The Multifaceted Role of Trust in Circular Ecosystems: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

ABSTRACT Circular ecosystems connect diverse actors who collaborate to close resource loops and pursue sustainable goals without centralized control. Such arrangements entail heightened interdependence and uncertainty, making trust, understood as the willingness to accept vulnerability based on positive expectations of others' behavior, a critical enabling condition. Despite its importance, existing research offers only fragmented insights into trust within circular ecosystems. This study addresses the question of how trust emerges, interacts, and evolves across the lifecycle of circular ecosystem collaborations by synthesizing evidence from a systematic review of 73 peer‐reviewed studies. The findings reveal a phase‐based pattern of trust dynamics. In the formation phase, calculus‐based trust helps actors engage despite uncertainty, supported by contracts and digital tools. Shared values can also accelerate the development of identification‐based trust, fostering early information sharing and joint problem‐solving. In the development phase, trust interacts with interpersonal relationships, organizational structures, and technological systems, as actors coordinate activities and negotiate interdependencies. In the maturity phase, identification‐based trust, rooted in shared purpose, enables resilient collaboration under rising complexity. In addition, the study indicates that digital platforms and blockchain support early coordination; however, they cannot replace the relational depth needed for long‐term cooperation. The review contributes to a lifecycle‐oriented, multidimensional understanding of trust in circular ecosystems. It offers practical strategies for building robust trust architectures, including early value alignment, continuous interpersonal engagement, and participatory digital governance.