Towards the Circular Economy: Existing Synergy Among the Conceptual Definitions and the Appropriation for Brazilian Literature

Circular economy has increasingly attracted attention of researchers, managers and governments. The dissemination of the concept is sometimes associated with the use of some technical terms of the new industrial revolution as being synonyms, but are these terms synonyms, complementary or do they just express different practices? To help clarifying these misunderstandings that occur in both academia and business practice, this paper presents conceptual guidelines on important terms of circular economy. The purpose of the study is to clarify the semantic and the conceptual differences of the terms: circular economy, spiral economy, cradle to cradle, double loop, closed loop, reverse logistics, life cycle analysis, upcycle and industrial symbiosis. The study is based on a categorization of Circular Economy literature and their related terms and translations for classic terms of management operations. Understanding the conceptual definitions and their origins is essential for developing knowledge in the area, as well as to disseminate such knowledge.