PurposeThis study theoretically investigates the extant literature published about circular economy and sustainable development to identify significant research themes, the most relevant authors, countries and journals.Design/methodology/approachBibliometric analysis is used, followed by cluster formation using co-citation analysis. The clusters are discussed in-depth to identify emerging themes and future research areas.FindingsBy systematically reviewing 596 research articles, significant themes of research in this field were found. These include frameworks and indicators to define and assess the circular economy, circular business models and use cases, global and industrial contexts of application of circular economy and different dimensions of the circular economy.Research limitations/implicationsPublications from only one database have been used. Only articles published in relevant academic journals have been used for the bibliometric analysis. For co-citation analysis and cluster formation, only articles with a high number of citations were selected.Originality/valueThe analysis of the various clusters revealed research areas that can be explored in future research to understand the circular economy better and implement its practices to attain sustainability.

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