India’s Transition to a Circular Economy Towards Fulfilling Agenda 2030: A Critical Review
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsGli autori hanno elaborato un lavoro di revisione critica intitolato: "La transizione dell'India verso un'economia circolare verso il raggiungimento dell'Agenda 2030: una revisione critica". Il lavoro, a mio parere, è ben sviluppato nelle singole sezioni e affronta in modo ottimale il processo di cambiamento globale in termini di economia circolare, con particolare attenzione all'India. In molte sezioni emergono con criticità quegli aspetti legati all'area di ricerca, ma in alcuni punti (introduzione ad esempio) mancano completamente i riferimenti, che andrebbero aggiunti, non solo nel corpo centrale.
Il lavoro è stato sottoposto a piccole revisioni e, dopo le correzioni allegate al file che allego, può essere pubblicato.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Comments:
The authors have prepared a critical review work entitled: "India's transition towards a circular economy towards achieving the 2030 Agenda: A critical review". The work, in my opinion, is well developed in the individual sections and optimally addresses the process of global change in terms of circular economy, with particular attention to India. In many sections those aspects related to the research area emerge with criticality, but in some points (introduction for example) the references are completely missing, which should be added, not only in the central body. The work has been subjected to small revisions and, after the corrections attached to the file that I attach, it can be published.
Response:
Thank you for pointing this out. As suggested, we have added References 1-11 in the Introduction Section. (Page No. 1 to 3, Lines 34,35,40, 42,44,46, 75,79,100,111)
All suggestions to change Circular Economy to CE are addressed except in one place since the context is about the keywords used it is better to retain the original text (Page No. 9, Paragraph 4, Lines 376-378.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
Thank you for submitting your paper titled “India’s Transition to a Circular Economy Towards Fulfilling Agenda 2030: A Critical Review.” The topic is highly relevant, and your work contributes valuable insights into the intersection of circular economy (CE) practices and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Below are some comments and suggestions for improvement:
1. The title could be revised to:
“India’s Transition to a Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in Achieving Agenda 2030
2. Some sections of the abstract and main body use overly academic terms, such as “extant literature” and “gamut of CE practices,” which might be difficult for an international audience to follow. Simplifying these terms can improve readability.
3. To make the discussion more relatable, provide examples of CE practices in the introductory sections. For instance, when referring to durable products, examples like “reusable glass containers, refurbished electronics, or long-lasting textiles” can help illustrate the point.
4. Including brief actionable recommendations for policymakers (e.g., incentives for CE adoption or strategies to improve consumer trust in recycled products) could enhance the paper’s practical relevance.
Other more specific comments and suggestions are provided in the attached pdf.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Comments 1: The title could be revised to: “India’s Transition to a Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in Achieving Agenda 2030”
Response 1: Thank you for your thoughtful suggestion to revise the title. However, we would like to retain our original title, “India’s Transition to a Circular Economy towards Fulfilling Agenda 2030: A Critical Review”, as it emphasizes the critical analysis presented in the manuscript. Additionally, the term “A Critical Review” reflects the evaluative approach and depth of analysis undertaken in this study.
Comments 2: Some sections of the abstract and main body use overly academic terms, such as “extant literature” and “gamut of CE practices,” which might be difficult for an international audience to follow. Simplifying these terms can improve readability.
Response 2:
Thank you for your valuable feedback. We understand the importance of ensuring clarity and accessibility for an international audience. In response to your suggestion, we have replaced such overly academic terms throughout the manuscript.
Comments 3:
To make the discussion more relatable, provide examples of CE practices in the introductory sections. For instance, when referring to durable products, examples like “reusable glass containers, refurbished electronics, or long-lasting textiles” can help illustrate the point.
Response 3:
In response, we have incorporated example into the introductory section, particularly focusing on electronics and appliances (Page No. 3, Paragraph No. 2, Line 110-111)
Comments 4:
Including brief actionable recommendations for policymakers (e.g., incentives for CE adoption or strategies to improve consumer trust in recycled products) could enhance the paper’s practical relevance.
Response 4:
Addressed in Section 4 by adding a brief paragraph at the end mentioning about the actionable measures (Page No. 18, Paragraph 2, Line 705-722)
Comments 5: Other more specific comments and suggestions are provided in the attached pdf
Response 5:
Addressed as mentioned in this document. Lines: 10-11, 17, 106, 109, 110, 120, 121, 145, 243, 265
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors1. The “Introduction” section must be extended.
2. References are missing from “Introduction”. Lines 29-100.
3. Please specify the novelty of your review.
4. Please create an individual section about the “data, methods, methodology…” used.
5. Lines 148-152 “The paper is structured into five sections. Section 2 delves into the current global 148 literature on the emergence of CE and examines the diverse types of CE practices that 149
countries are adopting. Section 3 presents an analysis of sector-specific CE practices with 150
particular reference to India. Section 4 presents a framework for assessment of the impact 151
of CE, followed by a conclusion and policy recommendations in Section 5. 152” – Please specify what the first section includes.
6. The information presented in the section 3 must be expanded and presented in a more suggestive form (I propose tables for 3.1-3.5).
7. The information presented in the section 4 must be expanded and presented in a more suggestive form.
8. Lines 873-877” The private sector in India has also taken steps toward implementing circular 873
economy methods in their operations. Several companies have launched initiatives to 874
reduce waste and promote resource efficiency. For example, major steel manufacturers 875
have launched firm-specific programs to recycle steel scrap and reduce waste generation 876
(e.g., Tata Steel).” In “Conclusion” section, the authors discuss about the steel manufacturer, but I did not find any information about this topic in the paper.
9. “Appendix A: Global Literature on CE and Its features” – The “Appendix A” must be extended.
10. I suggest the authors to improve all sections of your paper and to correlate the content of the paper with the conclusions.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Comments 1: The “Introduction” section must be extended.
Response 1: Thank you for the suggestion. This is done as suggested. Please see the sections inserted in the Introduction. (Page No. 1, Paragraph 1, 2, Line 29-35) (Page No. 2, Paragraph 3, Line 72-75)
Comments 2: Lines 29-100. References are missing from “Introduction”.
Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. As suggested, we have added References 1-11 in the Introduction Section. (Page No. 1 to 3, Lines 34,35,40, 42,44,46, 75,79,100,111)
Comments 3: Please specify the novelty of your review.
Response 3: Addressed this comment and added the section at the end of the literature review section. (Section 3, Page No. 13, Lines 485-501)
Comments 4: Please create an individual section about the “data, methods, methodology…” used.
Response 4: It’s done as also suggested by other Reviewers (Page No. 3, Lines 142)
Comment 5:
Lines 148-152 “The paper is structured into five sections. Section 2 delves into the current global literature on the emergence of CE and examines the diverse types of CE practices that countries are adopting. Section 3 presents an analysis of sector-specific CE practices with particular reference to India. Section 4 presents a framework for assessment of the impact of CE, followed by a conclusion and policy recommendations in Section 5.” – Please specify what the first section includes.
Response 5:
This is addressed by specifying the first section as Introduction. (Page No. 4, Paragraph 4, Line 168)
Comments 6: The information presented in the section 3 must be expanded and presented in a more suggestive form (I propose tables for 3.1-3.5).
Response 6:
In response, we have expanded the content in this section to provide greater detail and clarity. Additionally, we have reformatted the subsections (3.1–3.5) into tables, as per your suggestion, to present the information in a more structured and suggestive form. (Page No. 9, Table 3.1, Line 408-412)
(Page No. 10, Table 3.2, Line 431-435) (Page No. 11, Table 3.3, Line 449-451) (Page No. 11-12, Table 3.4, Line 461-464) (Page No. 12, Table 3.5, Line 478-482)
Comments 7: The information presented in the section 4 must be expanded and presented in a more suggestive form.
Response 7:
The section has been modified by making it in a suggestive format and by adding a brief paragraph highlighting few successful cases of CE in India. Also added a brief section at the end of the section that describes some of the key learnings based on the analysis done in section 4. We are also little apprehensive that adding more into this section may go beyond the scope of the paper besides increasing the length of the article. However, we have best tried addressing this comment by the esteemed Reviewer (3). (Page No. 17, Paragraph 1, Line 637-651)
Comments 8:
Lines 873-877” The private sector in India has also taken steps toward implementing circular economy methods in their operations. Several companies have launched initiatives to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency. For example, major steel manufacturers have launched firm-specific programs to recycle steel scrap and reduce waste generation (e.g., Tata Steel).” In “Conclusion” section, the authors discuss about the steel manufacturer, but I did not find any information about this topic in the paper.
