Mapping the latent nexus between open innovation and the circular economy: Evidence from application-oriented studies

Scholarly interest in the relationship between the circular economy and open innovation is increasing, yet the literature that explicitly discusses both concepts remains limited. A focused review identifies only 81 journal articles that formally address the two themes together, and this stream highlights the lack of cumulative and structured evidence as a major gap. This paper argues that the nexus is underestimated, because a substantial body of application-oriented research incorporates openness mechanisms within circular initiatives, or circular strategies within open innovation settings, without making the connection explicit. A structured database is built from Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2019 and 2025 and reporting business-oriented applications. Articles primarily framed around either circular economy or open innovation are coded to examine whether constructs from the other domain are present within the described applications. The mapping covers 51 circular economy constructs and 43 open innovation constructs, organized into 13 and 8 macro-categories, respectively. Relationships are assessed through three complementary measures capturing pairwise associations, combined with a frequent pattern analysis to identify recurrent multi-construct configurations. The results reveal a structured nexus that is broader than suggested by the explicit joint literature. Positioned against prior work, the evidence confirms core relationships, extends previously suggested linkages, identifies emerging connections, and shows that some assumed relationships are weak or secondary. The paper contributes a construct-level evidence map and identifies recurring configurational patterns between openness and circularity. It also advances the concept of Open Circular Business Model Innovation as an integrative perspective linking openness mechanisms, circular strategies, and governance configurations, while providing guidance for future research and managerial practice.