Circular economy in industrial parks: systematic review of transition models from the linear economy with a focus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/k718ts56Keywords:
circular economy, industrial parks, industrial symbiosis, economic transition, industrial sustainabilityAbstract
This study analyzes the transition models from the linear economy to the circular economy in industrial parks through a systematic review of scientific literature. The research arises from the need to transform traditional production systems, characterized by the intensive use of resources and the generation of waste, towards more sustainable and efficient models. Methodologically, the PRISMA approach was applied, initially identifying 70 articles in academic databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar and SciELO, from which 29 studies that met the established inclusion criteria were selected. The analysis was organized into five thematic categories: circular economy in industrial environments, sustainable industrial parks, industrial symbiosis, transition models and implementation strategies. The results show that the circular economy represents a reconfiguration of industrial systems, where industrial parks act as strategic spaces for their implementation. Likewise, industrial symbiosis is identified as the main mechanism for closing material cycles, while transition models and circularity indicators allow this process to be guided and evaluated. However, barriers related to technological, institutional and articulation aspects between actors are identified, especially in Latin American contexts. It is concluded that the transition to the circular economy in industrial parks is viable, but it depends on the integration of factors such as innovation, inter-company cooperation and institutional governance, being necessary to strengthen strategies that facilitate its implementation in industrial environments.
References
Abu-Qdais, H. A., & Kurbatova, A. I. (2022). The role of eco-industrial parks in promoting circular economy in Russia: A life cycle approach. Sustainability, 14(7), 3893. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073893
Álvarez Gayanigo, D., Palacio, F., & Palacio, R. (2024). Los parques industriales: pequeñas ciudades dentro de la ciudad, donde la innovación y la sostenibilidad se unen para crear un futuro replicable para el desarrollo urbano. TecYt, 10. https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/tec y t/article/view/46563
Bustamante-Pérez, A. G., Pedraza-Melo, N. A., Álvarez-Herrera, M., & Mendoza-Gómez, J. (2025). Simbiosis industrial: factores del ambiente empresarial y desempeño sostenible en empresas del clúster petroquímico de Tamaulipas (México). Información Tecnológica, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-07642025000200035
Carrillo-Castellanos, D. S., Ramos-Rivadeneira, A. C., & Ramos-Rivadeneira, J. C. (2025). Barreras y facilitadores para la implementación de prácticas de economía circular en organizaciones de Ecuador. Prohominum. Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.47606/acven/ph0344
Chirumalla, K., Balestrucci, F., Sannö, A., & Oghazi, P. (2024). The transition from a linear to a circular economy through a multi-level readiness framework: An explorative study in the heavy-duty vehicle manufacturing industry. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 9(4), 100539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100539
Edirisinghe, L. G. L. M., de Alwis, A. A. P., Wijayasundara, M., & Hemali, N. A. (2024). Quantifying circularity factor of waste: Assessing the circular economy potential of industrial zones. Cleaner Environmental Systems, 12, 100160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2023.100160
Gallego-Schmid, A., López-Echeverría, C., Muñoz, E., Salvador, R., Cano-Londoño, N., Vettoni Barros, M., Choconta Bernal, D., Mendoza, J. M. F., Nadal, A., & Guerrero, A. B. (2024). Circular economy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Drivers, opportunities, barriers and strategies. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 51, 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.09.006
Gamidullaeva, L., Shmeleva, N., Tolstykh, T., & Shmatko, A. (2022). An assessment approach to circular business models within an industrial ecosystem for sustainable territorial development. Sustainability, 14(2), 704. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020704
Garcés-Ayerbe, C., Rivera-Torres, P., Suárez-Perales, I., & Leyva-de la Hiz, D. I. (2019). Is it possible to change from a linear to a circular economy? An overview of opportunities and barriers for European small and medium-sized enterprise companies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5), 851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050851
Leyva, S., Pancorbo, J., & Sánchez, Y. (2023). Tendencias de la economía circular dentro de un modelo empresarial: Una visión desde la academia. Revista Científica Mundo Recursivo, 6(2), 110–131.
