Circular ecosystems: Past, present, and future research directions

Raphael Aryee, Wisdom Kanda, Martin Geissdoerfer and Julian Kirchherr

Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2025, vol. 29, issue 4, 1364-1381

Abstract: Circular ecosystems have become a buzz concept in the circular economy, but differing meanings and theoretical foundations limit knowledge consolidation. To address this gap, we undertook a systematic literature review of the circular ecosystems literature published from 2004 to 2025. We analyzed the state‐of‐the‐art using content analysis and science mapping techniques based on articles from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Prominent research trends include: (i) conceptualization of circular ecosystems, (ii) circular ecosystems and sustainability, (iii) roles and agency of actors, (iv) alignment in circular ecosystems, (v) value co‐creation in ecosystems, (vi) governance of ecosystems, (vii) theoretical roots, and (viii) enablers of circular ecosystems. Furthermore, we present the etymology and evolution of circular ecosystems and present a comprehensive definition of the concept. Finally, we propose future research directions on circular ecosystems.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.70061

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:inecol:v:29:y:2025:i:4:p:1364-1381

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=1088-1980

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Industrial Ecology is currently edited by Reid Lifset

More articles in Journal of Industrial Ecology from Yale University
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().