Circular supply chains in manufacturing—Quo vadis? Accomplishments, challenges and future opportunities

Abstract

Circular approach in manufacturing supply chain (SC) operations yields multiple benefits through optimal utilisation and consumption of resources. This study maps the scope and structure of circularity in the manufacturing SC discipline and explores the evolution of the domain over time. We review 946 journal articles published between 2013 and September 2023. Our study identifies key drivers and barriers to circular economy (CE) deployment in manufacturing SC operations, bibliometric parameters, emerging research themes, decision support tools, theories and applications. Using the theory extension approach, we propose a strategic framework to fortify the deployment of circularity in SCs. This comprehensive study renders a methodological contribution through combined descriptive content analysis and bibliometric and network analyses to evaluate the circular manufacturing SC operations concepts, theories and applications. We posit that manufacturing firms require to deploy innovation‐led approaches to embed the CE strategies in their SC operations. We find that the studies investigating green skill development and circularity‐culture adoption can facilitate manufacturers to understand the efficacy of circularity in their SC operations. The findings of this study can facilitate the practitioners to identify the links between the CE approaches and their strategic implications and examine CE implementation at the strategic level.

Food wastage and consumerism in circular economy: a review and research directions

“…In recent times, innovation in food waste management and sustainability has received much attention from researchers and practitioners. It is identified that CE approach plays a role in the promotion of innovation in enterprises (Bhattacharya et al, 2024). According to Pan et al (2023), data from Chinese listed companies revealed that the adoption of CE practices can stimulate enterprise innovation output.…”

Relations between supply chain performance and circular economy implementation: A fuzzy cognitive map‐based analysis for sustainable development

“…Organizations are actively seeking novel approaches to reshape their business operations and supply chains, aiming to mitigate negative consequences and enhance value generation for stakeholders. Consequently, the concept of the CE has emerged as a viable alternative, capable of addressing contemporary environmental and social concerns alongside economic progress (Bhattacharya et al, 2024;Sinha, 2022;Tseng et al, 2024).…”

“…Collaboration is essential for overcoming the complexity of implementing circular economy strategies (Bhattacharya et al, 2024). By fostering partnerships and alliances with stakeholders, organizations can pool resources, share knowledge, and develop joint initiatives that address systemic challenges more effectively (Hopkinson et al, 2020;Lahane & Kant, 2021).…”

“…Within CSCs, the pivotal roles of reverse logistics and return management are well established (Puspani et al, 2019;Ripanti & Tjahjono, 2019). Furthermore, realizing a restorative production system founded on perpetual cycles of recirculation and extended product life cycles is fundamental for the realization of the CSC paradigm (Bhattacharya et al, 2024;Leitão et al, 2023), among other contributing factors. This could elucidate why "value optimization," taken individually, wields substantial influence over the SCOR ® attributes.…”

“…A CSC refers to a system of resource management and product distribution designed to minimize waste and maximize sustainability by promoting the continuous reuse, recycling, and refurbishment of materials and products (Das, 2024;Farooque et al, 2019). In a CSC, resources are kept in use for as long as possible through strategies such as closed-loop recycling, remanufacturing, and product lifecycle extension, thereby reducing the reliance on finite resources and minimizing environmental impact (Bhattacharya et al, 2024;De Angelis et al, 2018). Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) and Circular Supply Chain (CSC) share several similarities, particularly in certain practices that overlap between the two concepts (González-Sánchez et al, 2020).…”