ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain.
Sec. Circular Economy
A System Modeling Analysis of Circular Economy and Renewable Energy Integration in Manufacturing
Provisionally accepted
- Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom
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Limited research and knowledge have tackled the facilitators and hindrances contributing to the integration of Circular Economy (CE) and Renewable Energy (RE) in the manufacturing sector. The primary goal of the current investigation is to build a holistic system that explains why and how manufacturers adopt and implement CE and RE integrations. The analysis utilized a mixed-methods research design that began with reviewing 107 peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2023 and soliciting 10 experts' opinions through two focus groups sessions held in 2024 with stakeholders in the manufacturing sector. The review and focus groups generated a list of 22 facilitators and barriers distributed on six themes: (a) regulations, (b) institutions, (c) stakeholders, (d) finance and economics, (e) infrastructure, and (f) technology. The 22 factors informed the construction of the system model using Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), producing an integration system comprised of 11 feedback loops. The loops indicate the intersectionality and dynamism of CE and RE integration. The network analysis demonstrated that strong government support, technical research and development, human capital technology programs, consultancy services, and cost were the most influential factors in the integration model. The present analysis contributes to the ongoing debate on how CE and RE are integrated into manufacturing facilities to decrease waste at all levels.
Keywords: Circular economy, Renewable energy (RE), Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), Network analysis, manufacturing
Received: 27 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alqahtani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohammed Alqahtani, m.alqahtani@cranfield.ac.uk
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.