Circular Economy in Manufacturing Industries: A Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

{"Circular":[0],"economy":[1],"is":[2,27,42,229,242],"the":[3,18,35,38,74,78,89,95,118,128,139,189,205],"trend":[4],"that":[5,159,214,223,227,269],"has":[6],"emerged":[7,160],"as":[8],"an":[9,68],"urgent":[10],"necessity":[11],"for":[12,166,201],"manufacturing":[13],"companies":[14],"trying":[15],"to":[16,66,72,83,188,284],"break":[17],"linear":[19],"\\"take,":[20],"make,":[21],"dispose\\"":[22],"production":[23],"cycle.":[24],"While":[25],"there":[26,215,228],"a":[28,230,237,243,264],"significant":[29,231],"amount":[30],"of":[31,40,62,80,92,105,130,141,181,233],"research":[32,86,93,267],"happening":[33],"in":[34,56,77,115,127,258,288],"circularity":[36],"domain,":[37],"body":[39],"knowledge":[41,273],"split":[43],"and":[44,53,82,107,110,123,125,149,174,185,191,198,208,220,226,254,261,277],"does":[45],"not":[46],"necessarily":[47],"connect":[48],"with":[49,54,117,250],"other":[50],"theories,":[51],"concepts":[52],"application":[55],"different":[57],"industrial":[58,168,196],"sectors.":[59],"The":[60,98,155,178,211],"aim":[61],"this":[63,259],"study":[64],"was":[65,113,152],"develop":[67],"integrated":[69],"conceptual":[70,150,245],"framework":[71,246],"overcome":[73],"existing":[75],"ambiguities":[76],"field":[79],"CE":[81,182,248],"facilitate":[84],"further":[85],"while":[87],"synthesizing":[88],"various":[90],"streams":[91],"on":[94,138,236,282],"topic.":[96],"Methods:":[97],"articles":[99],"were":[100,183],"systematically":[101],"identified":[102,184],"from":[103],"Web":[104],"Science":[106],"Scopus":[108],"databases,":[109],"then":[111],"snowballing":[112],"performed,":[114],"compliance":[116],"PRISMA":[119],"guidelines,":[120],"between":[121],"2010":[122],"2025,":[124],"resulted":[126],"identification":[129],"100":[131],"articles.":[132],"A":[133],"tripartite":[134],"analytical":[135],"technique":[136],"based":[137],"use":[140],"quantitative":[142],"bibliometric":[143],"analysis,":[144],"qualitative":[145],"bibliographic":[146],"content":[147],"analysis":[148,212],"mapping":[151],"used.":[153],"Results:":[154],"major":[156],"thematic":[157],"clusters":[158],"were:":[161],"circular":[162,286],"supply":[163,251],"chains,":[164],"design":[165],"circularity,":[167],"symbiosis,":[169],"Industry":[170,255],"4.0":[171,256],"enablers,":[172],"policy":[173],"governance,":[175],"performance":[176],"measurement.":[177],"key":[179],"practices":[180],"categorized":[186],"according":[187],"4R":[190],"10R":[192],"frameworks,":[193],"reverse":[194],"logistics,":[195],"symbiosis":[197],"digital":[199],"support":[200],"resource":[202],"recovery":[203],"at":[204],"micro,":[206],"meso":[207],"macro":[209],"level.":[210],"shows":[213],"are":[216],"organizational,":[217],"financial,":[218],"technological":[219],"regulatory":[221],"challenges":[222],"remain":[224],"unaddressed,":[225],"lack":[232],"empirical":[234],"evidence":[235],"larger":[238],"scale.":[239],"Conclusions:":[240],"There":[241],"coherent":[244],"linking":[247],"principles":[249],"chain":[252],"operations":[253],"technologies":[257],"review":[260],"it":[262],"proposes":[263],"prioritized":[265],"future":[266],"direction":[268],"covers":[270],"eight":[271],"critical":[272],"gaps.":[274],"Government,":[275],"industry":[276],"academia":[278],"receive":[279],"practical":[280],"guidance":[281],"how":[283],"speed":[285],"transitions":[287],"manufacturing.":[289]}

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-09-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22746770
Primary Topic
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
article

Circular Economy in Manufacturing Industries: A Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Ogagavwodia Ejovi Okuma
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
article

Circular Economy in Manufacturing Industries: A Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

Ogagavwodia Ejovi Okuma
article en

Abstract

Circular economy is the trend that has emerged as an urgent necessity for manufacturing companies trying to break the linear "take, make, dispose" production cycle. While there is a significant amount of research happening in the circularity domain, the body of knowledge is split and does not necessarily connect with other theories, concepts and with application in different industrial sectors. The aim of this study was to develop an integrated conceptual framework to overcome the existing ambiguities in the field of CE and to facilitate further research while synthesizing the various streams of research on the topic. Methods: The articles were systematically identified from Web of Science and Scopus databases, and then snowballing was performed, in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines, between 2010 and 2025, and resulted in the identification of 100 articles. A tripartite analytical technique based on the use of quantitative bibliometric analysis, qualitative bibliographic content analysis and conceptual mapping was used. Results: The major thematic clusters that emerged were: circular supply chains, design for circularity, industrial symbiosis, Industry 4.0 enablers, policy and governance, performance measurement. The key practices of CE were identified and categorized according to the 4R and 10R frameworks, reverse logistics, industrial symbiosis and digital support for resource recovery at the micro, meso and macro level. The analysis shows that there are organizational, financial, technological and regulatory challenges that remain unaddressed, and that there is a significant lack of empirical evidence on a larger scale. Conclusions: There is a coherent conceptual framework linking CE principles with supply chain operations and Industry 4.0 technologies in this review and it proposes a prioritized future research direction that covers eight critical knowledge gaps. Government, industry and academia receive practical guidance on how to speed circular transitions in manufacturing.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Decent work and economic growth
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.