Circular Supply Chain Management Research Articles

Introducing an application of an industry 4.0 solution for circular supply chain management

In recent years, sustainable supply chain management practices have been adopted by companies that desire to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts within their supply chains. Within this perspective, a circular approach has been developed in the supply chain literature. Circular economy models and solutions assisted by industry 4.0 technologies have been developed to transform products in the end of their life cycle into new products with different use. In this paper an industry 4.0 waste-to-energy solution is developed and applied in a pilot case study comprised by a real-world supply chain to evaluate the sustainability performance of circular supply chain management (CSCM). The findings show that redesigning supply chains for circular economy with the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, can enable circular supply chain management. Clear benefits are provided linking the proposed solution to the six circular economy dimensions of the ReSOLVE model i.e. regenerate, share, optimise, loop, virtualise, and exchange. Improved availability of personnel (5% and 15%) and fleet resources (15%) are identified as some of the key quantitative benefits, while supply chain traceability through the full visibility and automation offered by the proposed solution, are some of the key non-quantifiable outcomes. The present work seeks to contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence of how industry 4.0 and circular economy are applied in practice. Implications for managers and policy makers, along with the study limitations and further research paths are also presented.

Identification and analysis of circular supply chain management practices for sustainability: a fuzzy-DEMATEL approach

PurposeCircular supply chain management (CSCM) is proving to be a strong contributor towards sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to analyse the circular practices in CSCM implementation towards sustainability in the Indian auto sector; these practices are at the initial stage in a developing economy.Design/methodology/approachIn this research work, a framework has been developed to enrich understanding of various CSCM practices for sustainability. To develop a causal framework, a Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (F-DEMATEL) methodology has been adopted.FindingsThe results produce 32 practices with cause and effect groups and their importance/priorities. Based on F-DEMATEL, these 32 practices are grouped into cause and effect groups based on R + C and R − C values.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings will help managers and decision-makers to gain a deeper understanding of the practices and their nature; the governmental and financial practices are identified as the most critical factors that need more attention. The results will help strategy makers to plan accordingly.Originality/valueThis research has identified and analysed 32 basic practices and their interrelationships to achieve sustainability in CSCM.

Sustainable Circular Business Model for Transparency and Uncertainty Reduction in Supply Chain Management

Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) incorporates the economy concept into supply chain concepts, which gives the supply chain sustainability domain an innovative and convincing viewpoint. The challenging factors in the circular economy are cooperation, trust, and transparency. Therefore, to achieve sustainable results, collaboration, and openness between organizations within networks and value chains are required. This paper explores the sustainability success using the Sustainable Circular Business Model (SCBM) to incorporate the principle at an operational level and suggest a structure for combining Circular Business Model (CBM) and CSCM for sustainable growth. The proposed structure shows how various circular business structures power the global supply chain in multiple loops. The circular business models differ according to the difficulty of the Circular Supply Chain (CSC) and the value proposition. Proposed SCBM shows that circular market and supply chain aid in reaching goals for sustainability has been discussed in this research.

Blockchain-enabled circular supply chain management: A system architecture for fast fashion

Circular supply chain management is required for firms to transition from a linear make-use-dispose economic model to a more sustainable circular economy. However, it faces the critical challenge of tracing the reuse of materials over multiple life cycles involving a variety of stakeholders. Blockchain technology can help manage the complexities of circular supply chain management. This paper takes the first step in developing a system architecture of blockchain-enabled circular supply chain management in the fast-fashion industry. The system architecture was validated by two experts in blockchain technology and supply chain management. Managerial implications are discussed for implementing blockchain technology to advance the circular economy agenda.

Exploring recommendations for circular supply chain management through interactive visualisation

The new era of circular supply chain management (CSCM) produces a new complex decision area for process managers. Part of it can be attributed to green procurement, in which a large number of potential ideas need to be reviewed that can sustain business. Such a large amount of data can quickly lead to information overload, especially without the presence of appropriate decision support tools. While there exists a range of visualisation methods that can aid the exploration of recommendations, there is a lack of studies that illustrate how these exploration techniques can facilitate the identification of CSCM activities. This paper showcases a study on how to ease the identification of new sustainable business opportunities through visual data exploration. Following the design science methodology, we have designed and evaluated a recommender system prototype (the IS Identification App) that supports sector-based identification of industrial symbiosis. The interactive visualisation enhances users with more control over recommendations and makes the recommendation process more transparent. Our case study results indicate that the interactive visualisation technique is a viable, fast and effective approach for exploring recommendations that increase the sustainability of the supply chain.

