A Systematic Literature Review of Bio, Green and Circular Economy Trends in Publications in the Field of Economics and Business Management

TLDR

Bioeconomy, green economy, and circular economy aim to build a sustainable economy and attract wide interest, yet their analysis within economics and business management remains scarce. This review classifies and trends publications on these topics to aid researchers in selecting relevant articles. Using Scopus data from 1960–2017, 449 papers were retrieved and sorted into 17 thematic categories. The literature predominantly covers policy analysis and corporate sustainability strategies, especially in China and the EU, but lacks case studies and economic impact assessments, highlighting gaps that future research should address.

Abstract

The concepts of bioeconomy, green economy and circular economy share the common objective of developing a sustainable economy, and they attract enormous political, academic, social and business interest. However, an analysis of these concepts in the fields of economics and business management is lacking. The objective of this article is to classify the publications on these topics by subject of study, to analyse trends in publications and to guide researchers interested in selecting articles. The review was performed using Scopus for the period 1960 to 2017. Four hundred and forty-nine publications were obtained and classified into 17 categories. The results show that the existing literature is rich in analysing implemented policies and issues related to the strategies and organizational models of companies looking for a more sustainable path, and research in China and the European Union is highlighted. However, there is still a long way to go in researching implemented case studies and evaluating the economic impact of these concepts. For this to happen, the need to promote, encourage and support companies to implement cleaner production and approach a more sustainable path must be prioritised. Possible gaps in current research that allow future lines of work are also identified.