Circular Economy Research Ttrends in the Textile and Apparel Industry: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) has gained significant global attention as a potential solution to environmental and socio-economic issues, such as pollution, waste generation, and resource depletion, arising from the textile and clothing industries. The objective of this bibliometric review is to explore the trends and patterns of circular economy research in the apparel industry. Data were collected from the Scopus database while the bibliometric data were analysed using VOSviewer software. A comprehensive search of pertinent keywords linked to circular economy in the textile industry yielded 697 empirical and review articles. The analysis revealed significant aspects of the evolution of textile circularity research and voids in the discipline. This review also uncovered the central research themes, the countries, the influential journals, and the productive articles in this field. The Journal of Cleaner Production was the most prolific outlet, and the United Kingdom was the most productive country in circular clothing research. The results of this study can assist scholars in identifying novel research methodologies in this domain. Therefore, the study serves as a valuable addition towards identifying the primary patterns in circular economy research in the textile industries and suggesting potential avenues for future research endeavours.