, November.
    12. Oana Dobre-Baron & Alina Nițescu & Dorina Niță & Cătălin Mitran, 2022. "Romania’s Perspectives on the Transition to the Circular Economy in an EU Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-26, April.
    13. Ghinoi, Stefano & Silvestri, Francesco & Steiner, Bodo, 2020. "The role of local stakeholders in disseminating knowledge for supporting the circular economy: a network analysis approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    14. Kristoffersen, Eivind & Mikalef, Patrick & Blomsma, Fenna & Li, Jingyue, 2021. "The effects of business analytics capability on circular economy implementation, resource orchestration capability, and firm performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    15. Lusine H. Aramyan & Gonne Beekman & Joris Galama & Sandra van der Haar & Maarten Visscher & Gertrude G. Zeinstra, 2021. "Moving from Niche to Norm: Lessons from Food Waste Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
    16. Jaime Sánchez-Ortiz & Vanesa Rodríguez-Cornejo & Rosario Del Río-Sánchez & Teresa García-Valderrama, 2020. "Indicators to Measure Efficiency in Circular Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-15, June.
    17. Jeff Mangers & Meysam Minoufekr & Peter Plapper & Sri Kolla, 2021. "An Innovative Strategy Allowing a Holistic System Change towards Circular Economy within Supply-Chains," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    18. Fabio A. Madau & Brunella Arru & Roberto Furesi & Pietro Pulina, 2020. "Insect Farming for Feed and Food Production from a Circular Business Model Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    19. Gilbert Silvius & Aydan Ismayilova & Vicente Sales-Vivó & Micol Costi, 2021. "Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, October.
    20. Doussoulin, Jean Pierre & Bittencourt, Mariana, 2022. "How effective is the construction sector in promoting the circular economy in Brazil and France? : A waste input-output analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 47-58.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:9998-:d:886979. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.