Open Access
Article
SciPap-2547
The Vogue of the Circular Economy: Mapping Its Dominant Themes and Emerging Alternatives in European Research
1 Science and Research Centre, University of Pardubice, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Studenská 95, Pardubice 53210, Czechia
2 Science and Research Centre, University of Pardubice, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Studentska, Pardubice 53009, Czechia
3 Science and Research Centre, University of Pardubice, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Studenská 84, Pardubice 53210, Czechia
4 Science and Research Centre, University of Pardubice, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Studenská 84, Pardubice 53210, Czechia
5 Institute of Economic Sciences, University of Pardubice, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Studentska 95, Pardubice CZ53210, Czechia
6 Department of Industrial Economics and Management, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Lindstedtsvägen 30, Stockholm 10044, Sweden
7 Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, snc, Arcavacata di Rende 87036, Italy
8 Faculty of Business, Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, An der Hochschule 1, Augsburg 86161, Germany
9 Department of Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology, School of Business and Governance, Tallinn University of Technoloyg, Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn 19086, Estonia
10 University of Portsmouth, University of Portsmouth, Mercantlie Building, Portsmouth PO1 2EG, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: Over the past few decades, the circular economy (CE) has shifted from a normative sustainability vision to a dominant framework in policy agendas, corporate strategies, and academic research. In Europe, for instance, CE has evolved into a pivotal strategy for tackling environmental issues and decreasing the negative impact of high-emitting sectors by translating CE principles into proactive tools encouraging the green transition of European economies. However, while widely promoted as a response to climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, the CE has also attracted increasing scrutiny due to limited real-world impacts, rebound effects, and the persistence of efficiency oriented approaches that leave prevailing production and consumption patterns largely unchallenged. To address this tension, this paper presents an analysis of 1,533 CE papers in the context of European countries, focusing on dominant research themes, intellectual structures, and emerging trends in the field. Our findings demonstrate the growing role of the “utopia – paralysis” tension, the relational turn beyond technocentric circularity, circular business model innovation, coopetition initiatives, platformization of the CE, just transition, and circular justice. Furthermore, alongside these dominant themes, we assess the visibility and positioning of sufficiency and regenerative economy perspectives within the broader CE literature. By situating these emerging concepts within the evolving research landscape, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on the maturity, direction, and transformative ambition of the CE as a sustainability paradigm.
Keywords: Bibliometric Analysis, Circular Economy, Sufficiency, Regenerative Economy, Business Model Innovation, Just Transition, Circular Justice
JEL classification: O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth, O3 - Innovation • Research and Development • Technological Change • Intellectual Property Rights, Q01 - Sustainable Development, Q56 - Environment and Development • Environment and Trade • Sustainability • Environmental Accounts and Accounting • Environmental Equity • Population Growth
Received: 20 April 2026 / Revised: 17 June 2026 / Accepted: 17 June 2026 / Published: 18 June 2026
