DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17228785
title: Repository of Circular Economy and Circular Business Model Definitions (ISO, EU Law, Academic Sources)

description: The dataset comprises a structured collection of definitions of the circular economy (CE), identified, verified, and documented through literature studies conducted between 2013 and 2024. The data were sourced from three key domains: international technical standards (ISO, BSI, ETSI), legal and strategic documents of the European Union, and scientific literature—monographs and peer-reviewed articles published in high-impact journals indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The dataset constitutes a primary empirical component of a doctoral dissertation in the discipline of Management and Quality Studies, aimed at the structuring and comparative analysis of CE definitions and their conceptual links with circular business models.

The primary objective of the repository is to provide a unified research foundation for comparative, historical, conceptual, and didactic analyses of the circular economy. The compiled material may serve multiple purposes, including comparative research, policy development studies, academic instruction, and the design of management models aligned with CE principles and sustainability standards. The dataset enables the assessment of definitional evolution, the identification of typical descriptive structures, and the exploration of practical and normative applications of the CE concept.

The adopted methodology involved systematic retrieval and selection of source documents, extraction of complete definitional quotes, and their organization while preserving the original wording and full bibliographic references. Each definition was assigned to a specific source document, and the dataset structure was designed to facilitate further processing and analysis. The materials were organized into three main files: definitions from technical standards (ISO, BSI, ETSI), European Union documents (EUR-Lex), and scholarly literature on circular business models. All files follow a unified format, including chronological ordering, source attribution, and a three-level heading hierarchy.

An integral component of the repository includes supplementary materials such as visual diagrams illustrating the analytical structure and procedures used to classify and interpret definitions according to their origin and application. These diagrams support transparency, methodological clarity, and replicability of the analysis. Editable versions of source files are also included to facilitate extended exploration and integration with analytical tools.

The dataset underwent formal supervisory evaluation, which confirmed its alignment with the research objectives of the doctoral dissertation and its compliance with qualitative and quantitative standards. The evaluation covered citation accuracy, source adequacy, document structure clarity, and the dataset’s potential for further comparative and synthetic analysis. The preparation of the dataset was also confirmed to be consistent with best practices in doctoral research methodology.

The repository is intended as a source-based and documentary resource that may be applied in future academic projects, university teaching, and the development of tools for analyzing and designing circular economy models. The material supports comparative studies across different definitional approaches, identification of common and differentiating elements, and the development of conceptual and didactic tools for CE modeling within both digital and academic environments.