A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS ON THE LINK BETWEEN GREEN INNOVATIONS AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Mariana SEHLEANU1, Alina LUP2, Marius-Gelu PAUL2
1Department of Economics and Business, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
2Doctoral School of Economic Sciences, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
marietasehleanu@gmail.com alinutalup7@gmail.com pmarius101@yahoo.com
Abstract: This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine the complex interconnections among green innovations and circular economy – key concepts in advancing sustainable development. Given today’s pressing environmental challenges, the circular economy has become one of the European Union’s most significant policy priorities. In this context, growing attention is being directed toward identifying key pathways for facilitating the transition to this new economic model, with green innovations, or eco-innovations, playing a particularly prominent role. This paper explores the key aspects of the relationship between these concepts by presenting an analysis of the relevant research in this field. The analysis brings to the forefront an increasing interest in studying the link between the concepts and highlights research areas like Environmental Sciences Ecology, Business Economics, Science Technology Other Topics, Engineering, and Public Administration. Furthermore, the growing importance of cross-border collaborations in promoting green technologies and policies is highlighted, along with revealing the leading countries in terms of publication numbers regarding the link between green innovations and circular economy, i.e., Italy, Spain, England, and China, among which the most cited are those from England. As for the journals, the following stand out: the Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability, Ecological Economics, and the Business Strategy and the Environment journal. The concepts underlying the research that connects green innovations with the circular economy are often found alongside themes such as sustainability, innovation, sustainable development, small and medium-sized enterprises, barriers, recycling, climate change, business models, industrial ecology, eco-design, and corporate social responsibility.
Keywords: green innovations; eco-innovations; environmental innovations; sustainable innovations; circular economy; bibliometric analysis.
JEL Classification: O31; Q01; Q55
