Supply Chain Configurations in the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Review Methodology
2.1. Question Formulation
2.2. Locating Studies
2.3. Study Selection and Evaluation
- Conceptual studies that explore and define the CE on an abstract level. This criterion is related to the first research question; exemplary studies discuss definitions and antecedents of the CE.
- Conceptual and empirical studies on implementation of the CE on the micro- or meso-level of firms and SCs. This criterion emerged from the second and third research questions, assuming that non-empirical studies might still provide insight into this relatively young research area.
- Studies that identify drivers and barriers to the implementation of the CE. This criterion similarly aims at the third research question and acknowledges the interconnectedness of the CE—if there are barriers on other levels than the meso-level, these might still impact on the development of the CE on that level.
- Empirical studies on implementation of the CE on the macro-level (cities, regions, industries) that do not refer to how this impacts on or is to be supported by the meso-level. Such studies do not help in answering the second or third research questions as they tend to focus on the design and implementation of a top-down policy on a different level of an analysis.
- Technology and process innovation research that is disconnected from commercial applicability. These studies, while contributing to the implementation of the CE by providing its technological base, are not useful in answering the research questions as their operationalization in SCs or business models is not considered.
- Descriptions of quantitative models targeted at individual industries. While these models provide insight into how individual industries might work under a CE paradigm, they do not offer insight into how such a paradigm is to be implemented on the meso-level.
2.4. Analysis and Synthesis
2.5. Reporting and Using the Results
3. Descriptive Results
3.1. Publication Years
3.2. Targeted Journals
3.3. Article Topics
4. Thematic Results
4.1. Defining the Circular Economy
4.2. Implementing the Circular Economy
4.3. Circular Economy Drivers
4.4. Circular Economy Inhibitors and Enablers
4.4.1. Financial
4.4.2. Technological
4.4.3. Societal
4.4.4. Informational
4.4.5. Institutional
4.5. Circular Economy Supply Chain Configurations
4.5.1. Eco-Industrial Parks
4.5.2. Environmental, Sustainable, and Green Supply Chains
4.5.3. Closed-Loop Supply Chains
5. Discussion
5.1. Discussion of Descriptive Results
5.2. Discussion of Thematic Results
6. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Database | Search String | Application of Search String in Database |
---|---|---|
Web of Science (Core Collection) | (TS = ((circular econom*) AND (supply chain OR (production AND operation*) OR Industrial OR manufactur*))) AND LANGUAGE: (English) AND DOCUMENT TYPES: (Article) | “TS=” refers to Web of Science’s search in titles, abstracts and keywords. A “*” means that any suffix/prefix can be added at the place of *. The search resulted in 215 papers. |
Scopus | TITLE-ABS-KEY((circular AND econom*) AND (supply AND chain OR (production AND operation*) OR industrial OR manufactur*)) AND (LIMIT-TO (DOCTYPE,“ar”)) AND (LIMIT-TO (LANGUAGE,“English”)) | TITLE-ABS-KEY refers to SCOPUS’s search in titles, abstracts, and keywords. The meaning of a “*” is the same as above. The search resulted in 75 papers. |
ProQuest | (ti(circular econom*) AND (supply chain OR (production AND operation*) OR Industrial OR manufactur*) OR ab(circular econom*) AND (supply chain OR (production AND operation*) OR Industrial OR manufactur*) AND LANGUAGE: (English)) AND (at.exact(“Article”) AND stype.exact(“Scholarly Journals”) AND PEER(yes)) | “ti” and “ab” refer to ProQuest’s search in titles and abstracts. The meaning of a “*” is the same as above. The search resulted in 223 papers. However, after further refinement according to the following categories: economics OR circularity OR recycling OR sustainable development OR waste management OR environmental management OR environmental economics OR industrial development OR manufacturing OR supply chains OR supply chain management OR life cycle analysis OR business OR economic models, there were 153 papers remaining. |
Author | Definition |
---|---|
Yuan et al., 2006 [13] | “Although there is no commonly accepted definition of CE so far, the core of CE is the circular (closed) flow of materials and the use of raw materials and energy through multiple phases.” |
Geng et al., 2009 [44] | “The concept of CE has the same essence as industrial ecology, implying a closed-loop of materials, energy and waste flows… It presents a new concept of more sustainable urban economic and industrial development.” |
Chen, 2009 [51] | “To solve the contradiction of limited resources and the increased consuming desire of human being[s], and to make use of natural resources rationally to achieve sustainable development, the circular economic development mode follows the pattern of ecological circulation and is based on the recycling of material resources.” |
Park et al., 2010 [36] | “The Chinese CE policy originated with the IE policy and is built upon the concept of industrial supply chain loop closing” |
Li and Yu, 2011 [59] | “In an attempt to mitigate these difficulties, however, China’s general strategy is one of sustainable development – promoting comprehensive resource conservation and efficient utilization, and clean production: the circular economic model.” |
Hobson, 2016 [79] | “[The CE is] an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design… [and] aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems and business models.” |
Murray et al., 2017 [2] | “The Circular Economy is an economic model wherein planning, resourcing, procurement, production and reprocessing are designed and managed, as both process and output, to maximize ecosystem functioning and human well-being.” |
Zink and Geyer, 2017 [18] | “The core of the circular economy refers to three activities: reuse at the product level (such as ‘repair’ or ‘refurbishment’); reuse at the component level (e.g., ‘remanufacturing’); and reuse at the material level (‘recycling’).” |
Drivers | Comments | Authors |
---|---|---|
Resource efficiency gains increase competitiveness | In light of rising resource and energy prices, efficiency gains translate into financial savings over the long-term | [1,10,13,16,17,20,31,36,40,44,45,46,57,59,63,81] |
New value streams through utilization of by-products and waste | This gives a firm a new source of revenue and minimizes waste treatment and disposal related costs | [1,8,10,13,14,21,26,35,36,37,44,55,81] |
Avoiding regulative costs of environmental pollution and waste | As pollution and waste related externalities are re-directed at firms, they are incentivized to alter their practices | [10,36,45,59,63,68] |
Brand reputation and right-to-operate in global markets | As governments implement stricter environmental regulation, firms can enter and expand in markets more easily if they have environmentally sound management practices | [7,13,14,17,31,36,45,46,57,59,74,79] |
Improved brand reputation with consumers | Could result in the ability to monetize “green” products | [6,8,14,36,37,44] |
Increased business resiliency/reduced risk | By avoiding dependence on price-volatile resources, firms can reduce their business risk on the supply side | [6,16,36] |
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Masi, D.; Day, S.; Godsell, J. Supply Chain Configurations in the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1602. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091602
Masi D, Day S, Godsell J. Supply Chain Configurations in the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability. 2017; 9(9):1602. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091602
Chicago/Turabian StyleMasi, Donato, Steven Day, and Janet Godsell. 2017. "Supply Chain Configurations in the Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review" Sustainability 9, no. 9: 1602. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091602