Proposing Circular Economy Ecosystem for Chinese SMEs: A Systematic Review

Zhejun Min, Sukanlaya Sawang and Robbert A. Kivits
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Zhejun Min: Faculty of Business and Law, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK
Sukanlaya Sawang: Faculty of Business and Law, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK
Robbert A. Kivits: Faculty of Business and Law, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Circular economy (CE) has attracted so much attention around the world as it can contribute to the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability, to address the increasing critical resources scarcity and environmental issues. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China are a major driving force in the economy with 43 million SMEs in 2020. Most of them maintain the traditional economic development method of “take–use”, without considering the environment. This has caused great harm to the environment and resource availability. Therefore, Chinese SMEs must adopt CE in their business to address this issue. The current study aims to explore the key barriers (lack of time, lack of human resources and finance) and enablers (e.g., network, innovation, and reputation) for Chinese SMEs CE adoption. The current study employs a systematic review approach with thematic analysis to identify the internal and external barriers and enablers of CE adoption among SMEs. Moreover, a CE ecosystem has been proposed for identifying the key actors in the CE system, which will be beneficial for policy-makers to take into account when drafting and adjusting CE laws and regulations.

Keywords: circular economy (CE); SMEs; circular economy (CE) ecosystem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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