Ethical leadership, management control systems and circular economy in SMEs in an emerging economy, the UAE

•Paper investigates the concurrent effect of ethical leadership and management control systems on the extent of circular economy practices within small and medium-sized enterprises of the United Arab Emirates.•Both ethical leadership and management control systems are positively associated with circular economy practices.•There is a considerable potential of management control systems for boosting the extent of CE practices.•Ethical leadership indirectly influences circular economy practices through the mediating role of management control systems.•Paper extends the spectrum of outcomes of ethical leadership and the range of antecedents of CE.