Circular economy and digital technology‐enabled innovation: advances, applications and prospects

<p dir="ltr">There is a major promise in the fusion of the circular economy (CE) principles with digital technologies—such as internet‐of‐things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain—in transforming innovation, sustainability, and industrial practices. This editorial article discusses this intersection and introduces a special issue dedicated to exploring how digital technologies enable the business transition towards the CE in a variety of ways. We initially provide an overview of the context, scope, and perspectives of this special issue. The discussions in the papers illustrate a breadth of theoretical perspectives and practical approaches considered by the academic community in addressing real‐world phenomena related to CE and digital technology‐enabled innovation. Furthermore, we propose a single integrative conceptual framework of the CE and digital technologies, encompassing both the multi‐level insights from the special issue and future research opportunities. This unified framework is structured along macro (ecosystem/supply chain), meso (organisational), and micro (individual/product) levels, highlighting key findings as well as open research avenues.</p>