Response 8:
This is addressed in the manuscript.
Comments 9: “Appendix A: Global Literature on CE and Its features” – The “Appendix A” must be extended.
Response 9: In response, we have expanded the appendix by adding DOI.
Comments 10: I suggest the authors to improve all sections of your paper and to correlate the content of the paper with the conclusions.
Response 10: We have tried improving the paper based on the 3 reviewers’ comments and tried to correlate the contents of the paper with the conclusions also. (Page No. 18, Paragraph 2, Line 705-722)
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe answers to comments 8, 9 and 10 are superficial. Please review them very carefully.
Comments 8:
Lines 873-877” The private sector in India has also taken steps toward implementing circular economy methods in their operations. Several companies have launched initiatives to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency. For example, major steel manufacturers have launched firm-specific programs to recycle steel scrap and reduce waste generation (e.g., Tata Steel).” In “Conclusion” section, the authors discuss about the steel manufacturer, but I did not find any information about this topic in the paper.
Please include more details regarding the circular economy to Tata Steel.
Response 8:
This is addressed in the manuscript.
Comments 9: “Appendix A: Global Literature on CE and Its features” – The “Appendix A” must be extended.
Response 9: In response, we have expanded the appendix by adding DOI.
Comments 10: I suggest the authors to improve all sections of your paper and to correlate the content of the paper with the conclusions.
Response 10: We have tried improving the paper based on the 3 reviewers’ comments and tried to correlate the contents of the paper with the conclusions also. (Page No. 18, Paragraph 2, Line 705-722)
Author Response
Comments 8:
Lines 873-877” The private sector in India has also taken steps toward implementing circular economy methods in their operations. Several companies have launched initiatives to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency. For example, major steel manufacturers have launched firm-specific programs to recycle steel scrap and reduce waste generation (e.g., Tata Steel).” In “Conclusion” section, the authors discuss about the steel manufacturer, but I did not find any information about this topic in the paper.
Please include more details regarding the circular economy to Tata Steel.
Response 8:
In response, more details regarding the circular economy are added in the manuscript (Page No. 8, Paragraph 3, Lines 359-363. The relevant reference is [82].
Comments 9: “Appendix 1: Sample of Sector-wise Literature on CE” – The “Appendix” must be extended.
Response 9: Thank you for your suggestion. In response, we have expanded the appendix, highlighting the objectives, methodology, and key findings of the sample articles reviewed.
Comments 10: I suggest the authors to improve all sections of your paper and to correlate the content of the paper with the conclusions.
Response 10: In response, additional details have been given in all sections to improve them. The conclusion section has been amended such that it correlates with the main contents of the paper. (Lines: 128-129, 734-740, 743, 746-755, 757-762, 777-778, 788-790 and 793)
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 3
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
Thank you for your answers.
Author Response
Comments 8:
Lines 873-877” The private sector in India has also taken steps toward implementing circular economy methods in their operations. Several companies have launched initiatives to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency. For example, major steel manufacturers have launched firm-specific programs to recycle steel scrap and reduce waste generation (e.g., Tata Steel).” In “Conclusion” section, the authors discuss about the steel manufacturer, but I did not find any information about this topic in the paper.
Please include more details regarding the circular economy to Tata Steel.
Response 8:
In response, more details regarding the circular economy are added in the manuscript (Page No. 8, Paragraph 3, Lines 359-363. The relevant reference is [82].
Comments 9: “Appendix 1: Sample of Sector-wise Literature on CE” – The “Appendix” must be extended.
Response 9: Thank you for your suggestion. In response, we have expanded the appendix, highlighting the objectives, methodology, and key findings of the sample articles reviewed.
Comments 10: I suggest the authors to improve all sections of your paper and to correlate the content of the paper with the conclusions.
Response 10: In response, additional details have been given in all sections to improve them. The conclusion section has been amended such that it correlates with the main contents of the paper. (Lines: 128-129, 734-740, 743, 746-755, 757-762, 777-778, 788-790 and 793)
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
