On the circular entrepreneurship across continents: An analysis of terms of business descriptors

Abstract

This study analyzes circular entrepreneurship trends across global regions using the 2014–2018 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor dataset. Content analysis of business descriptors from 79,663 unique entrepreneurs was used to position each startup within the 9R's framework. The results show that startups are mainly associated with “repurpose” and “recover”, which are less desirable for circularity. We further define circular entrepreneurs as those with the top 10% highest weighted score in circular strategies according to the type of business they run. The BERTopic approach is applied to identify specific business topics for these entrepreneurs. Similarities (North America and Latin America & the Caribbean) and differences (Europe) in popular topics are found across regions. Lastly, regression analysis reveals that entrepreneurial perception and the presence of role models are key factors driving circular entrepreneurship.