Journal of Circular Economy

Special Issue on Circular Economy in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Editors: Marcos Ferasso and Julian Kirchherrr

The growing urgency of environmental sustainability has put the circular economy (CE) at the forefront of global research and policy agendas. For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), which account for more than 70% of companies in many countries, adopting CE principles is a promising pathway to sustainability. SMEs play a critical role in national economies, driving innovation, employment, and growth. However, they face significant challenges when transitioning to circular business models, including resource constraints (financial, technological, and human), lack of expertise, and limited governmental support (Ormazabal et al., 2018; Demirel & Danisman, 2019; Ferasso et al., 2023).

The CE promotes waste reduction, resource efficiency, and value creation through the Rs actions (e.g., reduce, repair, remanufacture, recycle). While much focus has been placed on large corporations, understanding the specific dynamics and barriers for SMEs to adopt CE practices is still underdeveloped (Ghisellini et al., 2016; Kirchherr et al., 2017; Geissdoerfer et al., 2017; Dey et al., 2020). This is the reason behind this Special Issue of Journal of Circular Economy, an intent to cover the less addressed topics in the edge of CE and SMEs.

Research exploring the intersection of CE and SMEs is emerging, but the field remains at an early stage, necessitating further investigation in several key areas. In doing so, this SI is welcoming submissions of – but not limited to - the following themes:

• - Resource Efficiency and Waste Reduction.
• - Circular Business Models for SMEs.
• - Eco-innovations and SMEs.
• - Eco-financial performance of SMEs.
• - External SMEs’ Ecosystem and Collaborations.
• - Public-private partnerships and policy and institutional support for SMEs.
• - Digital and technological tools for SMEs to implement CE actions.
• - Barriers and Enablers for SMEs to implement CE.
• - Circular Supply Chains for SMEs.
• - Role of Leadership (green leadership) in CE Adoption by SMEs.
• - Circular Business Models for Sector-Specific SMEs.

We encourage submissions that provide theoretical and practical contributions, as well as policy implications, regardless of methodological approach.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this crucial and growing field.

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Format and word count:

Review, 4500-6000 words

Research Papers, 3500-6000 words

Perspectives, 800-1000 words

All excl. tables, illustrations, and references.

Submission deadlines:

Submission opens: March 1st, 2025.

Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2025.

To submit your extended abstract or full paper, please click here.

For questions, please write: editor@circulareconomyjournal.org

All submissions must adhere to the Journal of Circular Economy's guidelines for authors.

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Further readings:

Demirel, P., Danisman, G.O., 2019. Eco-innovation and firm growth in the circular economy: evidence from European small- and medium-sized enterprises. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(8), 1608–1618. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2336.

Dey, P.K., Malesios, C., De, D., Budhwar, P., Chowdhury, S., Cheffi, W., 2020. Circular economy to enhance sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(6), 2145–2169. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2492.

Ferasso, M., Beliaeva, T., Kraus, S., Clauss, T., Ribeiro-Soriano, D., 2020. Circular economy business models: the state of research and avenues ahead. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(8), 3006–3024. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2554.

Ferasso, M., Tortato, U., & Ikram, M., 2023. Mapping the Circular Economy in the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises field: An exploratory network analysis. Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, 11, 100149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2023.100149.

Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N.M.P., Hultink, E.J., 2017. The Circular Economy – a new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048.

Ghisellini, P., Cialani, C., Ulgiati, S., 2016. A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, 11–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007.

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., Hekkert, M., 2017. Conceptualizing the circular economy: an analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 127, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005.

Ormazabal, M., Prieto-Sandoval, V., Puga-Leal, R., Jaca, C., 2018. Circular economy in Spanish SMEs: challenges and opportunities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 185, 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.031.

Pereira, V., Nandakumar, M.K., Sahasranamam, S., Bamel, U., Malik, A., Temouri, Y., 2022. An exploratory study into emerging market SMEs’ involvement in the circular economy: evidence from India’s indigenous Ayurveda industry. Journal of Business Research, 142, 188–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.053.