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Circular Economy, Industrial Symbiosis and Sustainable Development: Actions for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2026 | Viewed by 563

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Administrative Sciences (DCA), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Professor Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50670-901, PE, Brazil
Interests: innovation; socio-environmental sustainability; sustainable operations; cleaner production; circular economy

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Guest Editor
Department of Administrative Sciences (DCA), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Professor Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50670-901, PE, Brazil
Interests: environmental management; innovation; entrepreneurship; circular economy

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Guest Editor
Postgraduate Program in Organizations and Markets (PPGOM), Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL), Rua Gomes Carneiro, 1, Pelotas 96010-610, RS, Brazil
Interests: sustainable operations management; sustainable supply chain management; circular economy; behavioral operations management; innovation hub management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Circular Economy is a fundamental part of a set of strategies to mitigate the environmental impacts of a society, where excessive consumption of natural resources can lead to a shortage of these resources, ultimately reducing the population's quality of life and having irreversible economic consequences. Therefore, actions aimed at reducing, reusing, and recycling material and energy resources are no longer a philosophical issue and have become an economic issue that can guarantee the quality of life of future generations.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) propose that the production of goods and consumption should consider the mitigation of impacts on natural and energy resources, and at the same time, many manufacturing industries have developed eco-innovations with environmentally sustainable products, as well as more efficient processes from an environmental perspective, which reduce resource consumption and waste emissions.

Recently, with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), the possibilities for applying new production and management technologies have expanded, enabling the concepts of Circular Economy and Industrial Symbiosis to be optimized, and innovating in products and services. Therefore, the actions of the manufacturing industry and other institutions contribute to local and global Sustainable Development.

Sustainable Development is a result of societal efforts, but it depends on actions implemented by managers and researchers in the development of environmentally effective processes and products, as well as the adoption of policies that minimize environmental impacts, to ensure social, environmental, and economic development for this and future generations.

This Special Issue invites contributions that explore practices and policies that contribute to Sustainable Development. We encourage research that addresses, but is not limited to, the following topics:

a) Circular Economy
b) Industrial Symbiosis
c) Sustainable Development
d) Cleaner Production
e) Sustainable Operations
f) Sustainable Manufacturing
g) Sustainable Supply Chain Management
h) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
i) Sustainable Practices
j) Innovation Sustainable

Dr. Julio Cesar Ferro De Guimarães
Dr. Eliana Andrea Severo
Dr. Vilmar Tondolo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental sustainability
  • sustainable operations
  • environmental practices
  • circular economy
  • sustainable supply chain management
  • sustainable development goals

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

26 pages, 911 KB  
Review
Unpacking Policy Determinants for Circular Business Models: An Updated Comprehensive Review and an Actionable Analytical Framework
by Cristina Galvão Ascenço and Rui Ferreira Santos
Sustainability 2025, 17(20), 9090; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209090 - 14 Oct 2025
Viewed by 362
Abstract
The transition from linear to circular systems remains slow and fragmented, despite the increasing recognition of circular economy (CE) as a strategic pathway to sustainability. This review identifies and categorizes the main policy levers supporting the adoption of Circular Business Models (CBM) in [...] Read more.
The transition from linear to circular systems remains slow and fragmented, despite the increasing recognition of circular economy (CE) as a strategic pathway to sustainability. This review identifies and categorizes the main policy levers supporting the adoption of Circular Business Models (CBM) in an analytical framework comprising eight determinants: policy agenda, governance, regulation, standardization, economic incentives, information, cooperation, and digitalization. Based on a semi-systematic review of 95 scientific and grey literature sources, the study reveals persistent gaps in policy coherence, governance coordination, and support for high-circularity strategies. The proposed framework offers a practical tool for policymakers to assess existing policy landscapes, identify gaps, and design integrated policy mixes tailored to specific contexts. It also provides a foundation for future empirical research and benchmarking across jurisdictions. By highlighting the interplay between top-down and bottom-up initiatives, the study underscores the need for inclusive, stable, and digitally enabled policy environments to accelerate the circular transition. Full article
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