Circular supply chain management: A definition and structured literature review
Muhammad Farooquea b, Abraham Zhanga c✉, Matthias Thürerd, Ting Qud e, Donald Huisinghf g
- aAuckland University of Technology (AUT) Business School, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
- bSukkur IBA University, Sukkur, Pakistan
- cLumen Research Institute, Excelsia College and Indiana Wesleyan University, 69-71 Waterloo Road, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2113, Australia
- dSchool of Intelligent Systems Science and Engineering, Jinan University (Zhuhai Campus), 519070, Zhuhai, PR China
- eInstitute of Physical Internet, Jinan University (Zhuhai Campus), Zhuhai, 519070, PR China
- fDepartment of Engineering Management, POLITECNICO DI MILANO, Italy
- gThe Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
Abstract Circular economy is increasingly recognized as a better alternative to the dominant linear (take, make, and dispose) economic model. Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM), which integrates the philosophy of the circular economy into supply chain management, offers a new and compelling perspective to the supply chain sustainability domain. Consequently, there is increasing research interest. However, a review of the extant literature shows that a comprehensive integrated view of CSCM is still absent in the extant literature. This prohibits a clear distinction compared to other supply chain sustainability concepts and hinders further progress of the field. In response, this research first classifies various terminologies related to supply chain sustainability and conceptualizes a unifying definition of CSCM. Using this definition as a base, it then conducts a structured literature review of 261 research articles on the current state of CSCM research. Based on the review results, the researchers call for further studies in the following directions that are important but received little or no attention: design for circularity, procurement and CSCM, biodegradable packaging, circular supply chain collaboration and coordination, drivers and barriers of CSCM, circular consumption, product liabilities and producer's responsibility, and technologies and CSCM.