Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships for a Circular Industry Economy: Advancing Economic Sustainability in Industrial Waste Management in the Emirate of Ajman, UAE

This study investigates the empowering role of public-private partnerships (PPP) in sustainable economic waste management and the circular industry economy, specifically in the small, rapidly industrialising Emirate of Ajman, UAE. Grounded in the principles of sustainable reverse logistics theory, the study focuses on collaboration among key stakeholders: employees in the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, waste-generating industries, and private industrial waste management firms. A quantitative methodological orientation is employed in a survey-based research design, followed by the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling statistical technique to test the hypothesised relationships. Sampling involved the three sub-populations of government employees (n = 123), managers/employees of private waste collection businesses (n = 106), and employees of private industrial waste generation industries (n = 276). Findings indicate that PPP empowerment positively impacts sustainable economic waste management and contributes to the creation of a circular industry economy. Moreover, sustainable economic waste management fosters the growth of the circular industry economy in Ajman. Notably, the perspectives of government stakeholders differ from those of non-government actors. This research underscores the significance of PPP empowerment in the development of a circular industry economy towards SDGs 11, 12 and 17, emphasising the mediating role of sustainable economic waste management between PPPs and the circular industry economy in small, rapidly industrialising states. The study recommends that the Ajman government implement training and social initiatives aimed at aligning the sustainability perspectives of all stakeholders involved in waste management.