Wifek Essoussi, Kinga Nagyné Pércsi and Viktor Varjú have co-authored the study ‘Digital and Circular Transition Pathways in European Manufacturing: A PRISMA-based Review’ which is now available.
The shift towards sustainability in European manufacturing has garnered heightened interest due to urgent environmental issues and the changing regulatory landscape established by the European Union. This systematic literature review, based on the PRISMA 2020 framework, examines the strategies employed by European manufacturing industries as they pursue digital and circular transformation pathways to enhance sustainability. The analysis shows that even though digital and circular strategies hold great promise for enhancing sustainability, their practical application is restricted by technological, financial, and organisational issues. The study argues that sustainability transitions are socio-technical processes requiring coherent policy mixes and capacity-building. In its conclusion, the paper offers recommendations for both research and policy, emphasising the crucial need for cohesive transition models, collaborative networks, urban production paradigms, and infrastructures that support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The study is available online in the new issue of Circular Economy and Sustainability