Potentials and Barriers of the Metaverse for Circular Economy

Sustainability is a challenge for society that circular economy tries to tackle. The metaverse, as an emerging technology that incorporates digital twins and simulation in an immersive virtual environment, has not been thoroughly investigated in connection to circular economy. Thus, the purpose of this study is to summarize the potentials and barriers of the use of the metaverse for circular economy. By conducting a structured literature review, this paper categorizes the findings into dimensions that are important for both the metaverse and circular economy. A variety of potentials and barriers that cover different perspectives important for businesses aiming to comply with circular economy principles is discovered. The findings include potentials and barriers in several areas, like the access to the metaverse, connected costs, data, knowledge transfer, collaboration, innovation, product design, production planning, training of employees, and transportation. The results can be used to promote the implementation of circular economy principles.