Barriers and Enablers of Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Recent studies have undoubtedly supported the necessity of moving towards a circular economy.

To promote this need and identify the most effective and rapid solutions, a deeper understanding of which obstacles restrict and which catalyze the transition of organizations to the circular economy is necessary. With this in consideration, this study examines the drivers, obstacles, and practices that influence the development of the circular economy in emerging economies. through a systematic literature review. were taken in the study from Scopus database. The "Prisma" approach is used to examine the circular economy in terms of its enablers and inhibitors, and VOSviewer is then used to investigate the most investigated terms and their relationships, the most frequently mentioned authors and links between citations, as well as to identify the least explored keywords. Based on a systematic literature review and bibliometric analytical procedures: Top management commitment, consumers lack knowledge and awareness about reused/recycle products, infrastructure and logistics, financial limitation, short-term orientation, the lack of environmental education and the lack of supply chain are the most mentioned barriers by researchers. On the other hand, the main drivers towards circular economy models are innovation, cooperation, waste reduction, industrial symbiosis, etc.

This study contributes to an abundance of knowledge on circular business models, the challenges they face, and the drives that move them forward especially in emerging countries. This could aid decision-makers in implementing the proper incentive programs and serve as a roadmap for more research in this field.