Key success factors towards circular economy in public-private partnership projects

Purpose Public-private partnership (PPP) projects represent a large percentage of infrastructure development in every economy. According to the Private Participation in Infrastructure database (World Bank Group), the PPP model has delivered many projects around the world. These projects largely follow the linear economy model, which opposes sustainable practices and increases the financial burden on the public purse. In recent times, practitioners and governments are undertaking major reviews of these projects and embracing circular economy (CE) models to promote the sustainability of the projects. Therefore, this study aims to assess the major influencing factors towards CE in PPP projects. Design/methodology/approach Primary data sourced with questionnaires from practitioners in different countries were analyzed with the fuzzy synthetic data analysis approach. Findings The key findings demonstrate four categories of enabling factors on CE in PPP projects: environmental protection initiatives, effective leadership and project team proficiency, effective stakeholder engagement and regulatory compliance and innovative technologies and data sharing. Research limitations/implications This article contributes to the body of knowledge by expanding the limited information on CE practices for PPP-sponsored projects, and it lays ground for further studies into the influencing factors on CE. Practical implications Practitioners will be guided and understand areas to strengthen to realize CE potentials in PPP projects. Originality/value As the first of its kind in the domain of PPP research, this empirical study highlights the key groups of factors influencing the shift towards circular PPP practices, which will support future scholarly research. The findings also provide detailed insights for practitioners on major areas (factors) affecting the application of CE initiatives towards attaining sustainable development goals in PPP practices and policies.