Theoretical Research on Circular Economy and Sustainability Trade-Offs and Synergies

Role of sustainable development goals in advancing the circular economy: A state-of-the-art review on past, present and future directions

The purpose of this study is to review the relationship between the highly anticipated concept of circular economy (CE) and sustainable development goals (SDGs). These two sustainability principles have transformed organizations and countries in their quest to achieve sustainable development. Despite their importance to the business and corporate realm, the discussion of these two concepts has been developed in silos, arbitrarily connected. Through a bibliometric approach, this study reviewed 226 journal publications and 16,008 cited references from the Web of Science (WoS) to understand the past, present and future trends of the two concepts and their impact on the sustainability development. The bibliometric approach of citation, co-citation and co-word analysis uncovers the relevant and significant themes and research streams. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed within the broader business and governance perspective to develop a substantial triple bottom line in creating a sustainable future for civil society.

Critical Success Factors for Circular Business Model Innovation from the Perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals

Circular business model innovation offers a path for the transformation of companies, enhancing resource productivity and efficiency, while also contributing to sustainable development. These fundamental changes in business are accompanied by a variety of challenges and barriers. To support companies on their journey, only a few studies have investigated the critical success factors for circular business model innovation through literature analysis. To contribute to this research, in this study, a methodological approach, mainly based on expert interviews, is proposed to gain in-depth insight into critical success factors for circular business model innovation. As a result, a framework covering critical success factors for circular business model innovation is developed, comprising nine top-codes and 37 sub-codes, and an analysis of each factor’s contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is performed. The study thereby extends the theoretical basis for further research on circular business model innovation, as well as identifies their practical implications.

Research Trends on Climate Change and Circular Economy from a Knowledge Mapping Perspective

The circular economy (CE) has been proposed as a potentially significant catalyst to enhance the current response to the global climate crisis. The objective of this study was to investigate the scientific literature of the research between climate change and CE adopting a knowledge mapping approach. Based on a total of 789 peer-reviewed publications extracted from Scopus, we found that research on climate change and CE is continually growing and interdisciplinary in nature. Europe notably leads scientific production. Keyword evolution shows that CE has been influenced by more lines of research than climate change. We also found that waste management is the CE approach most associated with climate change, mitigation is the climate action most impacted by CE, and food is the most reported greenhouse gas (GHG)-emitting material. However, there are knowledge gaps in the integration of the social dimension, the promotion of climate change adaptation, and the association of sustainable development goal (SDG) 13. Finally, we identified four potentially valuable directions for future studies: (i) CE practices, (ii) bioeconomy, (iii) climate and energy, and (iv) sustainability and natural resources, in which carbon recovery technologies, green materials, regional supply chains, circular agriculture models, and nature-based solutions are promising themes.