{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T11:03:19Z","timestamp":1785150199196,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,23]],"date-time":"2016-11-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1479859200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"European Commission","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FP7 post-grant open access publishing funds"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FP7 post-grant open access publishing funds"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly aware of the benefits of closing loops and improving resource efficiency, such as saving material costs, creating competitive advantages, and accessing new markets. At the same time, however, various barriers pose challenges to small businesses in their transition to a circular economy, namely a lack of financial resources and lack of technical skills. The aim of this paper is to increase knowledge and understanding about the barriers and enablers experienced by SMEs when implementing circular economy business models. Looking first at the barriers that prevent SMEs from realising the benefits of the circular economy, an investigation is carried out in the form of a literature review and an analysis of a sample of SME case studies that are featured on the GreenEcoNet EU-funded web platform. Several enabling factors that help SMEs adopt circular economy practices are then identified. The paper concludes that although various policy instruments are available to help SMEs incorporate circular economy principles into their business models, several barriers remain. The authors recommend that European and national policies strengthen their focus on greening consumer preferences, market value chains and company cultures, and support the recognition of SMEs\u2019 green business models. This can be achieved through the creation of dedicated marketplaces and communities of practice, for example.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su8111212","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,23]],"date-time":"2016-11-23T11:12:14Z","timestamp":1479899534000},"page":"1212","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":953,"title":["Implementation of Circular Economy Business Models by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Barriers and Enablers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Vasileios","family":"Rizos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), Place du Congr\u00e8s 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arno","family":"Behrens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), Place du Congr\u00e8s 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wytze","family":"Van der Gaast","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"JIN Climate and Sustainability, Laan Corpus den Hoorn 300, 9728 JT Groningen, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erwin","family":"Hofman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"JIN Climate and Sustainability, Laan Corpus den Hoorn 300, 9728 JT Groningen, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anastasia","family":"Ioannou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial Management &amp; Technology, University of Piraeus (UNIPI), 80, Karaoli &amp; Dimitriou Street, 185 34 Piraeus, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Terri","family":"Kafyeke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ecologic Institute, Pfalzburger Strasse 43\/44, 10717 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9279-9638","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandros","family":"Flamos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial Management &amp; Technology, University of Piraeus (UNIPI), 80, Karaoli &amp; Dimitriou Street, 185 34 Piraeus, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Rinaldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sotiris","family":"Papadelis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial Management &amp; Technology, University of Piraeus (UNIPI), 80, Karaoli &amp; Dimitriou Street, 185 34 Piraeus, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martin","family":"Hirschnitz-Garbers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ecologic Institute, Pfalzburger Strasse 43\/44, 10717 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corrado","family":"Topi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013). Towards the Circular Economy. Opportunities for the Consumer Goods Sector, Ellen MacArthur Foundation."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Preston, F. (2012). A Global Redesign? Shaping the Circular Economy, Chatham House."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Worrel, E., and Reuter, M.A. (2014). Handbook of Recycling State-of-the-Art for Practitioners, Analysts, and Scientists, Elsevier. [1st ed.].","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-396459-5.00001-5"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Jarrett, H. (1966). Environmental Quality in a Growing Economy, Johns Hopkins University Press."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Lehmann, M., Leeuw, B., Fehr, E., and Wong, A. (2014). Circular Economy. Improving the Management of Natural Resources, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2015). Delivering the Circular Economy. A Toolkit for Policymakers, Ellen MacArthur Foundation."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"EEA (European Environment Agency) (2016). Circular Economy in Europe\u2014Developing the Knowledge Base, EEA."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation, SUN, and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment (2015). Growth Within: A Circular Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe, Ellen MacArthur Foundation."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Company (2014). Towards the Circular Economy: Accelerating the Scale-Up across Global Supply Chains, World Economic Forum."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"Morgan, J., and Mitchell, P. (2015). Employment and the Circular Economy. Job Creation in a More Resource Efficient Britain, Green Alliance."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Bastein, T., Roelofs, E., Rietveld, E., and Hoogendoorn, A. (2013). Opportunities for a Circular Economy in the Netherlands, TNO."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Rizos, V., Behrens, A., Kafyeke, T., Hirschnitz Garbers, M., and Ioannou, A. (2015). The Circular Economy: Barriers and Opportunities for SMEs, CEPS."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"European Commission (2011). Minimizing Regulatory Burden for SMEs. Adapting EU Regulation to the Needs of Mico-Enterprises, European Commission. COM (2011) 803 Final."