Drivers and Barriers towards Circular Economy: A Systematic Review on Consumer Perspective in the Consumer Journey

Abstract

Circular economy (CE) has received considerable attention from academia, practitioners and policymakers as a potential solution for the current context of social, food and economic crises, environmental pollution, the continuous decrease of non-renewable resources and continuous increase of the global population. Although the importance of consumer as an active agent to circular process success, studies that address consumer behavior in the context of CE are still limited. Thus, there are relevant gaps in the CE literature, as studies so far have largely neglected the unique customer perspective on the drivers and barriers to CE adoption, particularly in relation to each stage of the customer journey. In this context, through a systematic literature review, this study aims to identify drivers and barriers towards CE related to consumer and classify them in the consumer journey. As results, it was possible to analyze and classify the drivers and barriers towards CE related to consumer in the three phases in the consumer journey: pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase. In the pre-purchase phase, it identified drivers and barriers related to consumer awareness, knowledge, perceptions, thrill, needs and interest, pressure from community, global climate and consumer’ environmental awareness. The drivers and barriers classified on purchase phase are in regard to consumer behavior, preferences, interest, acceptance and demand, and also consumer behavior in the buying process, price, customer pressure and customer himself. Finally, in the post-purchase phase, only drivers were found, involving customer loyalty and satisfaction, reusing and recycling.