Circular and Digital Systems in SMEs: An Assessment of the Past and Present Literature for Future Research Directions

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of every economy since they fuel economic expansion. As a result of the global demand for products that are both innovative and sustainable, SMEs are being put under pressure to integrate digital and circular systems. To analyse the roles that SMEs play in digital and circular systems, the current study conducts a bibliometric and content analysis of 92 publications. The current study concludes, after conducting an exhaustive literature review, that SMEs are making haste to integrate digital and circular systems in an effort to create innovations that are more profitable and that will survive longer. The study also goes into the seminal articles in the discipline to have a more in-depth understanding of the pioneering experiments that were conducted. The findings indicate that SMEs are more interested in digital systems than circular systems. This makes sense, given that digitalisation is utilised more frequently than the practices of the circular economy.