Table 2 Summary of the definitions of CE... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Summary of the definitions of CE terminologies

Terminology (1)	Definition for the generic term (without CE) from dictionaries (2)	Related definitions from universal CE standards and guides (3)	Consolidated CE definition by authors, combining (2) and (3) = (4)	Expert opinion on the consolidated definition (5)	Final validated definition by combining (4) and (5) = (6)
Circular economy concept	“An idea that is connected with something existing in thought but not having a physical reality and often relates to something new”	“An economic system that uses a systemic approach to maintain a circular flow of resources by recovering, retaining or adding to their value, while contributing to sustainable development.” (ISO 59004:2024) “A system that is restorative or regenerative by intention or design.” (EMF, 2012)	“An idea about a system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design”	Proposed to incorporate part of ISO definition (2) into the consolidated definition (3) developed by the authors Proposed to consider the regeneration of nature within the definition	“An idea about an economic system that uses a systemic approach to restore or regenerate nature by intention and design, while contributing to sustainable development”
Circular economy principle	“A basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works”	“Fundamental basis for decision-making.” (ISO 59004:2024) – their general term for principle	“A fundamental rule or belief on which circular economy implementation is based”	The term “belief” adds a low value to this definition No need to keep the “implementation” word in the definition as this is a philosophical-level term	“A fundamental rule, on which a circular economy is based”
Circular economy framework	“A system of rules, ideas, or beliefs that is used to plan or decide something”	“Structure of processes and specifications designed to support the accomplishment of a specific task.” (ISO 59004:2024) – their general term for a framework	“A system which is developed from CE principles and outlines a set of ideas to facilitate CE implementation within a particular context”	This should not be specified to a context if at a higher level No need to keep the “implementation” word in the definition as this is a philosophical-level term The “set of ideas” can be written more specifically as “a structure of processes and specifications.”	“A system, which is developed from circular economy principles, outlining a structure of processes and specifications to facilitate a circular economy”
Circular economy strategy	“A plan, scheme, or course of action designed to achieve an overall aim”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A plan to achieve a CE related goal established in the construction industry”	Industry is a broader context. Therefore, better to narrow down the definition A CE strategy should be an overall direction and purpose for an organisation towards its CE adoption, not a specific goal-oriented thing	“An overall direction and plan for circular economy implementation in a particular entity”
Circular economy practice	“An activity or action considered as being the realisation of a theory”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“An activity that contributes to the implementation of a CE strategy in the construction industry”	One expert suggested using “an implementation of a CE goal” instead of “the implementation of a strategy”, while others agreed to keep it as it is Industry is a broader context. Therefore, better to narrow down the definition	“An activity that contributes to the implementation of a circular economy in a particular entity”
Circular economy indicator	“Something that shows what a situation is like or how it is changing”	“Metric used to measure one or more circularity aspects.” (ISO 59004:2024) “A quantitative or qualitative factor or variable that provides a simple and reliable means to measure achievement, to reflect changes connected to an intervention, or to help assess the performance of a development actor.” (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2014)	“A factor used to measure the CE adoption and transition of some construction entity”	Proposed to use “metric used to measure one or more elements of an organisation’s activities or solutions that interact with the circular economy.” Remove the phrase “some construction entity.” Rearrange the definition to a specific context This should be at different levels Remove “adoption and transition” and replace it with “assessment”	“A quantitative or qualitative factor that is used to measure different circularity aspects and, assess changes in circular economy implementation”
Circular economy index	“A number giving a measurement of something compared with a particular standard”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A quantitative measure that typically incorporates a range of indicators or measures to assess CE performance and progress, facilitating comparisons over time and across different entities”	In general, experts agreed with the authors’ definition, though saying it is vague and can be improved One expert said that the use of a CE index is often redundant, as many indicators are already representing an aggregation of data. Therefore, the use of “CE Index” is likely to confuse more than clarify	“A quantified number that typically incorporates a combination of indicators to assess overall circular economy performance, facilitating comparisons over time and across different entities”
Circular economy measure	“A way of achieving something, or a method for dealing with a situation”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A specific action implemented to assess, monitor, and promote the transition towards a CE at a more focused and granular level”	Remove the word “promote” as it is not aligned with assessment See the definition for CE practice. The definition shown here is confusing with it, as here it starts with mentioning “a specific action”. Rather it is “a method to assess circularity”	“A method of assessing circularity at a more focused and granular level”
Circular economy metric	“A system of measurement that uses metres, centimetres, litres, etc”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A unit that is used to measure the CE measures”	See the definition of Circular Economy Indicator and distinguish it to align better with the dictionary definition	“A unit that is used in circularity measurement”

