The Healthcare Sustainable Supply Chain 4.0: The Circular Economy Transition Conceptual Framework with the Corporate Social Responsibility Mirror

Gláucya Daú,Vivianne Julianelli Taveira Portugal,Luiz Felipe Scavarda,Annibal Scavarda

doi:10.3390/su11123259

Abstract

Concern regarding the circular economy and Industry 4.0 is starting to increase in the emerging countries. This research study aims to analyze the healthcare sustainable supply chain 4.0 by proposing the circular economy transition conceptual framework with the corporate social responsibility mirror. The authors developed an observation guideline to collect empirical data from a private healthcare institution located in Rio de Janeiro, which has been promoting investment in new technologies within its operations. The research observation is between January and April 2017. The results show the glass structure can be a channel that provides the lightning resources, the solar energy with the photovoltaic panels, and the water management. The corporate social responsibility links the social role in healthcare institutions with sustainable practices and it improves smart technologies. The applicability of the internet of things and the internet of services adds value to sustainable practices. The circular economy transition conceptual framework integrates the result analyses. The research concludes that the union among the triple bottom line, Industry 4.0, and the corporate social responsibility allows the transition from the linear model to the circular model and can improve the sustainable healthcare supply chain 4.0.

Highlights

The circular economy concept, discussed in many studies [1,2,3], allows the identification of the opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution and sustainable practices [4,5]
The authors motivated by the concern that reaches the whole world establish the following three questions: Does the supply chain from the circular economy perspective attend the requirements of the sustainable supply chain? How does Industry 4.0 influence the circular supply chain? What are the expected results with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation in the sustainable supply chain?
The world concern regarding climate changes enables innovating thoughts for the insertion of smart and sustainable technologies in healthcare institutions. These insertions may be aligned to the physical structure and the healthcare supply chain

Summary

Introduction

The circular economy concept, discussed in many studies [1,2,3], allows the identification of the opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution and sustainable practices [4,5]. Industry 4.0 inserted disruptive technologies and it can be present in the circular economy. Ranta et al [7] affirm that sustainable practices are alternatives for the transition between the two economy concepts. This cycle enables the possibility to have the reverse process, delivering a product that is transformed either to the supplier as to the consumer. It means to affirm that this cycle absorbs and enables reverse logistics

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion