Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Literature Analysis of Definitions for a Circular Economy

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Logistics Operations and Management for Recycling and Reuse

Part of the book series: EcoProduction ((ECOPROD))

Abstract

This chapter aims to identify and analyze the published definitions of circular economy (CE). Twenty-eight definitions were gathered through intensive critical literature review, using both Scopus and Web of Science. The definitions developed from peer-reviewed literature analysis covered a period from 1999 through 2019, although most definitions were published from 2011 onwards. CE received significant attention in the early 90s and now is considered a mainstream strategy for product design and social, economic and environmental sustainability. Given that research is still relatively new in the sustainable circular economy. CE offers a reverse resource regenerative idea to eliminate the linearity of production and consumption system to support sustainability objectives. The CE definition analysis revealed that so far, resilience and stakeholder perspective is not explicitly included in the definition, although stakeholder is considered to be part of a natural and ecology system. CE has an impact on different aspects of the business throughout the entire supply chain. The concept of a CE is a value-orientated resource transformational process. CE considers both upstream and downstream production and consumption patterns to promotes the resilience orientation of resources. Currently, CE practices are carried out—meso, micro and macro. This chapter highlights that suggest that it is imperative to consider exosystem and chronosystem to better move away from linear to circular economy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Awan U (2020) Industrial ecology in support of sustainable development goals. In: Leal Filho W, Azul AM, Brandli L et al (eds) Responsible consumption and production. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 370–380

    Google Scholar 

  • Awan U, Kraslawski A, Huiskonen J (2020) Progress from blue to the green world : multilevel governance for pollution prevention planning and sustainability. In: Hussain CM (ed) Handbook of environmental materials management. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, pp 1–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilitewski B (2012) The circular economy and its risks. Waste Manag 1:1–2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blomsma F, Brennan G (2017). The emergence of circular economy: a new framing around prolonging resource productivity. J Ind Ecol 21:603–614. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12603

  • Bocken NMP, Ritala P, Huotari P (2017) The circular economy: exploring the introduction of the concept among S&P 500 firms. J Ind Ecol 21:487–490. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12605

  • Bocken NMP, de Pauw I, Bakker C, van der Grinten B (2016) Product design and business model strategies for a circular economy. J Ind Ecol 33:308–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner U (1979) The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

    Google Scholar 

  • Chertow MR (2000) INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS : literature. Ann Rev Environ Res 25:313–337

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper T (1999) Creating an economic infrastructure for sustainable product design. J Sustain Prod Des 8:7–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Cullen JM (2017) Circular economy: theoretical benchmark or perpetual motion machine? J Ind Ecol 21:483–486

    Google Scholar 

  • Den Hollander MC, Bakker CA, Hultink EJ (2017) Product design in a circular economy: development of a typology of key concepts and terms. J Ind Ecol 21:517–525

    Google Scholar 

  • EllenMacArthur Foundation (2013)TOWARDS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2008) Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on Waste and Repealing Certain Directives

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2014) Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe. European Commission, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2015) Facilitating better information on the environmental performance of products and organisations. European Commission, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • Geissdoerfer M, Savaget P, Bocken NMP, Hultink EJ (2017) The circular economy—a new sustainability paradigm? J Clean Prod 143:757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048

  • Geng Y, Doberstein B (2008). Developing the circular economy in China: challenges and opportunities for achieving ‘leapfrog development’. Int J Sustain Dev World Ecol 15:231–239. https://doi.org/10.3843/susdev.15.3

  • Geng Y, Fu J, Sarkis J, Xue B (2012) Towards a national circular economy indicator system in China: an evaluation and critical analysis. J Clean Prod 23:216–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.07.005

  • Geng Y, Sarkis J, Ulgiati S, Zhang P (2013) Measuring China’s circular economy. Science 340:1526–1527. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1227059

  • Genovese A, Acquaye AA, Figueroa A, Koh SCL (2017) Sustainable supply chain management and the transition towards a circular economy : evidence and some applications. Omega 66:344–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2015.05.015

  • Ghisellini P, Cialani C, Ulgiati S (2016) A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. J Clean Prod 114:11–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007

  • Groenewald J, Grandjean T, Marco J (2017) Accelerated energy capacity measurement of lithium-ion cells to support future circular economy strategies for electric vehicles. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 69:98–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.017

  • Haas W, Krausmann F, Wiedenhofer D, Heinz M (2015) How circular is the global economy? An assessment of material flows, waste production, and recycling in the European union and the world in 2005. J Ind Ecol 19:765–777. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12244

  • Homrich AS, Galvão G, Abadia LG, Carvalho MM (2018) The circular economy umbrella: trends and gaps on integrating pathways. J Clean Prod 175:525–543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.064