Prioritizing Circular Supply Chain Management Barriers Using Fuzzy AHP: Case of the Indian Plastic Industry

This article provides a perspective to implement circular supply chain management (CSCM) in the plastic industry in emerging economies, especially in India. CSCM integrates the philosophy of circular economy (CE) into supply chain management and offers a new view towards sustainability. However, the implementation of CSCM is an arduous task due to the presence of several barriers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate and prioritize barriers to implementing CSCM practices in Indian plastic industries. It employs a two-phase methodology to identify and prioritize the barriers to implementing CSCM. A total of 24 barriers were identified under five major categories through an extensive literature review and experts’ opinions. A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology is employed to rank the barriers. The fuzzy framework is considered to handle the uncertainty and vagueness. An empirical case of the Indian plastic industry is taken to illustrate the proposed model. A sensitivity analysis was performed to check the robustness of the model. The results indicate that the lack of tax relaxation policies and poor enforcement of rules and regulations to protect the environment are the most prominent barriers. The finding of this study can act as a stepping stone for managers and policymakers to effective implementation of CSCM.

Pressures in implementation of circular supply chain management for sustainability

PurposeBusiness organisations are under serious threat to sustain their business due to globalisation, challenging market and recent economic competitiveness. The aim of this study is to address various pressures to circular supply chain management (CSCM) implementation for sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe present study is based on two research levels. Initially, extensive literature review has been made to identify 31 pressures to CSCM, and eight categories of pressures have been identified. At the second level, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) has been applied to rank the identified pressures to CSCM implementation for sustainability.Findings“Financial Pressures (FP)” has been identified as most significant pressure to CSCM implementation for sustainability. Further, “Lack of support of top management (MP1)”, “Lack of implementation of laws and policies (GP2)” and “Lack of vision for CSCM (GP1)” have been found most critical sub-pressures CSCM implementation for sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe final results give the prioritised list of all identified 31 sub-pressures and eight main pressure heads, which will be helpful in their removal for achieving the goal of CSCM implementation. It will be helpful for managers to take decisions promoting circular practices in supply chains to achieve truly sustainable supply chains. It will also be help for SC managers to understand the flow of activities and materials in CSC to get good results and remove pressures.Originality/valueThe present study plays an important role in circular activities implementation in supply chain for profit gain, and their pressure ranking may help the mangers to implement the CSCM effectively.

Application of Total Interpretive Structural Modeling Application of Total Interpretive Structural Modeling Application of Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) Approach for Analysis of Barriers in Deploying Circular Supply Chains

Objectives: Circular Supply Chain Management has received greater industry interest in recent times due to growing concerns about environmental protection issues, recycling, sustainable development, and safety regulations. There are several barriers that hinders the implementation of circular supply chains in manufacturing organizations. In this context, this study reports a study in which 5 crucial barriers from a manufacturing context identified from literature. Method: The barriers are systematically analysed using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) and the structural model has been developed. The prioritized barriers need to be focused to deploy circular supply chain without any hindrance. Findings: The identified barriers are: Lack of Top Management Commitment, Government Regulations, Volatile Customer requirements, Wrong business models, and Lack of recyclability facilities. Lack of Top Management Commitment and Wrong Business Models were found as the most Driving barriers and Lack of recyclability facilities was found as the most Driving Barrier. Application: The developed model will be useful for practitioners and industrial experts to fine tune their business models to deploy circularity without any hurdles. Keywords: Barriers, Business Model, Circular Supply Chains, Recyclability, Total Interpretive Structural Modeling

