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Progress towards sustainable activities: Principal component analysis (PCA) of SMEs in the European Union

Denis Juracka & Katarína Valášková

Journal of International Studies2025https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-8330.2025/18-2/1article
AJG 1
Weight
0.52

What the paper says

This study examines small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union (EU) and their openness to circular economy practices. A cross-section of European SMEs is evaluated using data for the EU-27 taken from the Euroflash Barometer 549 (SMEs, resource efficiency, and green markets). The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between various circular economy activities within the European Union. This objective is accomplished by means of the statistical technique known as principal component analysis (PCA), which involves the categorization of variables into dimensions. The analysis pointed to two categories of circular economy activities. According to the research results, up to 93% of SMEs implement at least one circular economy activity. SMEs that adopt strategies for the efficient use of environmental resources, particularly in water conservation, also employ energy-saving measures. PCA identified a second group prioritizing modular architectures, environmentally benign materials, and recurrent resource use. Notably, businesses focusing on water conservation appear to prioritize sustainable product design the least. In contrast, those incorporating circular economy principles into product design and manufacturing also tend to emphasize recycling and reuse.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-8330.2025/18-2/1

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@article{denis2025,
  title        = {{Progress towards sustainable activities: Principal component analysis (PCA) of SMEs in the European Union}},
  author       = {Denis Juracka & Katarína Valášková},
  journal      = {Journal of International Studies},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-8330.2025/18-2/1},
}

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Progress towards sustainable activities: Principal component analysis (PCA) of SMEs in the European Union

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Evidence weight

0.52

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.47 × 0.4 = 0.19
M · momentum0.68 × 0.15 = 0.10
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.