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The purpose of this paper is to analyze and map the main areas of the Circular Economy literature of the first two decades of 21st century, offering a broad vision about the growth of the theme during these years.

The research was divided into two stages: the first was a systematic review of literature and the second consisted on generation and analysis of bibliographic maps.

The publication indicates the prominence of China and European Union countries in the production of articles about Circular Economy. Furthermore, the topic is restricted to academic area, and that research on Circular Economy is still very focused on theory studies, even with exponential growth in the number of published articles about the theme since 2015. Finally, it also provides a collection of information as the principal authors, the most cited publications, citations, co-citations and countries that have most published beyond which are the most discussed topics.

A possible limitation of the research is that it was performed only in the Scopus database. It may be suggested as future searches that other databases are included as well, and another suggestion is to reduce the time period between research samples due to the exponential increase in the number of publications and topics discussed lately.

The results of this paper can guide future researches about the development of Circular Economy during the next decades or years and serve as a facilitator for researchers and for managers that want to know more about the topic.

A mapping of the principal players and main discussions about Circular Economy made in the first two decades of the 21st century and an analysis about the growth and changes about the theme.

Circular economy is presented as an approach to economic growth that is in line with sustainable development. However, the recent literature has highlighted the limits of the concept in terms of environmental sustainability. The study examines the relationship between circular economy and conservation of ecosystems, using a case study on the implications of a circular economy for Slovak forests and forest sector.

This study adopts a qualitative methodology through a focused review of the relevant literature on circular economy and sustainable development and primary data gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 experts and practitioners in the forest sector, forest conservation and circular economy context, both from within as well as outside of Slovakia.

The study finds that the forestry sector has an important role to play in a shift to a circular economy in Slovakia, with significant opportunities for improved efficiency as well as substitution of wood for non-renewable resources. There is also growing potential for ecosystem stewardship and restoration. However, the increased application of biomass could crowd out other needs, including for biodiversity. Safeguarding these services depends ultimately on good governance.

The study highlights that circular economy taken in a narrow focus on resource efficiency is insufficient to ensure environmental sustainability but rather needs to be set within the broader environmental and social context.

The imperative to conserve resources and minimize operational expenses has spurred a notable increase in the adoption of lean manufacturing within the context of the circular economy across diverse industries in recent years. However, a notable gap exists in the research landscape, particularly concerning the implementation of lean practices within the pharmaceutical industry to enhance circular economy performance. Addressing this void, this study endeavors to identify and prioritize the pivotal drivers influencing lean manufacturing within the pharmaceutical sector.

The outcome of this rigorous examination highlights that “Continuous Monitoring Process for Sustainable Lean Implementation,” “Management Involvement for Sustainable Implementation” and “Training and Education” emerge as the most consequential drivers. These factors are deemed crucial for augmenting circular economy performance, underscoring the significance of management engagement, training initiatives and a continuous monitoring process in fostering a closed-loop practice within the pharmaceutical industry.

The findings contribute valuable insights for decision-makers aiming to adopt lean practices within a circular economy framework. Specifically, by streamlining the process of developing a robust action plan tailored to the unique needs of the pharmaceutical sector, our study provides actionable guidance for enhancing overall sustainability in the manufacturing processes.

This study represents one of the initial efforts to systematically identify and assess the drivers to LM implementation within the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to the emerging body of knowledge in this area.

This chapter highlights how implementing circular economy principles can help companies working with sustainability to move from a reductionist and waste management approach to marketing competitive circular value propositions that intentionally design out waste (e.g. emissions and pollution) by rethinking, reinventing and redesigning the value chain. Schijvens, a Dutch family-owned corporate fashion textile company, acts as a case for exemplifying successful implementation of circular economy principles as a marketing strategy in a sector that struggles with finding solutions to the ethical challenges of producing and marketing textile fashion. The textile industry has, for many years, been accused of production that is based on environmentally harmful processes and conditions that are not socially fair. Circular economy principles provide a range of suggestions to address the ethical challenges occurring from covering the human needs of having clothes to wear. Yet, implementing circular economy principles is not a panacea. It is not only a question of delivering a technological quick fix but also a question of managing the new processes and human mindset guiding the actions in the value chain. This chapter, therefore, outlines reasons for a different perspective on the traditional linear value chain and related implications managers face when undertaking a journey from sustainability based on a reductionist approach to a closed-loop approach. It is argued that implementing circular economy principles by pro-actively managing the value chain processes based on eco-centric dynamic capabilities can provide even more radical changes than the incremental reductionist approach often associated with being a green sustainable company.

A new era of M&A is emerging, characterized by new wave of strategic investment decision-making practices (SIDMP) toward Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies and circular economy. The digital technologies play a significant role in circular economy transitions and companies’ performance This includes investment in capability development, vertical and horizontal integration, effective procurement practices, and effective strategic control mechanisms. The circular economy strategy is more than just recycling and environmental concerns. It unlocks new strategies and new ways of strategic thinking. Its rapid expansion, as a new norm for companies, has characteristics of a fast-expanding market, given its exponential growth. Yet, there is a need to boardrooms commitment and responsibilities including oversight and support and a full-integrated organizational structure, sales, logistics, marketing, production, development, design, supply management, finance, human resources, and legal. To achieve successful implementation of SIDMP and M&A, companies should gather information on environmental, social, and governance issues. Therefore, it is critical to prioritize their strategies and identify areas that present the greatest risk on environmental and social issues including human rights, labor, and ethical issues in the companies supply chain. By creating shared values between society and shareholders, companies can maintain long-term success, legitimacy, and credibility. This chapter offers debate on recent developments in research and practice regarding SIDMP and synergy between I4.0 and circular economy.

Resilience of the economy is related with its ability to cope with the challenges (e.g., economic and environmental crises). Economies need to be resilient as countries having resilient economy can enhance welfare of their people and achieve sustainable development (SD). Total factor productivity can be improved through smart technologies, smart workforce, and innovations. It requires holistic and systematic as well as strategic approach as it is directly related with the SD of the countries and welfare of their people. It is directly related with the policies covering all these main aspects with the long-term, systematic, and holistic view. Resilient economies need to enhance their resilience to keep them resilient despite of the changes which can act as threats in the future. Resilience of the economy necessitates transformation of the manufacturing industry (MI) into the sustainable, smart, circular, and global one. In this way MI's competitiveness can be enhanced. For this reason, based on an in-depth literature review, this chapter aims to examine ways for enhancing resilience of the global economy through smart, circular, and competitive MI. Specific focus is on the policies fostering the transformation of the MI into the sustainable, smart, circular, global, and innovative one. This chapter emphasizes the importance of and need for the productivity-based resilient economy. Policy makers, academics, and researchers in the relevant field can get benefit from this chapter.

Although the circular economy is widely regarded as an essential strategy for firms, the present understanding of the drivers and outcomes of circular economy implementation is underdeveloped. In this paper, the authors draw on the natural resource-based view and information processing theory to explore how an environmental orientation and digital supply chain platforms promote circular economy implementation, and increase the impact of circular economy implementation on financial performance.

The authors surveyed 249 Chinese firms and used hierarchical regression analysis to test hypotheses.

The empirical results reveal that three primary modes of circular economy implementation—reinvent and rethink (INV), restore, reduce and avoid (RRA), and recirculate (REC)—are all driven by environmental orientation and digital supply chain platforms. More interestingly, digital supply chain platforms have an inverted U-shaped moderating effect on the relationships between environmental orientation and INV and between environmental orientation and RRA. Most importantly, INV and RRA are positively related to financial performance, whereas REC does not have a significant relationship with financial performance.

The authors contribute to the literature on the circular economy by revealing new drivers and outcomes of different modes of its implementation. Additionally, the findings have implications for how firms should frame their circular economy initiatives in the context of the digital revolution.

In this paper, the authors adopt the theory of the circular economy to study the transitions that take place in three case studies in Mexico and Ecuador. The work is aimed to systematize a circular economy assessment tool that fosters opportunities for improvement in business practices.

