Evolution of Industrial Symbiosis Scientific Field in Brazil: Insights from a Systematic Literature Review and a Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Industrialization and its consequences related to climate change and resource scarcity have drawn attention to global discussions about what industries can do to minimize their impact on the planet. New approaches such as the circular economy, industrial ecology, and its subfield industrial symbiosis (IS), have emerged as economic development models capable of solving these issues. In emerging countries, these discussions are just beginning. In this context, the objective of this research was to analyze the evolution of the IS scientific field in Brazil. To achieve this purpose, we performed a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review of the Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Scielo, and Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (BDTD) databases. In total, 46 documents were thoroughly analyzed. The bibliometric results show the evolution of publications, the most frequent terms, and five clusters that represent the intellectual structure of the IS scientific field in Brazil. Additionally, the contents of these documents were categorized into four main topics: case studies that evaluate industrial practices using the IS model, studies that evaluate the potential for application of IS concepts, studies that propose methodologies and indicators to identify and evaluate the IS, and studies that present solutions based on the principles of IS and IE. This research may be useful to researchers, managers, and practitioners interested in this topic as it systematizes knowledge related to IS in Brazil. Thus, they can obtain insights to improve their practices, technologies, and research, and consequently respond to the challenges imposed by this new development model.