FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF ZERO-WASTE BUSINESS MODELS AMONG NEW MARKET ENTRANTS IN EMERGING ECONOMIES: A CONCEPTUAL INTEGRATIVE REVIEW
Keywords:
zero-waste business models, economic viability, circular economy, new market entrants, emerging economies, sustainable entrepreneurship, circular business modelsAbstract
This conceptual-integrative review examines the conditions associated with the economic viability of zero-waste business models launched by new market entrants in emerging economies. The paper distinguishes zero-waste business models from the broader circular economy and defines economic viability as continuity-adjusted commercial performance: the capacity to generate a positive yield-adjusted contribution, cover operating cash needs, retain paying demand, and move towards survival or replication while retaining material value. A purposive synthesis of peer-reviewed studies and authoritative institutional sources published between 2021 and 2026 was organised by geography, sector, method, theory, explanatory mechanism, and outcome measure. The synthesis develops a multilevel set of firm, transaction, ecosystem, institutional, and digital antecedent domains. The central contribution is a context-sensitive framework showing that emerging-economy conditions are not merely a descriptive label: institutional voids, informal material markets, infrastructure gaps, and uneven enforcement alter the cost, reliability, and legitimacy through which these domains become commercially relevant. The paper develops nine association-based propositions and an operationalisation blueprint for future empirical studies. Because the evidence is heterogeneous and the review does not estimate effect sizes, the framework supports theory building and measurement development rather than causal claims
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Copyright (c) 2026 Abdulfatai Oluwashina Abdullahi, Olaniyi Peter Ojo, Luqman Adetayo Adeboga, Aliyu Alabi Oniye (Author)

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