Examining Knowledge Diffusion in the Circular Economy Domain: a Main Path Analysis

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) field has recently attracted significant interest from academics and practitioners. CE represents a departure from the linear economy, which is characterised by unsustainable resource production and consumption. The growing number of publications necessitates a comprehensive analysis of this field. This is the first systematic examination of the knowledge base and knowledge diffusion pathways in the CE domain. We analyse a Web of Science dataset containing 5431 articles published between 1970 and 2020. To create a comprehensive review of the CE domain, we conducted a keyword co-occurrence network analysis. We examined four distinct types of main paths using the main path analysis (MPA) technique: forward, backward, global, and key-route. According to the analyses, CE research focuses on six primary research themes: CE and sustainability, bioeconomy, CE practices, lifecycle assessment and industrial symbiosis, construction activities, and waste management. In addition, the MPA demonstrates that the CE literature has recently focused on Industry 4.0 technologies and their contribution to CE. This is the first attempt to depict the genealogy of CE research so that scholars can comprehend the domain’s evolutionary structure, identify hot topics, and capture the history, development status, and potential future directions of CE research.

Circular Economy Research in the COVID-19 Era: a Review and the Road Ahead

“…The CE offers a more resilient and sustainable alternative to the linear economy, in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible and waste is minimized [ 42 , 43 ]. This is particularly relevant during a pandemic, as supply chains have been disrupted and the demand for certain goods has shifted, leading to a need for more adaptive and flexible economic models [ 44 ].…”

Green supplier development and sustainable supply chain management

“…Practitioners face additional challenges when incorporating sustainable practices due to the complexity of GSCM practices and a lack of knowledge among suppliers. Collaboration with external stakeholders (suppliers) is also difficult because their perspectives on the importance and specifications of GSCM may differ (Rejeb et al, 2023). The resource‐based view (RBV) emphasizes the importance of an organization's individual resources and capabilities in gaining a competitive advantage (Barney, 1991).…”

Harnessing the value of procurement knowledge and practices for firm performance: A resource orchestration perspective

“…In fact, some practitioners still question the thinking behind creating procurement functions in organisations. Hence, it is not out of place that there have been prior attempts to investigate how procurement and its practices contribute to firm performance (e.g., Rejeb et al, 2023;Yaozu & Jiangen, 2020).…”