Exploiting circular economy enablers for SMEs to advance towards a more sustainable development: An empirical study in the post COVID-19 era

The transition towards a more circular development requires the activation of several key Circular Economy (CE) enablers. Their combination generates a complex system that aims to advance towards a more sustainable development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many changes in this global economy, altering the interactions between nature, people, governments, and businesses. The effects were mainly felt by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study analyzes the present state of CE enablers for SMEs considering a sustainability assessment overview. Eight CE enablers that have changed because of the pandemic were especially identified through an exhaustive literature review and have been analyzed by the involvement of 29 scholars and practitioners. The results generated with the application of a fuzzy TOPSIS methodology, evidence that ‘digital technologies’, ‘green consumption’, and ‘circular entrepreneurship’ are the CE enablers with the greatest potential to contribute to a more circular and sustainable development in the post-pandemic.