Terminology (1)	Definition for the generic term (without CE) from dictionaries (2)	Related definitions from universal CE standards and guides (3)	Consolidated CE definition by authors, combining (2) and (3) = (4)	Expert opinion on the consolidated definition (5)	Final validated definition by combining (4) and (5) = (6)
Circular economy concept	“An idea that is connected with something existing in thought but not having a physical reality and often relates to something new”	“An economic system that uses a systemic approach to maintain a circular flow of resources by recovering, retaining or adding to their value, while contributing to sustainable development.” (ISO 59004:2024)“A system that is restorative or regenerative by intention or design.” (EMF, 2012)	“An idea about a system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design”	Proposed to incorporate part of ISO definition (2) into the consolidated definition (3) developed by the authors Proposed to consider the regeneration of nature within the definition	“An idea about an economic system that uses a systemic approach to restore or regenerate nature by intention and design, while contributing to sustainable development”
Circular economy principle	“A basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works”	“Fundamental basis for decision-making.” (ISO 59004:2024) – their general term for principle	“A fundamental rule or belief on which circular economy implementation is based”	The term “belief” adds a low value to this definition No need to keep the “implementation” word in the definition as this is a philosophical-level term	“A fundamental rule, on which a circular economy is based”
Circular economy framework	“A system of rules, ideas, or beliefs that is used to plan or decide something”	“Structure of processes and specifications designed to support the accomplishment of a specific task.” (ISO 59004:2024) – their general term for a framework	“A system which is developed from CE principles and outlines a set of ideas to facilitate CE implementation within a particular context”	This should not be specified to a context if at a higher level No need to keep the “implementation” word in the definition as this is a philosophical-level term The “set of ideas” can be written more specifically as “a structure of processes and specifications.”	“A system, which is developed from circular economy principles, outlining a structure of processes and specifications to facilitate a circular economy”
Circular economy strategy	“A plan, scheme, or course of action designed to achieve an overall aim”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A plan to achieve a CE related goal established in the construction industry”	Industry is a broader context. Therefore, better to narrow down the definition A CE strategy should be an overall direction and purpose for an organisation towards its CE adoption, not a specific goal-oriented thing	“An overall direction and plan for circular economy implementation in a particular entity”
Circular economy practice	“An activity or action considered as being the realisation of a theory”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“An activity that contributes to the implementation of a CE strategy in the construction industry”	One expert suggested using “an implementation of a CE goal” instead of “the implementation of a strategy”, while others agreed to keep it as it is Industry is a broader context. Therefore, better to narrow down the definition	“An activity that contributes to the implementation of a circular economy in a particular entity”
Circular economy indicator	“Something that shows what a situation is like or how it is changing”	“Metric used to measure one or more circularity aspects.” (ISO 59004:2024)“A quantitative or qualitative factor or variable that provides a simple and reliable means to measure achievement, to reflect changes connected to an intervention, or to help assess the performance of a development actor.” (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2014)	“A factor used to measure the CE adoption and transition of some construction entity”	Proposed to use “metric used to measure one or more elements of an organisation’s activities or solutions that interact with the circular economy.” Remove the phrase “some construction entity.” Rearrange the definition to a specific context This should be at different levels Remove “adoption and transition” and replace it with “assessment”	“A quantitative or qualitative factor that is used to measure different circularity aspects and, assess changes in circular economy implementation”
Circular economy index	“A number giving a measurement of something compared with a particular standard”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A quantitative measure that typically incorporates a range of indicators or measures to assess CE performance and progress, facilitating comparisons over time and across different entities”	In general, experts agreed with the authors’ definition, though saying it is vague and can be improved One expert said that the use of a CE index is often redundant, as many indicators are already representing an aggregation of data. Therefore, the use of “CE Index” is likely to confuse more than clarify	“A quantified number that typically incorporates a combination of indicators to assess overall circular economy performance, facilitating comparisons over time and across different entities”
Circular economy measure	“A way of achieving something, or a method for dealing with a situation”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A specific action implemented to assess, monitor, and promote the transition towards a CE at a more focused and granular level”	Remove the word “promote” as it is not aligned with assessment See the definition for CE practice. The definition shown here is confusing with it, as here it starts with mentioning “a specific action”. Rather it is “a method to assess circularity”	“A method of assessing circularity at a more focused and granular level”
Circular economy metric	“A system of measurement that uses metres, centimetres, litres, etc”	Note: could not find related definitions from universal CE standards or guides	“A unit that is used to measure the CE measures”	See the definition of Circular Economy Indicator and distinguish it to align better with the dictionary definition	“A unit that is used in circularity measurement”

Source(s): Authors’ own work