Mapping Research Trends and Knowledge Structure on Carbon Footprint: A Bibliometric Review

Abstract

The growing urgency of climate change mitigation has positioned carbon footprint research as a critical foundation for understanding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across sectors. This study aims to map research trends and the knowledge structure of carbon footprint studies through a comprehensive bibliometric review. Using bibliographic data retrieved from the Scopus database, this study analyzes the evolution, intellectual structure, and thematic focus of carbon footprint research employing VOSviewer for visualization and network analysis. Co-authorship, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence analyses were conducted to identify influential contributors, dominant research clusters, and emerging themes. The findings reveal that carbon footprint research is strongly anchored in sustainability and life cycle assessment frameworks, with growing emphasis on energy efficiency, renewable energy, circular economy, and data-driven approaches such as machine learning. Overlay and density visualizations indicate a shift from emission measurement toward integrative, solution-oriented, and technology-enabled sustainability strategies. This study contributes to the literature by providing a structured and holistic overview of the field, offering insights that can guide future research agendas, policy development, and practical implementation of low-carbon initiatives.