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"European Commission (2013). Flash Eurobarometer 381\u2014SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Hillary, R., and Burr, P. (2011). An Evidence-Based Study into the Benefits of EMSs for SMEs."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1016\/j.resconrec.2014.04.002","article-title":"An exploration of firms\u2019 awareness and behavior of developing circular economy: An empirical research in China","volume":"87","author":"Liu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Resour. Conserv. Recycl."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"736","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2009.12.005","article-title":"Eco-efficiency in the SME of Venezuela. Current status and future perspectives","volume":"18","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"231","article-title":"Barriers to implement green supply chain management in automobile industry using interpretive structural modeling technique: An Indian perspective","volume":"4","author":"Luthra","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Ind. Eng. Manag."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhm.2014.03.001","article-title":"What drives employees\u2019 intentions to implement green practices in hotels? The role of knowledge, awareness, concern and ecological behaviour","volume":"40","author":"Chan","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int. J. Hosp. Manag."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"156","DOI":"10.1002\/csr.151","article-title":"Local Authorities, Climate Change and Small and Medium Enterprises: Identifying Effective Policy Instruments to Reduce Energy Use and Carbon Emissions","volume":"15","author":"Bradford","year":"2007","journal-title":"Corp. Soc. Resp. Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"410","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2016.06.045","article-title":"Defining the challenges for ecodesign implementation in companies: Development and consolidation of a framework","volume":"135","author":"Dekoninck","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Kok, L., Wurpel, G., and Ten Wolde, E. (2013). Unleashing the Power of the Circular Economy, IMSA Amsterdam."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1083","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2004.12.003","article-title":"Product-service systems for office furniture: Barriers and opportunities on the European market","volume":"13","author":"Besch","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"680","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.4.680","article-title":"Resistance to change: Developing an individual differences measure","volume":"88","author":"Oreg","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"494","DOI":"10.1016\/j.energy.2011.11.005","article-title":"Dealing with barriers to energy efficiency and SMEs: Some empirical evidences","volume":"37","author":"Trianni","year":"2012","journal-title":"Energy"},{"key":"ref_26","unstructured":"Dervojeda, K., Verzijl, D., Rouwmaat, E., Probst, L., and Frideres, L. (2014). Clean Technologies, Circular Supply Chains, Business Innovation Observatory, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"Oakdene Hollins (2011). The Further Benefits of Business Resource Efficiency."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"Rademaekers, K., Asaad, S.S.Z., and Berg, J. (2011). Study on the Competitiveness of the European Companies and Resource Efficiency, ECORYS."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1146","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2007.08.009","article-title":"Product service systems as systemic cures for obese consumption and production","volume":"16","author":"Kang","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.1023\/B:JSPD.0000031027.49545.2b","article-title":"Drivers and barriers for shifting towards more service-oriented businesses: Analysis of the PSS field and contributions from Sweden","volume":"2","author":"Mont","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Sustain. Prod. Des."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"Hoevenagel, R., Brummelkamp, G., Peytcheva, A., and van der Horst, R. (2007). Promoting Environmental Technologies in SMEs: Barriers and Measures, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"M\u00fcller, S., and Tun\u00e7er, B. (2013). Greening SMEs by Enabling Access to Finance. Strategies and Experiences from the Switch-Asia Programme. Scaling-Up Study 2013, Switch-Asia Network Facility."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"2","article-title":"Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Greece\u2014Barriers in Access to Banking Services. An Empirical Investigation","volume":"2","author":"Hyz","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Stud."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1068\/c0859b","article-title":"A review of interventions to encourage SMEs to make environmental improvements","volume":"27","author":"Parker","year":"2009","journal-title":"Environ. Plan. C Gov. Policy"},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Calogirou, C., S\u00f8rensen, S.Y., Larsen, P.B., and Alexopoulou, S. (2010). SMEs and the Environment in the European Union, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Van Buren, N., Demmers, M., van der Heijden, R., and Witlox, F. (2016). Towards a Circular Economy: The Role of Dutch Logistics Industries and Governments. Sustainability, 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/su8070647"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wilts, H., von Gries, N., and Bahn-Walkowiak, B. (2016). From Waste Management to Resource Efficiency\u2014The Need for Policy Mixes. Sustainability, 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/su8070622"},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"Vanner, R., Bicket, M., Withana, S., ten Brink, P., Razzini, P., van Dijl, E., Watkins, E., Hestin, M., Tan, A., Guilcher, S., and Hudson, C. (2014). Scoping Study to Identify Potential Circular Economy Actions, Priority Sectors, Material Flows & Value Chain, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"231","DOI":"10.3843\/SusDev.15.3:6","article-title":"Developing the circular economy in China: Challenges and opportunities for achieving \u201cleapfrog development\u201d","volume":"15","author":"Geng","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. Sustain. Dev. World"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"337","DOI":"10.1002\/csr.220","article-title":"Reverse logistics and social sustainability","volume":"17","author":"Sarkis","year":"2010","journal-title":"Corp. Soc. Resp. Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Linder, M., and Williander, M. (2015). Circular Business Model Innovation: Inherent Uncertainties. Bus. Strat. Environ.","DOI":"10.1002\/bse.1906"},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, and Bio Intelligence Service (2013). The Opportunities to Business of Improving Resource Efficiency, AMEC Environment & Infrastructure."