Journal of Circular Economy

Application and Integration of Digital Tools for a Circular Economy

Editor: Roberto Minunno and Julian Kirchherr

This special issue seeks submissions addressing the fundamental problem of tracking, monitoring, measuring outcomes, and connecting elements in a circular economy through digital tools. While countries are pushing for more circular economies and sustainable waste management, companies are doing their best to divert waste from landfills while reducing material consumption. Still, these efforts might be like a shot in the dark if their benefits are not thoroughly measured and tracked (Schoeggl et al ., 2023). Similarly, recycled or disassembled and stocked materials might not be reused if not connected to the secondary users in a closed-loop fashion (Mishra et al ., 2023). Finally, once goods are theoretically enabled to remain in the material loop, choosing one avenue for reuse would yield more benefits than another, creating different scenarios and magnitudes of advantages (Dehshiri and Amiri, 2024). In a deeply interconnected world, digital tools will be essential in enabling circular economies (Yuan and Pan, 2023).

Against this backdrop, we call for submissions that investigate or promote tools from either a theoretical or a practical and empirical point of view, focusing on their applicability. The authors may choose case studies and prefer any scale from micro to macro and industry sectors spanning the built environment to energy to textile or food. Submitted manuscripts should emphasise such tools' environmental, social, or economic benefits and demonstrate clear links with material saving. Articles on this special issue can also concentrate on paramount lacks, systemic flaws, and research gaps that hinder circular economy applications. We will consider also literature reviews—systematic or narrative. Finally, though-provoking perspectives that break with conventional thinking in the CE space and the role of digital tools are also welcome (Kirchherr and Santen, 2019). The overarching question this call seeks to address is How can digital tools help practitioners, scholars, and decision-makers apply circular economies and quantify the impact of their applications?

We invite researchers to submit articles on—but not limited to—the following topic ideas and research questions:

Digital tools to foster reuse, upcycling or recycling.
How can digital tools be effectively designed and implemented to enhance reuse, upcycling, and recycling processes in various industry sectors?

Gaps and opportunities to apply digital technologies.
What are the current gaps and emerging opportunities in applying digital technologies to support the transition towards a circular economy?

Tools for scenario analysis to improve circular economy outcomes.
How can scenario analysis tools be utilised to predict and optimise the outcomes of circular economy initiatives in different industrial contexts?

Policy frameworks to support digital tools and how digital tools can inform policies.
What policy frameworks are needed to support the adoption of digital tools for circular economies, and how can these tools provide data and insights to shape and inform effective
policies?

Integration of traceability technologies such as blockchain to enable circular economies.
How can traceability technologies like blockchain be integrated into supply chains to enhance transparency and accountability and facilitate circular economy practices?

Intersection between waste management and digital tools.
In what ways can digital tools be leveraged to improve waste management practices and ensure efficient resource recovery and reuse?

Integration of AI tools to enable a circular economy.
How can AI tools be integrated into circular economy models to optimise resource utilisation, minimise waste, and enhance sustainability outcomes?

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Format and word count:
- Review, 4500-6000 words
- Research Papers, 3500-6000 words
- Perspectives, 800-1000 words
All excluding tables, illustrations, and references.

Key dates:
Extended Abstracts (1000 words) should be submitted before 31 January 2025.
Full papers are to be submitted by 30 April 2025.

To submit your extended abstract or full manuscript, please click here.
For questions, please write to roberto.minunno@curtin.edu.au or editor@circulareconomyjournal.org.

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References

Dehshiri, S.J.H. and Amiri, M., 2024. Considering the circular economy for designing closed-loop supply chain under hybrid uncertainty: A robust scenario-based possibilistic-stochastic programming. Expert Systems with Applications, 238, p.121745.

Mishra, A., Dutta, P., Jayasankar, S., Jain, P. and Mathiyazhagan, K., 2023. A review of reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chains in the perspective of circular economy. Benchmarking: an international journal, 30 (3), pp.975-1020.

Schoeggl, J.P., Rusch, M., Stumpf, L. and Baumgartner, R.J., 2023. Implementation of digital technologies for a circular economy and sustainability management in the manufacturing sector. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 35, pp.401-420.

Yuan, S. and Pan, X., 2023. The effects of digital technology application and supply chain management on corporate circular economy: A dynamic capability view. Journal of Environmental Management, 341, p.118082.

Kirchherr, J. and Santen, R., 2019. Research on the circular economy: A critique of the field. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 151. 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104480.

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