Circular India: A Tale of Four Decades of Research and Charting a Sustainable Future

The study aims to map the intellectual structure and evolution of the circular economy research field in India by comprehensively reviewing the research published between 1985 and 2024 and visualising the results with the help of software VOSviewer. The results exhibit that China, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the key countries outside India that are the strongest partners in circular economy research. Thematic analysis identifies main research groups of the Industry 4.0, Supply Chain Management, and Circular Economy practices within manufacturing companies. Themes that are emerging include approaches to waste management, reduction of plastics, use of resources, and approaches to implementing circular business models. The findings demonstrate a tendency towards greater diversification in both research themes and scholarly interest in the applications of the circular economy. The study highlights the current research gaps and future research directions, providing valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in the field of circular economy and sustainable development in India.