Integrating circular economy practices into renewable energy in the manufacturing sector: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The primary aim of this paper is to survey the literature’s coverage of integrating circular economy practices with renewable energy sources in the manufacturing sector. A systematic review of 107 peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2023 in journals within the Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted. The review documented CE and RE applications in emerging economies across Africa, Asia, and South America, assessing the overall characteristics of the research, its methodological rigour, and the barriers to or facilitators of CE and RE integration. Integration refers to the implementation of at least one CE practice, as well as one or more RE sources, in a single context, like manufacturing. A total of 14 practices were included in this analysis because they were mentioned at least 10 times by varying authors. The practice list includes recycling (mentioned in 74 articles), reducing materials (57), remanufacturing (53), the reuse of materials (51), waste minimisation (48), renewable energy use (43), consumer awareness (38), repurposing (35), refuse (33), education and training (28), environmentally friendly design (22), environmental criteria for supplier selection (17), reverse logistics (16), and stakeholder collaboration (14). Recycling, life cycle assessment, and end-of-life management were the most common CE practices in the literature. Additionally, solar power and bioenergy emerged as the most frequently recurring areas of integration for CE practices within the RE realms. Governmental support, incentives, research and development, and strong environmental legislation were found to be the most frequently recurring facilitators of effective CE and RE integration. Organisational resistance, bureaucratic red tape, lack of human capital, limited stakeholder involvement, and insufficient collaboration were found to be important barriers to effective integration between CE and RE.