The most significant barriers to solar panel recycling at present are lack of incentives and regulations, transportation costs, extraction costs, purity of extracted materials, fossil fuel use, environmental impacts of recycling processes, lack of stakeholder engagement and a lack of available data regarding solar panel recycling facilities. Whilst several studies suggest that recycling end-of-life (EoL) solar panels may not offer sufficient profitability yet, there is a strong consensus that recycling does mitigate social and environmental harm and is an inevitable requirement in the transition to a sustainable and decarbonised circular economy (CE). However, upscaling solar technologies to meet global renewable energy demand will necessitate government interventions to promote R&D of improved recycling processes and stakeholder participation. This systematic review explores how life cycle assessment (LCA) and systems thinking method (STM), integrating insights from environmental science, engineering, economics, and policy studies, can be used for policy design for solar panel waste management (SPWM). LCA effectively identifies environmental impacts and hotspots within various SPWM scenarios and can aid in decision-making processes. Through LCA the need for mandatory recycling recovery rates, landfill bans and renewable energy use in recycling scenarios have been identified. STMs focus on complex, dynamic, non-linear systems and emphasise the requirement of effective stakeholder engagement. A hybrid LCA and STM approach combined with principles of sustainable development (SD) and CE can offer comprehensive insight to decision-makers when designing SPWM policies. These policies can facilitate the recirculation of valuable resources, stimulate new jobs, and minimise harm to human and environmental health.