Circular economy in the European Union: a PRISMA-based systematic review and meta-synthesis

Abstract

The most significant impact of the industrial production process is the environmental damage caused by the waste generated during production. European Union countries aim to reduce environmental harm by reintegrating waste, production inputs, and materials generated during production and consumption activities back into the production process. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the studies related to the circular economy in the context of European Union countries within the circular economy literature. For this evaluation, the authors used the studies from the circular economy literature available in the SCOPUS database for the period between 2004 and 2024. The analysis of the obtained dataset was conducted using the PRISMA (2015) approach. According to the findings, although many studies exist, most focus on implementing circular economy regulations and laws. Upon reviewing these publications, many were found unrelated to the circular economy. Furthermore, there is a significant gap in studies employing econometric models to analyze the circular economy, and no research has been found that performs a literature review using meta-synthesis methods specifically on the circular economy within the context of EU countries. These findings aim to fill this gap and guide academics and policymakers researching the topic.