Circular Economy in the WEEE industry: a systematic literature review and a research agenda

Abstract

Environmental pressures and climate change are leading companies and supply chains to consider new models for environmental protection. Circular Economy emerged as a sustainability paradigm able to decouple economic growth from resource consumption and waste generation. In the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) industry there is the need for systematically reviewing what the literature has investigated and found in the light of the Circular Economy perspective. Thus, this paper aims to systematize the extensive scientific literature that exists about sustainability in the WEEE industry with a Circular Economy lens. Overall, 115 articles were selected and analyzed according to four aspects: (i.) objectives and methodology, (ii.) geography and approach, (iii.) actors and life cycle phases, (iv.) Circular Economy 4R scheme of Reduce, Reuse, Remanufacture and Recycle strategies. The analysis led to the identification of several research gaps in the literature, which academia is called to fill. This state-of-the-art review provides ten research directions that constitute the backbone of a research agenda about Circular Economy in the WEEE industry, as well as an improved managerial understanding of this research field.