The study aims to understand the enablers and barriers of circular economy (CE) adoption along with the impact of CE actions on sustainable performance in the context of Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Based on the analysis of primary data from 352 SMEs in Australia, the questionnaire survey-based study revealed a lack of clearly defined business processes to be the major impediment towards CE adoption. Analysis also showed environmental performance having a significant positive relationship with design, process, and recovery. Surprisingly, the research showed that the benefits associated with careful energy and resource management does not seem to be important to Australian SMEs. This is in direct contrast to the growing level of interest amongst Australian SMEs towards conservation of water resources and emission reductions. The findings of this research may drive SMEs to focus on CE adoption, as the results suggest that it is positively related to sustainable performance. Display omitted