Strategic framework towards measuring a circular supply chain management

PurposeSustainability issues on economic, environmental and social perspectives have drawn attention of environmentalists, ecologists and governments. In this context, circular economy provides an opportunity to transform waste into resources, reduction of production and consumption activities; and reduction of carbon footprints, all at the same time. The purpose of this paper is to develop a strategic framework for measuring circular supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory approach has been used to develop the strategic framework for circular supply chain management.FindingsThis study provides an integrative framework for studying, designing and evaluating circular supply chain management performance matrix.Research limitations/implicationsA conceptual strategic framework has been proposed to measure the performance of circular supply chain management. Further empirical studies may be carried out to validate the framework.Practical implicationsThe conceptual strategic framework provides key indicators for reducing material consumption, reducing waste, reducing carbon footprint and recycling opportunities throughout the supply chain. These may be utilized by practitioners for gaining competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis paper provides insights into development of circular supply chains that provides opportunities for cost reduction and securing competitive advantage for a business in the long run.

Barriers to effective circular supply chain management in a developing country context

Circular supply chain (CSC) emphasises surge in application of reuse, recycling, remanufacturing and thereby promotes transformation from linear to circular model of flow of products. Supply chains of manufacturing industries have become global over the years. Products manufactured in developing nations are being sent to developed nations for mass consumption. Developed nations have regulatory policies, technological knowhow and modern infrastructure to adopt CSC model. Their counterpart is trailing in these aspects. In literature, limited work has been performed on identifying challenges of implementing CSC in developing nations. Therefore, employing literature review and feedback received from experts, 16 important barriers were identified to CSC adoption in India. These barriers were analysed using integrated Interpretive Structural Modelling ? MICMAC approach. The findings will contribute in transforming supply chains thereby bringing economic prosperity, addressing global warming and generating employment opportunities. Finally, crucial policy measures and recommendations are proposed to assist managers and government bodies.

Business models and supply chains for the circular economy

Abstract The Circular Economy is increasingly seen as a possible solution to address sustainable development. An economic system that minimises resource input into and waste, emission, and energy leakage out of the system is hoped to mitigate negative impacts without jeopardising growth and prosperity. This paper discusses the sustainability performance of the circular business models (CBM) and circular supply chains necessary to implement the concept on an organisational level and proposes a framework to integrate circular business models and circular supply chain management towards sustainable development. It was developed based on literature analysis and four case studies. The proposed framework shows how different circular business models are driving circular supply chain in different loops: closing loops, slowing loops, intensifying loops, narrowing loops, and dematerialising loops. The identified circular business models vary in complexity of the circular supply chain and in the value proposition. Our research indicates circular business and circular supply chain help in realising sustainability ambitions.

A new tool for destinations: Tourism-Site, information network for the sustainable development of tourism destinations in Europe www.tourism-site.org, info@tourism-site.org

Circular economy has become a central concept of sustainable production and consumption since its introduction into the public eye. However, to ensure circular economy actually delivers on its promises regarding sustainability, it is vital to anticipate and assess the impact of circular economy practices in an integrated way. For that purpose, holistic assessments are crucial to enable transparent decision-making, clearly indicating possible trade-offs. While previous literature has mainly focused on product, company or country level, this paper contributes to an improved understanding of sustainability assessments on the inter-firm level. Given the vital role of inter-firm networks in the transition to a circular economy, the authors present a systematic literature review of sustainability assessment approaches applicable within circular inter-firm networks. These networks are primarily represented in two related fields relevant to circular economy: industrial ecology offers sustainability assessment approaches for inter- and intra-sectoral business activities at different scales, whereas circular supply chain management is a promising source for sustainability assessment approaches considering product life cycles. Over 100 academic publications are reviewed and categorised according to assessment type, correspondence to the relevant field, and sustainability dimensions addressed. The results demonstrate that life cycle-based methodologies as well as indicator frameworks, often combined with multi-criteria decision-making methods, are the most common ex-post assessment approaches. Concurrently, the most frequent ex-ante assessments are based on mathematical programming. It is further observed that industrial ecology-related publications present more comprehensive environmental assessments, while circular supply chain management literature includes the social dimension more often, but superficially. Overall, the social dimension is least assessed and least integrated into the sustainability assessment. Based on the findings of the review, an integrated framework of approaches is developed, enabling decision-makers to identify suitable sustainability assessment approaches for circular inter-firm networks.