Scientific progress on entrepreneurship in the circular economy: a scientometric analysis

Abstract

This paper adopts a scientometric approach to establish a research framework to guide the study of entrepreneurship in the circular economy (ECE) for the coming years. Two hundred papers published on ECE in journals indexed in WOS and Scopus show that this area of research is still in its embryonic stage and that it is geared towards two key axes: environmental and management aspects. In addition to framing the study of ECE based on the concept of conscious entrepreneurship, this paper shows that it is critical to focus efforts on understanding the challenges and obstacles facing the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Furthermore, it is essential to determine the enabling factors from both contextual and organizational perspectives, with a particular focus on examining the negative externalities of ECE. The role of researchers in this field is key to not only better understanding the phenomenon but also to prescribing and disseminating this philosophy on which to base economic growth in the remainder of the century.