Information technology and systems in China's circular economy: Implications for sustainability

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the developing circular economy (CE) policy within China and its relationship to China's information technology (IT) and IT products industry. It provides a framework to understand the role CE plays in sustainability at many levels within China.

This paper provides a review of the literature and practice in China various information sources including Chinese publications are used to further develop the framework and provide exemplary activities fitting within this framework.

If The CE program for IT, is to work, these needs to be co‐operation at multiple levels of analysis. A proposed governmental policy can greatly influence sustainability in the IT industry.

This review is based on various sources which may become dated as the CE and regulatory policy that influence IT advance. Understanding the historical perspective and potential future directions can help researchers identify important areas of investigation for future development in this field.

Practically, the framework can help policy makers understand how to structure a previously unstructured and broad policy. Managers at various organizational levels can become more clear on their organizational's IT role in a CE‐like program.

This is the first comprehensive paper that seeks to integrate IT sustainability issues in China. It is one of the first to utilize the CE policy implications on any functional, industrial, and technological group.