Liu, Z., Adams, M., Cote, R. P., Geng, Y., & Li, Y. (2018). Comparative study on the pathways of industrial parks towards sustainable development between China and Canada. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 128, 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.06.012
Liu, Z., & Kringos, N. (2024). Transition from linear to circular economy in pavement engineering: A historical review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 449, 141809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141809
Macias Villacreses, T. L., Baque Parrales, E. M., Vélez Quijije, N. J., & Reina Micolta, R. E. (2025). Economía circular como estrategia de desarrollo sostenible en Ecuador: análisis de casos locales. RECIMUNDO, 9(2), 768–782. https://doi.org/10.26820/recimundo/9.(2).abril.2025.768-782
Marcelino-Aranda, M., Macías Alcibar, A., Martínez-Rodríguez, M. C., & Camacho, A. D. (2022). La economía circular como alternativa hacia un nuevo modelo para la actividad industrial sustentable. Tecnología en Marcha, 35(3). https://doi.org/10.18845/tm.v35i3.5599
Martín-Gómez, A. M., Aguayo-González, F., & Marcos-Bárcena, M. (2018). Smart eco-industrial parks: A circular economy implementation based on industrial metabolism. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 135, 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.007
Mayorga Morales, T., & Mostacero Llerena, S. J. (2024). Sostenibilidad empresarial y modelos de negocio circular: caso del sector manufacturero de Tungurahua. Uniandes Episteme, 11(3), 401–412. https://doi.org/10.61154/rue.v11i3.3572
Morselletto, P. (2023). Sometimes linear, sometimes circular: States of the economy and transitions to the future. Journal of Cleaner Production, 390, 136138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136138
Ngwu, R. O., Onodugo, V. A., Monyei, F. E., Ukpere, W. I., Onyekwelu, P. N., & Mmamel, U. G. (2023). The nexus between industrial parks and the sustainability of small and medium-scaled ventures. Sustainability, 15(12), 9529. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129529
Nylén, E. J., Anttiroiko, A. V., & Tiensuu, A. (2025). The role of eco-industrial parks in promoting regional circular economy: A stakeholder perspective. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 5, 1245–1267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-024-00448-5
Pancorbo Sandoval, J., Saguicela Rojas, R., Buenaño Macías, J., & González Astudillo, P. (2025). Explorando la economía circular en parques industriales: un enfoque bibliométrico. Revista Científica Ecociencia, 12(2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.21855/ecociencia.122.1010
Perrucci, D. V., Aktaş, C. B., Sorrentino, J., Akanbi, H., & Curabba, J. (2022). A review of international eco-industrial parks for implementation success in the United States. City and Environment Interactions, 16, 100086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2022.100086
Plaza Intriago, D. J. (2024). Estrategias y modelos de negocio para la transición hacia una economía circular en sectores estratégicos de América Latina. Remulci, 2(1), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.59282/remulci.2.1.821
Rentería Núñez, G., & Pérez-Castillo, D. (2023). Business models for industrial symbiosis: A literature review. Sustainability, 15(12), 9142. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129142
Rizos, V., Behrens, A., Van der Gaast, W., Hofman, E., Ioannou, A., Kafyeke, T., Flamos, A., Rinaldi, R., Papadelis, S., Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., & Topi, C. (2016). Implementation of circular economy business models by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Barriers and enablers. Sustainability, 8(11), 1212. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8111212
Sarmiento Paredes, S., Carro Suárez, J., & Nava, D. (2022). La transición a una economía circular como una ventaja competitiva en la Pyme de la manufactura textil en Tlaxcala, México. Acta Universitaria, 32, e3492. https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2022.3492
Sgambaro, L., Chiaroni, D., & Urbinati, A. (2025). Fostering the transition towards circular economy through collaborations: An open innovation perspective in the building industry. Creativity and Innovation Management, 34(1), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12623
Soria Flores, E. R., Cabascango Jaramillo, J. C., Villegas Estévez, C. J., & Pérez González, Á. R. (2023). Economía circular como base de la sustentabilidad empresarial. Revista Publicando, 10(38), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.51528/rp.vol10.id2358
Zeng, D. Z., Cheng, L., Shi, L., & Lütkenhorst, W. (2021). China’s green transformation through eco-industrial parks. World Development, 140, 105249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105249
Zhang, H., & Xu, B. (2025). Eco-industrial parks construction and industrial chain resilience. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 7, 1663273. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2025.1663273
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jefferson Olimpo (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Los artículos publicados en la revista se distribuyen bajo la licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0). Esta licencia permite a terceros descargar, copiar, distribuir, adaptar y reutilizar una obra, incluso con fines comerciales, siempre que se otorgue el crédito adecuado al autor original.