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1417","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2011.05.005","article-title":"Barriers to the adoption of proactive environmental strategies","volume":"19","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"FUSION (2014). Fusion Observatory Report: February 2014\u2014The Circular Economy and Europe's Small and Medium Sized Businesses, BSK-CiC."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"Van Eijk, F. (2015). Barriers & Drivers towards a Circular Economy. Literature Review, Accelerations. A-140315-R-Final."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1080\/09537287.2010.536619","article-title":"Collaborative networked organisations and customer communities: Value co-creation and co-innovation in the networking era","volume":"22","author":"Romero","year":"2011","journal-title":"Prod. Plan. Control."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"Parlikad, A.K., Mcfarlane, D., Fleisch, E., and Gross, S. (2003). The Role of Product Identity in End-of-Life Decision Making, Auto-ID Center."},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"OECD (2010). Regulatory Policy and the Road to Sustainable Growth, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2010.09.017","article-title":"Drivers and barriers of extended supply chain practices for energy saving and emission reduction among Chinese manufacturers","volume":"40","author":"Zhu","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"Florin, N., Madden, B., Sharpe, S., Benn, S., Agarwal, R., Perey, R., and Giurco, D. (2015). Shifting Business Models for a Circular Economy: Metals Management for Multi-Product-Use Cycles, UTS."},{"key":"ref_51","unstructured":"WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) (2011). A Vision for Sustainable Consumption. Innovation, Collaboration, and the Management of Choice, WBCSD."},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1957","DOI":"10.3390\/su7021957","article-title":"Barriers to Business Model Innovation in Swedish Agriculture","volume":"7","author":"Sivertsson","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref_53","unstructured":"Meqdadi, O., Johnsenb, T., and Johnsenc, R. (2012, January 1\u20134). The Role of SME Suppliers in Implementing Sustainability. Proceedings of the IPSERA 2012 Conference, Napoli, Italy."},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.3923\/ibm.2010.20.27","article-title":"Green Supply Chain Initiatives: Investigation on the Barriers in the Context of SMEs in Malaysia","volume":"4","author":"Wooi","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int. Bus. Manag."},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"322","DOI":"10.1002\/csr.173","article-title":"The role of organizational size in the adoption of green supply chain management practices in China","volume":"15","author":"Zhu","year":"2008","journal-title":"Corp. Soc. Resp. Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref_56","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1099-0836(199903\/04)8:2<120::AID-BSE188>3.0.CO;2-X","article-title":"Greening supply chains: The case of the body shop international","volume":"8","author":"Wycherley","year":"1999","journal-title":"Bus. Strateg. Environ."},{"key":"ref_57","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2015.10.107","article-title":"Exploring consumer attitudes to alternative models of consumption: motivations and barriers","volume":"123","author":"Edbring","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_58","unstructured":"Planing, P. (2015). Business Model Innovation in a Circular Economy. Reasons for Non-Acceptance of Circular Business Models. Open J. Bus. Model Innov., in press."},{"key":"ref_59","unstructured":"GreenEcoNet Connecting SMEs for a Green Economy. Available online: http:\/\/www.greeneconet.eu."},{"key":"ref_60","unstructured":"Yin, R.K. (2009). Case Study Research Design and Methods, SAGE Publications. [4th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_61","unstructured":"Yin, R.K. (1994). Case Study Research Design and Methods, SAGE Publications. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_62","unstructured":"Stake, R.E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research, SAGE Publications."},{"key":"ref_63","unstructured":"Flamos, A., Ioannou, A., and Papadelis, S. (2014). Taxonomy for the Green Economy Landscape, University of Piraeus Research Centre. Deliverable: D1.1."},{"key":"ref_64","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13690","DOI":"10.3390\/su71013690","article-title":"Open Space Evaluation Methodology and Three Dimensional Evaluation Model as a Base for Sustainable Development Tracking","volume":"7","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref_65","unstructured":"United Nations, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and World Bank (2003). Handbook of National Accounting\u2014Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting 2003, United Nations."},{"key":"ref_66","unstructured":"Chamberlin, L., Jamsin, E., and Raksit, A. (2013). Wales and the Circular Economy. Favourable System Conditions and Economic Opportunities, Ellen MacArthur Foundation."},{"key":"ref_67","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1162\/108819806775545321","article-title":"The Circular Economy. A New Development Strategy in China","volume":"10","author":"Yuan","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Ind. Ecol."},{"key":"ref_68","unstructured":"Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2014). Science for a Circular Economy\u2014Some JRC Examples, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_69","unstructured":"European Commission (2015). Closing the Loop\u2014An EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy, European Commission. COM (2015) 614 final."},{"key":"ref_70","first-page":"109","article-title":"Local Circles in a Circular Economy\u2014The Case of Smartphone Repair in Denmark","volume":"5","author":"Riisgaard","year":"2016","journal-title":"Eur. J. Sustain. Dev."}],"container-title":["Sustainability"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/8\/11\/1212\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T19:27:18Z","timestamp":1760210838000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/8\/11\/1212"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,23]]},"references-count":70,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,11]]}},"alternative-id":["su8111212"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su8111212","relation":{},"ISSN":["2071-1050"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2071-1050","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,23]]}}}