Interdisciplinary challenges in the circular supply chains: A systematic literature review

Area of Science:

• Supply Chain Management
• Sustainability Studies
• Business Operations

Background:

• Circular Supply Chain (CSC) is gaining traction in academic and practical fields.
• Existing research shows diverse conceptualizations and definitions of CSC within the broader Circular Economy (CE).
• The core aim of CSC is to promote sustainable strategies that move away from environmentally damaging linear models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine trends in Circular Supply Chain (CSC) research over time.
• To define how researchers have conceptualized CSC ideology.
• To identify barriers to CSC adoption in business operations.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review (SLR) of 55 studies was conducted.
• The review synthesizes existing knowledge on supply chains (SCs) and CSC.
• Identified interdisciplinary issues and sub-challenges through SLR.

Main Results:

• Differences in Circular Economy (CE) definitions persist, leading to various research streams.
• Eight significant, interdisciplinary issues and associated sub-challenges for CSC were identified.
• The study highlights the need to balance environmental and economic perspectives in CSC.

Conclusions:

• Despite definitional variations, the goal of CSC remains promoting sustainability.
• Guidelines are provided for future research to address real-world challenges from social, environmental, and economic viewpoints.
• The findings aim to aid the integration of CSC into future practices and approaches.