The underrepresented key elements of Circular Economy : A critical review of assessment tools and a guide for action

• The measurement of progress towards Circular Economy (CE) within a company is crucial for identifying opportunities and designing circular practices. However, most of the existing tools do not consider the systemic view and principles of CE. The aim of this paper is to assess the contributions and limitations of CE assessment tools regarding the key elements: social dimension, stakeholder engagement, R-imperatives and industrial symbiosis. Also, the aim is to offer guidance for improvements towards a CE transition. The methodology was an integrative literature review; then based on the critical assessment of tools a guide was created. Thirty-eight tools were thoroughly analysed and our results show that there is a limited number of multidisciplinary tools (only 10), that is including all CE key elements, and in some cases partly. Social dimension is not fully explored; only 6 tools have indicators related to society, local community, customers, and workers. Recommendations for future tools development include to offer training for possible users of the tools and to develop tools for the service sector. Finally, we conclude that all the key elements of CE are interconnected. The proposed guide-ACTION (Assessing Circular Transition In Organisations Now)- includes the key elements, databases, tools, and indicators, and is aligned with the CE principles to help the assessment. © 2022 The Author(s)

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Miljöledning (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Environmental Management (hsv//eng)

Keyword

circularity

review

social dimension

stakeholder participation

industrial symbiosis

R-imperatives

Smart Cities and Communities

Smarta städer och samhällen

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)