Abstract: | Along with the concept of circular economy growing worldwide, circular business models (CBMs) have been receiving ever greater attention in both the business sector and academia. However, the existing literature on the CBM is scattered and fragmented; this study offers an integrated firm‐level framework to link CBM typologies, the circular economy transition process, and relevant tools for CBM development and clarifies the positioning and roles of those tools in the process. In response to the fragmentation issue, results of this study are presented in three subtopics: (a) CBM typologies and archetypes, (b) transition guidelines, and (c) major analytical tools for CBM research. The roles and functions of CBM typologies and tools were integrated in different stages of the transition process, and the challenges and shortfalls for CBM research in the various stages were identified. This work lays the foundation for future operational studies. |