The methodology is based on a descriptive quantitative analysis, where a checklist is made with 91 items and nine study variables. This is from the study of the bibliography and business practice. Furthermore, the neural network method is used in a case study to predict the level of circular economy and the importance of each variable according to the sensitivity by the Lek’s profile method.

It is based on a descriptive quantitative analysis, where a checklist with 91 items and nine study variables is made, defined from a bibliographic study and business practice. Furthermore, the neural network method is used in a case study to predict the level of circular economy and the importance of each variable based on sensitivity.

The application of the tool requires prior knowledge of the circular economy approach, which is why specialized personnel are needed for its application. This makes research more expensive in time and human resources.

The practical and methodological contribution of this work lies in the feasibility of the tool that favors the definition of improvement actions for the implementation contribution to the circular economy in business practices.

The social contribution is framed in the gradual transition to circular economy approaches in underdeveloped countries.

The use of the neural network method to predict the level of circular economy in a case study allows making decisions in a predictive way. This encourages the development of the circular economy according to the context needs.

En este trabajo adoptamos la teoría de la economía circular para estudiar las transiciones que ocurren en tres casos de estudio en México y Ecuador. El trabajo tiene como objetivo sistematizar una herramienta de evaluación de la economía circular que fomente oportunidades de mejora en las prácticas empresariales.

La metodología se basa en un análisis cuantitativo descriptivo, donde se elabora un checklist con 91 ítems y nueve variables de estudio. Esto a partir del estudio de la bibliografía y la práctica empresarial. Además, el método de la red neuronal se utiliza en un estudio de caso para predecir el nivel de economía circular y la importancia de cada variable según la sensibilidad utilizando el método Lekprofile.

Los resultados muestran que la herramienta es aplicable a diferentes contextos y simultáneamente permite la evaluación de la economía circular de forma holística. Además, la herramienta se puede vincular a técnicas predictivas, como el método de red neuronal. Esto se demostró en un estudio de caso.

en el uso del método de redes neuronales para predecir el nivel de economía circular en un caso de estudio. Esto permite la capacidad de tomar decisiones de forma predictiva y esto incentiva el desarrollo de la economía circular según la necesidad del contexto.

Las limitaciones se centran en la necesidad de conocer el tema de la economía circular para la aplicación de la herramienta. Por lo tanto, se necesita capacitación antes de comenzar un nuevo estudio. Esto encarece la investigación en tiempo y recursos humanos.

El aporte práctico y metodológico de este trabajo radica en la viabilidad de la herramienta que favorece la definición de acciones de mejora para la contribución de la implementación a la economía circular en las prácticas empresariales.

La contribución social es parte de la transición gradual a enfoques de economía circular en países subdesarrollados.

The purpose of this paper is to review and provide recommendations to extend the current open standard data models for describing monitoring systems and circular economy precepts for built assets. Open standard data models enable robust and efficient data exchange which underpins the successful implementation of a circular economy. One of the largest opportunities to reduce the total life cycle cost of a built asset is to use the building information modelling (BIM) approach during the operational phase because it represents the largest share of the entire cost. BIM models that represent the actual conditions and performance of the constructed assets can boost the benefits of the installed monitoring systems and reduce maintenance and operational costs.

This paper presents a horizontal investigation of current BIM data models and their use for describing circular economy principles and performance monitoring of built assets. Based on the investigation, an extension to the industry foundation classes (IFC) specification, recommendations and guidelines are presented which enable to describe circular economy principles and asset monitoring using IFC.

Current open BIM data models are not sufficiently mature yet. This limits the interoperability of the BIM approach and the implementation of circular economy principles. An overarching approach to extend the current standards is necessary, which considers aspects related to not only modelling the monitoring system but also data management and analysis.

To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study that identifies requirements for data model standards in the context current linear economic model of making, using and disposing is growing unsustainably far beyond the finite limits of planet of a circular economy. The results of this study set the basis for the extension of current standards required to apply the circular economy precepts.