A Bibliometric Analysis of Biodegradable Products in Circular Economy and Consumer Perception

Abstract

The transition towards a global circular economy is widely acknowledged as one of the most promising solutions to counteract resource depletion and environmental deterioration. In alignment with this perspective, there has been a rise in the availability of environmentally friendly products in the consumer market. This shift towards sustainable production and consumption patterns has led to a surge in scholarly interest surrounding biodegradable studies, particularly from the consumer viewpoint, within the context of the circular economy. However, the exploration of this topic, especially concerning the consumer perspective and its role in the circular economy, remains limited in the existing literature search. With the ongoing progression towards a circular economy, there is an evident need for a deeper understanding, extracted from available literature. Utilizing a bibliometric analysis approach, this study aims to enhance comprehension of the present knowledge landscape and delineate potential future research directions linked to consumers’ roles in the transition from a linear to a circular economy, as well as their intent to adopt biodegradable products. Employing boolean operators and wildcard searches, a topic exploration was conducted within the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database on August 22, 2022. The study spanned from the first publication in the field in 2017 to the current date. A total of 51 documents were retrieved for comprehensive bibliometric analysis. To visualize research productivity and bibliometric insights, Tableau and VOSviewer were employed as presentation tools. The findings unveil the involvement of 223 authors hailing from 26 countries. The top three research areas encompass Environmental Sciences Ecology (35.3%), Science Technology Other Topics (33.3%), and Engineering (29.4%). Notably, the majority of significant contributors originated from the United States. Leading the pack of core publication journals is the Journal of Cleaner Production, cited 129 times in WoS. Co-authorship and country collaboration networks indicate a minimal level of partnerships. Through keywork co-occurrence network analysis, three prominent themes were identified: process, materials, and consumers. This analysis distinctly elucidates various developmental stages as well as nascent dimensions that constitute potential focal points for future research agendas in the field.
 Keywords: bibliometric, biodegradable, circular economy, consumer, WoS