Circular economy: A study of eco-industrial park governance

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Abstract

The circular economy (CE) is a breakthrough solution for sustainable development, creating opportunities for economic, environmental, and social growth. However, there are still many obstacles to the implementation of CE practices in eco-industrial parks (EIPs) in Vietnam (Thúy et al., 2018; Dang, 2021). This research aims to find out barriers hindering developing linkage among companies for the exchange of finished products, components, waste materials, and energy inputs in the EIP (Le et al., 2024). This study employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to analyze primary data collected through interviews with CE specialists. The research identifies eight categories of barriers, encompassing 39 specific challenges faced by businesses in EIPs when adopting CE practices. Consumer awareness and commitment and government policies were identified as the most significant first-level barriers for businesses in EIPs to implement CE practices and leadership awareness, public awareness, and education of CE. The result analysis suggests solutions and recommendations for relevant stakeholders, including businesses, EIPs, and the government.

Keywords: Circular Economy, Circular Economy Model, Sustainable Development, Eco-Industrial Park

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — B.T.N.; Methodology — B.T.N. and N.B.A.L.; Formal Analysis — B.T.N.; Investigation — B.T.N. and N.B.A.L.; Data Curation — B.T.N. and N.B.A.L.; Writing — Original Draft — B.T.N.; Writing — Review & Editing — B.T.N.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M16, M38, O308, D78, H23

Received: 19.07.2024
Revised: 22.10.2024; 05.12.2024; 05.05.2025
Accepted: 29.05.2025
Published online: 03.06.2025

How to cite this paper: Nguyen, B. T., & Le, N. B. A. (2025). Circular economy: A study of eco-industrial park governance [Special issue]. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 14(2), 310–316. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv14i2siart9