Circular economy in corporate sustainability strategies: A review of corporate sustainability reports in the fast-moving consumer goods sector

Abstract

Despite the increasing interest of business and academic research toward Circular Economy, the investigation of its uptake by industry remains limited. To contribute to filling this gap, we perform a systematic review of 46 corporate sustainability reports in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sector aiming to explore how companies incorporate the Circular Economy concept in their sustainability agenda. We focus on (i) companies' uptake of Circular Economy, (ii) the relationship between Circular Economy and sustainability and (iii) the Circular Economy practices presented. Our results show that Circular Economy has started to be integrated into the corporate sustainability agenda. Most reported activities are oriented toward the main product and packaging, focusing on end-of-life management and sourcing strategies, and to a lesser extent on circular product design and business model strategies. Most identified collaborations are with businesses, whereas initiatives addressing consumers are largely missing although considered critical for the transition toward Circular Economy