Circular economy indicators and levels of innovation: an innovative systematic literature review

PurposeThis article aims to analyze the specific indicators of the circular economy (CE) in terms of analytical aspects, scope and breadth of metrics and levels of innovation associated with CE.Design/methodology/approachA literature review was developed with a sample of 125 articles, extracted from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Emerald, Google Scholar, Online Library, Sage, Springer, Taylor and Francis and JSTOR databases.FindingsThe results indicate the lack of integration of the social dimension and predominance of environmental indicators, lack of indicators for the meso level and concentration of metrics for the product level. Methodological criteria of validity and reliability for measurement studies are recommended, as well as paths and proposals for future research in the CE.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s limitations are linked to the content and method aspects. Although the search was performed in several databases, with a significant number of articles returned compared to other reviews of the topic, the possibilities are limited by the data source and the impossibility of a broader review. The theme is not yet consolidated and this affects the linearity of the revised results. As for the method, the analysis and coding in systematic reviews involve the authors’ capacity for exploration and cognition.Practical implicationsThe article proposes six theoretical propositions and the theoretical framework that portrays the main findings of the study and questions to drive future research in the topic.Social implicationsThe article points out opportunities for companies, universities and the government regarding the possibilities that can be explored to develop knowledge and practice about the field.Originality/valueThis research advances the CE literature by means of providing a review of the indicators, metrics and tools oriented toward the CE literature that contributes to the improvement and consolidation of the various researches in the field.