  • Hu J, Xiao Z, Zhou R et al (2011) Ecological utilization of leather tannery waste with circular economy model. J Clean Prod 19:221–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.09.018

  • Kainuma Y, Tawara N (2006) A multiple attribute utility theory approach to lean and green supply chain management. Int J Prod Econ 101:99–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmykova Y, Sadagopan M, Rosado L (2017) Circular economy—from review of theories and practices to development of implementation tools. Res Conserv Recycling 135:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.10.034

  • Kirchherr J, Bour R, Kostense-Smit E et al (2017a) Barriers to the circular economy: evidence from the European Union (EU). Ecol Econ 150:264–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.04.028

  • Kirchherr J, Reike D, Hekkert M (2017b) Conceptualizing the circular economy: an analysis of 114 definitions. Res Conserv Recycling 127:221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005

  • Korhonen J, Honkasalo A, Seppälä J (2018) Circular economy: the concept and its limitations. Ecol Econ 143:37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.06.041

  • Lewandowski M (2016) Designing the business models for circular economy-towards the conceptual framework. Sustainability 8:1–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8010043

  • Lieder M, Rashid A (2016) Towards circular economy implementation: a comprehensive review in context of manufacturing industry. J Clean Prod 115:36–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.12.042

  • Liu Q, Li H ming, Zuo X et al (2009) A survey and analysis on public awareness and performance for promoting circular economy in China: a case study from Tianjin. J Clean Prod 17:265–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.06.003

  • MacArthur E (2013) Towards the circular economy: opportunities for the consumer goods sector. UK, Ellen MacArthur Found

    Google Scholar 

  • Merli R, Preziosi M, Acampora A (2018) How do scholars approach the circular economy? A systematic literature review. J Clean Prod 178:703–722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.112

  • Moreau V, Sahakian M, van Griethuysen P, Vuille F (2017) Coming full circle: why social and institutional dimensions matter for the circular economy. J Ind Ecol 21:497–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12598

  • Murray A, Skene K, Haynes K (2017) The circular economy: an interdisciplinary exploration of the concept and application in a global context. J Bus Ethics 140:369–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2693-2

  • Pearce DW, Turner RK (1990) Economics of natural resources and the environment. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauvé S, Bernard S, Sloan P (2016) Environmental sciences, sustainable development and circular economy: alternative concepts for trans-disciplinary research. Environ Dev 17:48–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2015.09.002

  • Stahel WR (2013) Policy for material efficiency—sustainable taxation as a departure from the throwaway society. Philos Trans Roy Soc A: Mathe Phys Eng Sci 371:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahel WR (2016) The circular economy. Nature 531:435–438

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahel WR, Reday-Mulvey G (1981) Jobs for tomorrow: the potential for substituting manpower for energy. Vantage Press, The University of California, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Suárez-Eiroa B, Fernández E, Méndez-Martinez G, Soto-Oñate D (2019) Operational principles of circular economy for sustainable development: linking theory and practice. J Clean Prod 214:952–960

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas J-S, Birat J-P (2013) Methodologies to measure the sustainability of materials–focus on recycling aspects. Revue de Métallurgie–Int J Metal 110:3–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster K (2015) Circular economy. A Wealth of Flows Ellen MacArthur Foundation Publishing, UK. ISBN: 9780992778422

    Google Scholar 

  • Yap NT (2005) Towards a circular economy: progress and challenges. Greener Manag Int 50:11–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuan Z, Bi J, Moriguichi Y (2006) The circular economy: a new development strategy in China. J Ind Ecol 10:4–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuan Z, Shi L (2009) Improving enterprise competitive advantage with industrial symbiosis: case study of a smeltery in China. J Clean Prod 17:1295–1302

    Google Scholar 

  • Zink T, Geyer R (2017) Circular economy rebound. J Ind Ecol 21:593–602

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industrial Engineering and Management, The Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Lappeenranta, 5385, Finland

    Usama Awan

  2. University of Trier, Weidengraben 90, A18, 54296, Trier, Germany

    Narmeen Kanwal

  3. College of Business, Ohio University, 522 Copeland Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Mohammed Khurrum S. Bhutta

Authors
  1. Usama Awan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Narmeen Kanwal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mohammed Khurrum S. Bhutta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Usama Awan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering Management, Poznań University of Technology, Poznań, Poland

    Paulina Golinska-Dawson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Awan, U., Kanwal, N., Bhutta, M.K.S. (2020). A Literature Analysis of Definitions for a Circular Economy. In: Golinska-Dawson, P. (eds) Logistics Operations and Management for Recycling and Reuse. EcoProduction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33857-1_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation