Production Planning & Control

The Management of Operations

ISSN: 0953-7287 (Print) 1366-5871 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tppc20

In search of a circular supply chain archetype – a

content-analysis-based literature review

Luciano Batista, Michael Bourlakis, Palie Smart & Roger Maull

To cite this article: Luciano Batista, Michael Bourlakis, Palie Smart & Roger Maull (2018) In
search of a circular supply chain archetype – a content-analysis-based literature review, Production
Planning & Control, 29:6, 438-451, DOI: 10.1080/09537287.2017.1343502

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2017.1343502

Published online: 21 May 2018.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 15

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tppc20
Production Planning & Control, 2018
VOL. 29, NO. 6, 438–451
https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2017.1343502

In search of a circular supply chain archetype – a content-analysis-based literature

review
Luciano Batistaa , Michael Bourlakisb, Palie Smartc and Roger Maulld
a
Faculty of Business and Law, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK; bSchool of Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK; cSchool of
Economics, Finance and Management, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; dSurrey Business School, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

This paper addresses questions of how extant research discourses concerning the sustainability of supply Received 17 October 2016
chains contribute to understanding about circularity in supply chain configurations that support restorative Accepted 14 June 2017
and regenerative processes, as espoused by the Circular Economy ideal. In response to these questions, we
KEYWORDS
develop a content-based literature analysis to progress theoretical body of knowledge and conceptualise Circular supply chain; Circular
the notion of a circular supply chain. We derive an archetypal form from four antecedent sustainable Economy; sustainability
supply chain narratives – ‘reverse logistics’, ‘green supply chains’, ‘sustainable supply chain management’ perspectives of supply
and ‘closed-loop supply chains’. This paper offers five propositions about what the circular supply chain chains; restorative processes
archetype represents in terms of its scope, focus and impact. Novel insights lead to a definition of circular
supply chain and a more coherent foundation for future inquiry and practice.

1. Introduction close-loop aspects synonymously under a wider SSCM perspec-

tive (Carter and Rogers 2008; Seuring and Müller 2008; Walker
Over the past few decades, sustainability issues concerning sup-
and Jones 2012).
ply chain operations have gradually occupied a more prominent
Glover et al. (2014, 103) point out that ‘sustainability is a
space within the wide spectrum of managerial topics addressed
concept that is vague, ambiguous, pluralistic, contested, and
by academics, practitioners and policy-makers (Carter and Liane
grounded in different value systems’. A potential problem with
Easton 2011). The growing number of studies in this field has
the ambiguities concerning the ‘sustainability’ notion of supply
created a substantial body of literature in which four sustaina-
chains is the difficulty that practitioners face to design clearly
bility narratives of supply chains have emerged, namely: reverse
sustainable supply chain processes and networks (Eskandarpour
logistics, green supply chains, sustainable supply chain manage-
et al. 2015).
ment (SSCM) and more recently, closed-loop supply chains.
The recent economic perspective of the Circular Economy
At a generic level of analysis, it is possible to associate these
is strongly grounded on social, economic and environmental
narratives with specific emphases, regarding the notion of ‘cir-
sustainability values, calls for further considerations of the sus-
cularity’ in supply chain operations research. Govindan and
tainability of supply chain operations (Genovese et al. 2017). By
Soleimani (2017) and Govindan, Soleimani, and Kannan (2015), for
definition, the Circular Economy refers to industrial production
example, point out that reverse logistics is usually associated with
systems that are restorative and regenerative in purpose, where
supply chains that enable products to flow back into corporate
products, components and materials are kept in the market at
operations, minimising the flows to landfill waste. Green supply
their highest utility and value in the long term (Webster 2015).
chain research is particularly associated with a strong emphasis
This fundamental principle posits a crucial importance on supply
on reducing environmental and ecological impacts of product/
chains supporting circular production models that extend the
process design and development. SSCM engages broader corpo-
life cycle of products, components and useful waste outputs. The
rate governance and management of social responsibility issues
so-called circular business models are shaping the growth of sec-
for supply chain operations. Finally, closed-loop supply chains are
ondary goods markets supported by ‘circular’ supply chains where
associated with ideas that simultaneously consider forward and
organisations from diverse sectors engage more collaboratively
reverse supply chain operations.
(Gurtoo and Antony 2007).
A problematic aspect concerning these four sustainability
The transition to a Circular Economy predicated on busi-
narratives of sustainable supply chains is a general lack of con-
ness models facilitating reverse cycles, cascading of products,
ceptual distinction and in particular, in relation to restorative
by-products and waste outputs requires a refreshed apprecia-
and/or regenerative outcomes. They largely overlap in many of
tion to explore circular supply chain form(s) and their embedded
the phenomena they address, to the extent that scholars refer to
circularities (Dervojeda et al. 2014; World Economic Forum 2014).
them interchangeably and studies consider reverse, green and

CONTACT Luciano Batista [email protected]

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  439

The increased complexity and expanded scope of circular supply Some of the dominant characteristics of productive systems in
chains and their role as enablers of business responses to the the Circular Economy are (Lacy and Rutqvist 2015; Webster 2015):
sustainability imperatives of the Circular Economy deserve a more
• The creation of closed-loop systems where waste to dis-
comprehensive understanding (Batista, Bourlakis, and Maull 2016;
posal processes is minimised through reusing, repairing,
Smart et al., forthcoming).
remanufacturing and recycling processes;
There is momentum for progressing theory by revisiting
• The emphasis is on delivery of functionality and experience
existing sustainable supply chain research in the light of Circular
(value in use) rather than product ownership;
Economy ideal espoused on the global stage. Accordingly, this
• Management approaches that build upon collaborative or
paper analyses extant literatures on sustainable supply chain by
shared consumption model.
considering the main restorative processes underlying the ‘circu-
larity’ features of business models in the Circular Economy. The Such aspirations entail business model innovations that are
following research questions are to be addressed: aimed at extending the life of products (Bocken et al. 2014; Lovins
RQ1: What extant body of knowledge on sustainable supply chains and Braungart 2014), such as: (1) minimisation of product replace-
contributes to our understanding of the circular supply chain ment processes through reuse, repair or remanufacture activities
phenomenon of interest as espoused by the notion of a Circular
and maintenance of stock value through service-life extension
Economy?
activities; (2) goods are sold as services – ‘utilisation value’ replaces
RQ2: What distinctive ‘form(s)’ of a circular supply chain enable ‘exchange value’; and (3) achievement of higher materials effi-
restorative and regenerative processes in Circular Economy business ciency through shared utilisation of goods. In essence, these
ecosystems?
aspects represent restorative and regenerative capabilities of
In response to the research questions, we conduct a con- business models, i.e. their capacity to restore (impart new life and
tent-based systematic literature review (Seuring and Gold 2012; vigour, promote recuperation) and regenerate (recuperate to a
Jia et al. 2014; Gosling et al. 2016) of sustainable supply chain new, usually improved, state) materials (Esty and Simmons 2011).
research. We subsequently develop a conceptualisation of a circu- Both concepts entail the ‘recuperation’ or recovery of materials
lar supply chain archetypal form along with related propositions for further use. As the particular focus of this paper is on specify-
concerning fundamental aspects of circular supply chains. ing an archetypal circular supply chain enabling the recovery of
The remainder of this paper is organised as follows. In the next materials in general, for simplification we will use the terminol-
section, we highlight core restorative and regenerative processes ogy ‘restorative’ to also refer to the ‘regenerative’ capabilities of
of business models in the Circular Economy and the enabling role organisations and related supply chain operations.
of supply chain operations. This provides a basis for exploring A practical translation of the Circular Economy places empha-
‘circularity’ within supply chains aspects that we seek to iden- sis on the purposeful design of the restorative and regenerative
tify in the literature review. In the third section of this paper, capabilities of business models and related supply chain opera-
we develop a content-based review of the literature, describing tions (Dervojeda et al. 2014; Lovins and Braungart 2014; Murray,
the methodology adopted for the selection and analysis of aca- Skene, and Haynes 2017), i.e. a Circular Economy is restorative
demic papers on sustainable supply chains. In the subsequent and regenerative by intention and design (EM Foundation 2012;
section, we introduce a conceptualisation of a circular supply Webster 2015). We draw on the idea of purposeful design in oper-
chain archetype. Finally, the concluding section summarises the ations management research (Brown, Bessant, and Lamming
contributions of the paper and suggests directions for future 2013), which conventionally recognises that design can involve
research. the design of a product, the design of a process and the design
of a supply chain. This three-level stratification offers a helpful
2. Restorative characteristics of the Circular Economy basis to distinguish the restorative opportunities within complex
and the enabling role of supply chains productive systems that seek overall net positive sustainability
impact. More specifically, we imply that the restorative and regen-
A growing body of literature is debating the philosophical par- erative opportunities and practices of new business models in a
adigm of the Circular Economy, establishing the theoretical Circular Economy context can be purposefully designed at three
and practical foundations that place ‘triple bottom line’ sus- distinct levels as follows:
tainability as an inherent aspect of production systems (Lovins
and Braungart 2014). The strong emphasis on the sustainabil- (1) At the level of the product: This level refers to the physical
ity capabilities of organisations is driving the market logic for features of products that allow life expansion and res-
businesses and the way they operate in the economy (Lacy and toration, such as modularity, reparability options, upg-
Rutqvist 2015; Preston 2012). radability and recyclability attributes (EU Commission
The call for a more sustainable economy is not new [see e.g. 2015);
the works of Giarini and Stahel (1989) and Daly (1996)]. There is (2) At the level of the organisation: This level suggests res-
however an unprecedented favourable alignment of technologi- toration processes that take place in an organisation,
cal, political and social factors that are enabling an effective tran- such as reusing, repairing, reconditioning, refurbishing,
sition to a Circular Economy (BEIS Industrial Strategy Green Paper; remanufacturing and recycling processes. The All-Party
EM Foundation 2012). This economic landscape is paving the way Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group (APSRG) dif-
for business model innovations that aim to maximise societal and ferentiates these processes as follows (APSRG 2014):
environmental benefits without detriment to economic benefits. • Reusing: Simple reuse of a product, with no modifications;
440  L. BATISTA ET AL.

• Repairing: Simple fixing of a fault, with no guarantee chains, as the loop flows may not involve returns to the focal
attached to the product as a whole; company. This expanded scope of supply chain operations in the
• Reconditioning: Adjustments made on a product’s compo- Circular Economy calls for further theoretical considerations, as
nents in order to bring it back to working order, but not discussed in the following sections.
necessarily to a ‘like-new’ state; It is important to understand the implications of the circular
• Refurbishing: Large aesthetic improvements on a product, flows advocated by the Circular Economy ideal to the implemen-
which may bring it to a ‘like-new’ state, but with limited tation of sustainable supply chains. As mentioned previously, sup-
functionality improvements; ply chain configurations associated with sustainability matters
• Remanufacturing: A series of manufacturing activities on an have evolved from reverse logistics models, going through green
‘end-of-life’ part or product, in order to bring it to a ‘like- supply chain concepts, to more recent closed-loop supply chain
new’ state that may involve improved functionalities; models.
• Recycling: Transformation of a product’s materials into raw The design of supply chain operations that encourage the
materials for use in new products. flow of products back into productive systems has reignited
research on reverse logistics and its role on enabling business
At industry level: This level suggests restoration through
(3) 
sustainability (Loomba and Nakashima 2012; Beh et al. 2016; Jalil
cascading of used materials and renewable resources
et al. 2016; Parry et al. 2016). Despite enabling reverse flows, we
between firms, engagement in waste and by-product
argue that the reverse supply chain narrative is insufficient to
synergy systems, sharing of resources and infrastruc-
address the wide scope of restorative and regenerative processes
ture, and involvement in industrial symbiosis pro-
and related supply chain configurations that might occur in the
cesses across diverse organisations (Chertow 2007; EU
Circular Economy. For instance, it may also be the case that cir-
Commission 2015).
cular flows through which products, components and materials
The aspects described above are represented in Figure 1, which are fed forward into further production processes. ‘Circular’ flows
illustrates that restorative value chains can take place to recover can comprise reverse (closed-loop) flows as well as forward (open-
two generic types of materials, namely: Biological materials (from loop) flows of products, components and other materials, such as
bio-organic nature) and technical (not bio-organic) materials. An by-products and waste. We therefore imply that circular supply
important aspect of these value chains is the expanded complex- chains refer to logistics and supply chains implementing closed-
ity of the supply chains they involve. For instance, the circular loop and/or open-loop flows inherent in the restorative processes
cycles in restorative value chains are enabled by supply chains of organisations.
that implement material flows from consumption points to pro- Figure 2 illustrates the well-known Ellen MacArthur Foundation
duction points. This is typical of reverse logistics approaches; (EMF) depiction of potential restorative flows enabled by circular
however, it is not necessarily the case of Circular Economy supply supply chains in the context of a Circular Economy idealisation.

Figure 1. Restorative value chains in the Circular Economy. Source: World Economic Forum (2014).
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  441

Figure 2. Restorative flows enabled by circular supply chains. (a) Closed-loop flows (within a supply chain). (b) Open-loop flows (across supply chains). Source: EM
Foundation (2014).

The Figure shows that restorative processes may comprise closed- supply chain designs and processes supporting the circular flows
loop flows which refer to reverse flows involving organisations of materials enabling the restorative capabilities of businesses
within a supply chain of a focus company (Figure 2(a)). These flows (Dervojeda et al. 2014; Lovins and Braungart 2014; Webster 2015),
may also be cascaded through forward open-loop flows linking as described in the previous section.
organisations across other supply chains from other organisations The content-based approach allowed the capture of the main
(Figure 2(b)). This extended scope of the circular supply chain ‘circularity’ narratives emerging from extant sustainable supply
concept encompasses all supply chain loops implementing the chain research and body of knowledge. The approach is a specific
restorative flows a business model implements. This view allows branch of systematic literature review that focuses on qualitative
a more structured characterisation of the complex mix of restor- content/narrative analysis (Seuring and Gold 2012; Jia et al. 2014;
ative supply loops supporting Circular Economy business models. Gosling et al. 2016). This method of systematic literature search
and analysis has been applied in recent supply chain related stud-
ies involving theoretical reviews (Appolloni et al. 2014; Jia et al.
3. Content-based systematic literature review 2014; Gosling et al. 2016).
In general, systematic content-based analysis of literature
3.1. Methodology
within empirical social science can be developed through a quan-
Our initial objective was to identify how reverse, green, closed- titative approach where meta-analysis quantitatively describes
loop and SSCM perspectives relate to sustainability and circu- the manifest content of communication (Seuring and Gold 2012),
lar supply chain features enabling restorative processes such or a qualitative approach where specific content is identified and
as reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling and cascading. This interpreted with basis on theory-driven analysis of fixed com-
provided the basis for the development of an archetypal model munication (Schreier 2014). Given that the heterogeneity of the
of a circular supply chain, which is further characterised by for- subject – in our case, sustainable supply chain perspectives –
mal elaborations of fundamental propositions underpinning its diminishes the applicability of meta-analysis as a method for
core aspects as well as structured logical linkages with its ante- synthesising knowledge (Tranfield, Denyer, and Smart 2003),
cedent perspectives. In methodological terms, this followed a we have adopted the qualitative approach to develop the con-
process of theory building based on knowledge emerging from tent-based analysis. Seuring and Gold (2012) describe the main
a backward-oriented integration of previous evidence (Hoon steps involved in this method, as follows:
2013).
A content-based systematic literature review comprised the (1) Material collection: Delimitation of the material and unit
main methodological approach of the study. This method relates of analysis;
to systematic literature review (Tranfield, Denyer, and Smart 2003) (2) Descriptive analysis: Initial descriptive analysis of the
approaches involving a more orderly and consistent method to material;
map, consolidate and identify gaps in an existing body of knowl- (3) Category selection: Selection of the collected material
edge (Seuring and Gold 2012; Jia et al. 2014; Gosling et al. 2016). according to specific analytic categories or dimensions;
Indeed, this method provided an efficient process to address the (4) Material evaluation: Theoretically based analysis of
first research question, for which the systematic review allowed the material according to the categories previously
a more focused identification of ‘circularity’ features of supply specified.
chains that emerge from main sustainability perspectives of sup- This selective approach provides a helpful methodological
ply chains, namely: (1) reverse logistics, (2) green supply chains, basis for the examination of research work in a systematic way,
(3) closed-loop supply chains and (4) wider SSCM views. In prac- allowing convergence of focus only on the works considered most
tice, the ‘circularity’ aspects of supply chains represent circular significant and relevant to the theoretical aspects being reviewed.
442  L. BATISTA ET AL.

Table 1. Search streams and related search strings (full/truncated). availability and practicability (Bryman and Bell 2015). Practically,
we adopted the rationale that using a reduced number of
A. Sustainability
perspectives of supply B. Supply chain func- C. Restorative
representative databases would facilitate the conduction of
chains tional areas processes the study and the replicability of related outcomes in further
‘reverse’ ‘supply chain*’ ‘reuse’ research. To gauge the representativeness of these two data-
‘green’ ‘logistics’ ‘repair*’ bases, a trial applying search streams A and B on a third well-es-
‘closed loop’ ‘transport*’ ‘recondition*’
‘sustainable’ ‘sourcing’ ‘refurbish*’
tablished database such as the Web of Science has produced a
‘circular’ ‘purchasing’ ‘remanufactur*’ slightly higher number of outcomes than EBSCO and PROQUEST.
‘open loop’ ‘procurement’ ‘recycl*’ However, after application of the selective criteria in Table 2 the
‘cascad*’
outcomes from the Web of Science have converged to results
identical to the selections from across EBSCO and PROQUEST.
We have therefore assumed that using these two databases only
Accordingly, the selective approach was implemented with would not concede significant publication misses and together
basis on the three search streams (A, B and C) as shown in Table 1. they would allow the capture of sufficient relevant publications
Search stream A selected from research publications on sus- on the subject area considered.
tainable supply chains perspectives comprising reverse, green, The selection criteria above specified were intentionally strict,
closed-loop and SSCM perspectives, including direct references with the purpose of narrowing down the body of literature into
to ‘circular’ and ‘open loop’ supply chains. Search stream B selected academic research that particularly contributed to the specific
from research publications on core supply chain functional areas. areas and aspects considered in this study. Criteria 1, 2, 3 and 4
These search streams were further combined with search stream above were implemented through the application of the selective
C, which selected from publications on key restorative processes option functions available on the EBSCO and PROQUEST search
enabled by supply chains. Table 1 shows a detailed list of the engine platforms. Duplicate papers listed by the two databases
search streams and related search strings adopted in the literature were identified through a cross-checking of publications’ title,
selection process. authors and journal name. Selection criteria 5 and 6 were applied
To ensure that as many relevant articles as possible would be via direct analysis of papers’ abstracts and key words. Finally, we
included in the selection process, we applied the search strings did not establish a start date for the selection process, leaving the
in titles, keywords and abstracts of manuscripts from relevant publication period open for selection of the full range of publica-
publication sources. Peer-reviewed articles published in English tions that meet the selection criteria specified in Table 2.
language journals were considered as the unit of analysis, as they The first search process considered publications selected
represent a major communication means among researcher com- according to search streams A ‘AND’ B (Table 1). This resulted in
munities. The selection process was conducted in two stages. First, 457 papers listed by EBSCO and 567 papers listed by PROQUEST,
interfaces between ‘sustainability perspectives of supply chains’ making a total of 1024 papers selected. From this total, 289 papers
and ‘supply chain functional areas’ (i.e. search streams A ‘AND’ B were duplicates, i.e. listed by both databases. Therefore, after sub-
shown in Table 1) were initially selected. Then, the initial selection tracting the duplicates we have identified a total of 735 papers
was narrowed down through a refined selection of papers from selected in the first round.
this group which addressed key restorative processes advocated We refined this initial selection by further selecting papers
by the Circular Economy (i.e. research streams A ‘AND’ B ‘AND’ C). containing one or more of the search strings in stream C (Table
We have applied the selection criteria shown in Table 2 to 1). This process resulted in 220 papers. From this group, 99 were
select papers from two major academic source databases that duplicates and 72 were out of scope (exclusion criteria 5 and 6,
provide access to full text publications, namely: Table 2). After subtracting the duplicates and out of scope papers,
we have finalised the selection phase with a total of 49 papers
EBSCO (Business Source Premier): It provides full text cov-
• 
identified for final in-depth review. We drew from the 49 papers
erage for more than 2,300 journals, including over 1,100
key aspects of the overlapping domains of supply chain sustaina-
peer-reviewed titles;
bility perspectives, functional areas and restorative processes that
• PROQUEST (ABI/INFORM Global): It is one of the most com-
supported the characterisation and the propositional fundaments
prehensive business databases on the market, including
of a circular supply chain archetype that can be used as a basis
in-depth coverage from thousands of publications, most of
for future empirical research.
them in full text.

Although these two databases do not cover all business

3.2. Findings
publications in the market, they provide access to a significant
large number of top tier journals covering the business and eco- Figure 3 presents general descriptive statistics for the 49 papers
nomics areas, including industrial ecology and cleaner produc- selected for content analysis. The publications time frame varies
tion perspectives of organisations. This allowed us to identify from 1992 to 2017, with a noticeable steady increase of publi-
predominant features and viewpoints of different sustainabil- cations after 2011. A growing political, social and scientific con-
ity perspectives of supply chains derived from peer-reviewed cern with the climate change over the last decade is likely to
research publications of high academic standard. From a meth- have influenced such an upsurge of publications on sustainabil-
odological perspective, the selection of these two databases ity issues regarding supply chains.
represented the application of convenience sampling, which is The supply chain sustainability perspectives (stream A, Table
a sample selected by the researcher by virtue of its convenient 1) are fairly balanced between reverse, close-loop and wide SSCM
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  443

Table 2. Literature review selection criteria.

Criteria Inclusion Exclusion Rationale

1. Publication quality Peer-reviewed articles Not peer-reviewed articles Selection of articles with high quality
research and academic rigour
2. Publication Articles written in English Articles written in other languages Selection of articles written in a language
language that most researchers worldwide can
read;
English is a global language for academic
publications
3. Publication length Full-text articles Summarised articles; abstract and citations Full-text articles allow more detailed
only content analysis
4. Publicationtype Empirical and conceptual journal papers General articles from magazines and news- Selection of articles providing empirical
papers, working papers evidence and theoretical contributions
across scientific communications ac-
knowledged by the academic community
5. Publication scope Papers whose research addresses reverse, green, Papers referring to reverse, green, closed- Selection of articles whose main subject
closed-loop and SSCM supply chains perspec- loop and SSCM perspectives of supply area encompasses one or more of the
tives and related functional areas chains as a secondary subject superfi- subject perspectives being considered in
cially considered in a context addressing the research
other organisational aspects/areas
6. Publication focus Papers whose research addresses restorative Papers referring to restorative practices Selection of articles with specific focus on
processes directly related the reuse, repair, that were not considered within a supply the subject areas that are of particular
reconditioning, refurbishing, remanufacturing, chain perspective interest of the research
recycling and cascading/open loop practices

Figure 3. General descriptive aspects of the selected publications.

views, followed by green supply chain perspectives. In terms of ‘circular’ remains minimal and little attention is paid to the role of
circular perspectives (stream C, Table 1) addressed by the pub- supply chains in cascading processes. Only two papers selected
lications, there is a predominant focus on recycling processes develop a relative in-depth discussion of supply chains with
supported by supply chains (50%), followed by a balanced num- close consideration of Circular Economy principles and related
ber of publications focusing on reuse (25%) and recovery (23%) restorative processes. This outcome suggests an opportunity in
processes, which include repair, reconditioning, refurbishing the knowledge base aimed at understanding supply chains in
and remanufacturing. It is worth noting that the use of the term Circular Economy terms.
444  L. BATISTA ET AL.

We have analysed supply chain research papers in accord- which lead to improved environmental and economic perfor-
ance with their sustainability narratives. In this respect, there is mance (Green et al. 2012). Typical restorative processes such as
a substantial body of literature on reverse supply chains linking recycling, repairing, remanufacturing and so forth are studied
reverse logistics with sustainability issues. Such linkages can be from green supply chain viewpoints which usually involve broad
identified in research published more than two decades ago. For perspectives of analysis (Büyüközkan and Çifçi 2012; Mishra,
instance, Pohlen and Theodore Farris (1992) developed a model Kumar, and Chan 2012; Dües, Tan, and Lim 2013) as reflected in
of the reverse logistics channels used in recycling processes of the managerial practices above mentioned.
plastics, in which they include restorative processes involving Although the green supply chain narrative has considerable
collection of recyclable material and retro-manufacturing (use overlap with the SSCM narrative (Wu, Ding, and Chen 2012; Glover
of recycled commodities in manufacturing processes). From their et al. 2014), it remains essentially narrower in scope and oppor-
point of view, reverse chains for recycling are mainly industry-led tunity for innovation (Ahi and Searcy 2013). While the former has
initiatives where customers play a more passive role. They rec- a predominant focus on the environmental dimension of sus-
ognise, however, that shifting responsibility for recycling within tainability, the latter extends the environmental perspective to
the channel and determining the role of the consumer are key include social and economic perspectives that, together, allow
areas where the channel efficiency and structure of the reverse more comprehensive triple bottom line approaches to supply
logistics can improve. chain management (Beske and Seuring 2014; Fabbe-Costes et
A fundamental ‘circularity’ notion of reverse logistics is its role al. 2014). This aspect is acknowledged by Ahi and Searcy (2013,
to implement the movement of materials from consumers back 339), who define SSCM as the:
to producers. This is embedded in its very definition, as described creation of coordinated supply chains through the voluntary inte-
by Rogers and Tibben-Lembke (2001, 130), who define reverse gration of economic, environmental, and social considerations with
logistics as: key inter-organizational business systems designed to efficiently
and effectively manage the material, information, and capital flows
the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, associated with the procurement, production, and distribution of
cost-effective flow of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished products or services in order to meet stakeholder requirements
goods and related information from the point of consumption to and improve the profitability, competitiveness, and resilience of the
the point of origin for the purpose of recapturing value or proper organization over the short- and long-term.
disposal.
Once again distinct from the broad narratives mentioned
Besides recycling, over the years, researchers have been con-
above, the closed-loop narrative is concerned with the appropri-
sidering reverse logistics perspectives related to other alternatives
ate logistics and supply chain structures to support forward and
to disposal processes such as reuse, repairing, reconditioning and
backward flows of products. The restorative flows of materials
remanufacturing (Agrawal, Singh, and Murtaza 2015; Cannella,
considered by this narrative overlap significantly with the reverse
Bruccoleri, and Framinan 2016; Khor et al. 2016). This expanded
perspectives above discussed; however, the reverse logistics and
scope of restorative processes associated with reverse logistics
closed-loop perspectives of supply chains are fundamentally dif-
represents a shift from the predominant focus on single products
ferent in scope and opportunity for innovation. A primary notion
collected and recovered as a whole to wider reverse logistics per-
is that while reverse logistics focuses on the reverse flows of mate-
spectives that consider multiple products and related spare parts
rials from the point of consumption to the point of origin, closed-
(Tahirov, Hasanov, and Jaber 2016). In many cases, returned items
loop supply chains consider forward and reverse supply chains
are disassembled for the recovery of useful components (a pro-
simultaneously (Govindan and Soleimani 2017). In other words,
cess also known as ‘cannibalisation’) that can be used in different
closed-loop supply chain combines forward and reverse supply
restorative processes, after which products are introduced back
chains to cover entire product life cycles from cradle to grave. This
into the market (Lai, Wu, and Wong 2013).
fundamental aspect is reflected in a classic definition provided by
The expanded scope of reverse logistics perspectives led to dif-
Guide and Van Wassenhove (2009, 10), who define closed-loop
ferent sustainability perceptions of supply chains, such as green,
supply chain management as the:
SSCM and closed-loop views. The green perspective puts more
design, control, and operation of a system to maximize value crea-
emphasis on environmental issues concerning supply chains.
tion over the entire life cycle of a product with dynamic recovery of
For van Hoek (1999), the partial and fragmented contributions value from different types and volumes of returns over time.
of reverse logistics research failed to address the application of
Fahimnia et al. (2013) make an explicit link between the closed-
value-seeking and proactive approaches to more ‘green’ supply
loop narrative and restorative circular processes by stating that
chains. Other authors, however, do not see green approaches
closed-loop supply chains incorporate reverse logistics systems
as a departure from reverse logistics perspectives. For instance,
designed to manage the flow of products or parts destined
Tahirov, Hasanov, and Jaber (2016) see reverse logistics as an
for reuse, recycling, remanufacturing or disposal. Das and Rao
important component of green supply chains and the ‘green’
Posinasetti (2015) also connect the closed-loop narrative with
approach to managing supply chains implies a managerial inte-
restorative models that include reprocessing of end-of-life prod-
gration of material and information flows throughout the supply
ucts and disposal of unusable parts. They also link the closed-loop
chain to satisfy customer demand for environmentally friendly
idea with product recovery through refurbishing and repairing
products and services.
options, and materials recovery through recycling processes.
By definition, green supply chains involve traditional supply
The closed-loop supply chain narrative is closely related to ini-
chain management approaches with the additional ‘green’ com-
tial references regarding ‘circular’ supply chains, which assumes a
ponent, which includes managerial practices such as green pur-
broader agenda of product life cycles in order to include post-pro-
chasing, green distribution, green manufacturing and eco-design
duction stewardship. In this sense, circular supply chains entail
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  445

integrated supply chain models in which product returns from Overall, although the literature analysis indicates academic
end consumers go through recovery operations such as reuse, research with direct references to ‘circular’ (or the idea of circular-
repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing or recycling and are ity) in supply chains, its characterisation still remains a marginal
integrated back into forward supply chains (Genovese et al. 2017). venture in the field of supply chain operations management.
According to Krikke, le Blanc, and van de Velde (2004), recov- There is indeed a lack of a conceptualisation of what constitutes
ery options may be applied either in the original supply chain a ‘circular supply chain’ in the context of a Circular Economy ideal.
through closed-loop flows back to the supply chain of the focus Thus far, due to associations with restorative and regenerative
firm or in alternative supply chains through open-loop flows processes, the reverse and closed-loop narratives offer useful
into other forward supply chains. This forward feeding aspect contributions towards theoretical frames that link sustainable
is directly associated with the ‘open-loop’ feature of closed-loop supply chain operations research with Circular Economy princi-
supply chains. Nasir et al. (2017) view such combination of closed ples and praxis. By considering reverse and forward flows, the
an open loops as a ‘quasi-closed’ supply chain system in which closed-loop supply chain narrative in particular offers a useful
the boundary of green supply chain management is extended starting point to represent what might be constructed as circu-
to incorporate the Circular Economy principle of continuous cir- lar supply chain operations. However, the closed-loop narrative
culation of resources. remains insufficient because it does not address wider post-pro-
Table 3 provides a summary of relevant studies that contrib- duction and stewardship operations espoused by the grand ide-
uted to the characterisation of predominant sustainable supply alisation of a Circular Economy, such as, for example, the supply
chain narratives. Many studies overlap in terms of the sustain- chain operations supporting waste flows and by-product syn-
ability perspectives they address. In Table 3, we have grouped ergies linking organisations from diverse sectors. This calls for a
them according to the supply chain conceptualisations, scope sustainable supply chain narrative that connects more adequately
and models they share around reverse, green, SSCM and closed- with the broader industrial ecosystem involving flows of prod-
loop perspectives. ucts, by-products and useful waste. We address this deficiency

Table 3. Illustrative publications for sustainable supply chain operations.

Sustainable supply chain narrative Predominant considerations Related academic articles

Reverse logistics • Movement of materials from consumers to producers (i.e. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics
reverse flows of materials); Management:
• Logistics role to support restorative processes such as • Pohlen and Theodore Farris (1992)
repairing, reconditioning, remanufacturing and recycling, International Journal of Production Economics:
as well as disposal processes • Lai, Wu, and Wong (2013);
• Cannella, Bruccoleri, and Framinan (2016);
• Khor et al. (2016);
• Tahirov, Hasanov, and Jaber (2016)
Journal of Business Logistics:
• Rogers and Tibben-Lembke (2001)
Resources, Conservation and Recycling:
• Agrawal, Singh, and Murtaza (2015)
Green supply chains • Emphasis on general environmental issues concerning International Journal of Production Research:
supply chains; • Mishra, Kumar, and Chan (2012)
• Integration of green practices (e.g. green purchasing, Journal of Cleaner Production:
green distribution, green manufacturing, eco-design, etc.) • Dües, Tan, and Lim (2013)
with traditional supply chain management practices; Production Planning & Control:
• Environmental accreditation of suppliers; • Büyüközkan and Çifçi (2012)
• Supplier process improvement in terms of waste and CO2 Supply Chain Management: An International Journal:
emission reduction • van Hoek (1999);
• Green et al. (2012)
SSCM • More comprehensive triple bottom line approaches to International Journal of Operations & Production Manage-
supply chain management; ment:
• Integration of environmental, social and economic capa- • Fabbe-Costes et al. (2014);
bilities that allow organisations and related supply chains • Zorzini et al. (2015)
to achieve long‐term sustainability performance International Journal of Production Economics:
• Wu, Ding, and Chen (2012);
• Glover et al. (2014)
Journal of Cleaner Production:
• Ahi and Searcy (2013)
Supply Chain Management: An International Journal:
• Beske and Seuring (2014)
Closed-loop supply chains • Logistics and supply chain structures and configurations to California Management Review:
support flows of used and recovered products; • Krikke, le Blanc, and van de Velde (2004)
• Integration of forward and reverse supply chains to cover European Journal of Operational Research:
entire product life cycles from cradle to grave; • Govindan, Soleimani, and Kannan (2015)
• Restorative supply chain models that include reprocessing International Journal of Production Economics:
of end-of-life products and disposal of unusable parts • Das and Rao Posinasetti (2015)
Journal of Cleaner Production:
• Fahimnia et al. (2013);
• Govindan and Soleimani (2017)
Operations Research Informs:
• Guide and Van Wassenhove (2009)
446  L. BATISTA ET AL.

in the next section, where we introduce a conceptualisation of mixed method approaches in circular supply chain studies, where
a circular supply chain archetype that integrates and builds upon predominant case-study approaches are combined or comple-
core features of the four supply chain narratives discussed in the mented by quantitative analysis.
preceding sections.
Further insights captured from the 49 selected publications
4. Fundamental aspects of a circular supply chain
are presented in Table 4, which provides a relative distribution
archetype
of their focus in terms of three aspects: (1) The category of the
material (biological or technical) involved in the supply chains In response to our second research question, we introduce a
they consider; (2) the range of the materials addressed (i.e. focus conceptualisation of a circular supply chain archetype that takes
on a product only or focus on a product and related by-products/ into account the wide spectrum of restorative and regenerative
waste); and (3) the predominant methodological approach they flows advocated by the Circular Economy idealisation. To this
adopt. end, we integrate the dominant features of the existing sustain-
An interesting outcome suggests an overall emphasis on able supply chain narratives (reverse, green, SSCM and closed-
supply chain studies focusing on sustainability related issues loop) to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a
concerning ‘technical materials’, particularly in reverse logis- circular supply chain.
tics publications (95% of the selected papers). There is a slight The ‘closed-loop’ narrative provides a helpful perspective to
increase of studies considering ‘biological materials’ under the represent key circularity aspects of Circular Economy business
‘green’, SSCM and ‘closed loop’ narratives, but these are still pre- models. However, we should be mindful that its propositions tend
dominantly focused on technical materials. A plausible expla- to emphasise reverse (closed-loop) flows, even though ‘open-loop’
nation for this might be that a number of restorative processes flows are also part of the ‘closed-loop’ narrative. Our view is that
(e.g. reuse, repair, refurbishing and remanufacturing) are more embedding ‘open-loop’ flows into the broader conceptualis-
naturally associated with non-biological materials. In what con- ation of ‘closed-loop’ supply chain may appear counter intuitive,
cerns restorative cycles of biological materials, these are usually undermining understanding and the accurate representation of
considered under processes such as extraction of biochemical the circularity features of the supply chains supporting Circular
feedstock, anaerobic digestion/composting and generation of Economy business models.
biogas. In addition, the closed-loop narrative tends to focus more
An important outcome reveals that the reverse, green, SSCM on the flows of main products, to the detriment of by-products
and closed-loop narratives tend to focus on the flow of one main and useful waste flows. This is evident in the definition of closed-
product only. This outcome provides a valuable insight regard- loop supply chain management provided by Guide and Van
ing the characterisation of studies considering the sustainability Wassenhove (2009), who, as previously mentioned, point out that
of supply chains in the context of a Circular Economy. Due to closed-loop supply chains support value creation systems derived
the broad scope and stronger emphasis the Circular Economy from entire product life cycles and related returns. Following from
posits on resource efficiency, the supply chains analysed from this, we suggest that the fundamental distinction between the
the Circular Economy perspective usually take into account a ‘closed-loop’ and the ‘circular’ supply chain perspective lies in
spectrum of restorative cycles involving not only the main prod- the scope and the focus of their associated value chain systems.
ucts, but also the related by-products and useful waste. They also Hence, we suggest the following propositions:
commonly consider the economic dimension of sustainability Proposition 1: Circular supply chains represent an expansion of the
alongside with the environmental and the social dimensions. This closed-loop narrative of sustainable supply chains in terms of scope
augmented complexity might help to explain the preference for and focus of the value chain systems they consider.
In terms of scope,
Proposition 2: Circular supply chains extend the boundaries of closed-
loop supply chains by taking into account post-production steward-
Table 4. Further characterisation of the selected publications’ focus. ship to include forward feeding flows into alternative supply chains.
% of papers In terms of focus,
Closed Proposition 3: Circular supply chains support sustainable value chain
Reverse Green SSCM loop Circular systems derived not only from products and their end of life returns,
Restorative Biological 5 30 20 25 35 but also from associated by-product synergies, services and waste
cycles materials flows.
Technical 95 70 80 75 65
materials These fundamental propositions help us to specify a definition of
Materials Main 95 75 75 90 – circular supply chain, as follows:
consid- product
ered Main 5 25 25 10 100 The coordinated forward and reverse supply chains via purposeful
product, business ecosystem integration for value creation from products/
by-prod- services, by-products and useful waste flows through prolonged life
uct & cycles that improve the economic, social and environmental sustain-
waste ability of organisations.
Method- Quantita- 90 70 50 60 –
ological tive Based on the definition above, we can infer that circular supply
approach Qualitative 10 30a 50 40 100a chains entail the integration of the main original supply chain
a
The qualitative approach usually involves some quantitative analysis within wider with additional restorative supply chains supporting the imple-
case study/LCA approaches. mentation of materials recovery processes. The original supply
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  447

chain refers to the traditional forward supply chain supporting Therefore,

core production processes of organisations. The restorative sup- Proposition 5: Circular supply chains should be designed to maximise
ply chains refer to two restorative cycles: (1.) The reverse sup- restorative and regenerative processes downstream.
ply chains supporting closed-loop cycles of products (returns) We state these propositions herein in a formal and explicit
and components back to the organisation in focus and (2.) the manner with the intention of building theory through a cumula-
forward open-loop cycles supporting cascading flows of mate- tive logic process (Hoon 2013) to provide novel contribution for a
rials to organisations outside the original supply chain (Krikke, wider audience from distinct disciplines. Thus, our definition and
le Blanc, and van de Velde 2004; Dervojeda et al. 2014; Tahirov, propositions represent conceptual building blocks that aggregate
Hasanov, and Jaber 2016). This scenario is illustrated in Figure 4, fragmented ideas into formal and explicit explanations (Meredith
which represents a generic archetype of a circular supply chain 1993). In doing so, our insights add to the growing body of knowl-
and the different types of material flows it involves. In the figure, edge in the field.
the primary materials are the raw materials used in the core pro- Table 5 connects the core circular flows in the specified arche-
duction process of an organisation. The recovered materials are typal model (Figure 4) with some specific studies considered in
the returned products, parts, components, as well as by-prod- the literature analysed and related theoretical aspects.
ucts and useful waste that can be used as inputs in further pro- Circular supply chain is considered a collective term for the
duction processes. The secondary materials are materials such coordinated forward and reverse supply chains, as indicated in
as used products, parts, components, by-products and useful the definition of circular supply chain proposed. More specifi-
waste that can be used in restorative processes for the produc- cally, a circular supply chain comprises a series of supply chain
tion of secondary products (e.g. repaired, reconditioned, refur- processes which are expected to improve the life span of prod-
bished, remanufactured or recycled products). ucts and enable core restorative and regenerative processes
The supply chain archetype above also points out typical being implemented by business model innovations that aspire
product recovery loops in circular supply chains. A fundamen- to Circular Economy ideas (Lovins and Braungart 2014; World
tal aspect to highlight here concerns the peculiar aspects of the Economic Forum 2014). The forward and reverse flows can be
recovery loops that take place at different levels, and involve implemented through traditional and restorative/regenerative
different actors, across the supply chain. For instance, the loops supply chains. To facilitate understanding, Figure 5 provides a
downstream, particularly the ones at ‘end consumer’ level, typi- logical, structured and holistic representation of the ‘tradition-
cally involve product reuse (a subject largely discussed under the al-restorative/forward-reverse’ supply chains that form in a cir-
‘sharing economy’ theme) and product repair initiatives. By their cular supply chain.
turn, remanufacturing processes usually involve loops linking We finalise our discussion by summarising the fundamental
consumers downstream with manufacturers upstream. premises concerning a circular supply chain archetypal form in
These loop differentiations are important because they are terms of sustainability, design and value chain composition.
claimed to have different levels of ‘resource efficiency’ in terms of
their impact in the context of a Circular Economy (Stahel 2010). • Sustainability: It expands the closed-loop perspective of
That is, although all possible restorative and regenerative loops supply chains by considering value creation chains derived
enabled by circular supply chains are important, the ‘inner loops’, not only from products and related end of life returns, but
i.e. the ones downstream the supply chain, are claimed to be the also from by-products and useful waste flows recovered
ones that generate less environmental impact because they from reverse or forward cascading chains. It involves triple
require less reprocessing of materials (Stahel 2010; Dervojeda et bottom line approach to improve the economic, social and
al. 2014). We formally elaborate on this notion by suggesting the environmental sustainability of organisations.
propositions below. • Augmented design complexity: It requires coordinated
Proposition 4: In a circular supply chain, inner loops involve restor- integration of the traditional supply chain with restor-
ative and regenerative processes that minimise (re)processing of ative supply chains supporting the implementation of
materials/resources. restorative processes involving forward and reverse flows.

Figure 4. A circular supply chain archetype.

448  L. BATISTA ET AL.

Table 5. Circular supply chain linkages with previous studies and related theoretical aspects.

Archetypal element Previous studies Related theoretical aspects

Circular flow of recovered materials back upstream the • Green et al. (2012) • Creation of reverse or closed-loop systems where
supply chain • Wu, Ding, and Chen (2012) waste to disposal processes are minimised through
• Lai, Wu, and Wong (2013) reusing, repairing, remanufacturing and recycling
• Glover et al. (2014); processes
• Das and Rao Posinasetti (2015) • Design of supply chains implementing flow of prod-
• Cannella, Bruccoleri, and Framinan (2016) ucts back into productive systems
• Khor et al. (2016) • Environmental sustainability of supply chains
• Tahirov, Hasanov, and Jaber (2016)
Circular flow of recovered materials at end consumers • Rathore, Kota, and Chakrabarti (2011) • Productive systems that emphasise delivery of
levels • Sampson and Spring (2012) functionality and experience, rather than product
• Sigala (2014) ownership
• Kortmann and Piller (2016) • Productive systems that build upon collaborative or
shared consumption approaches
• Achievement of higher materials efficiency through
shared utilisation of goods
Cascading (forward flows) of secondary materials to other • Park, Sarkis, and Wu (2010) • Development of restorative capabilities of businesses
producers outside the supply chain in focus • Rizzi et al. (2013) at the level of industry
• Leigh and Li (2015) • Involvement in industrial symbiosis processes across
• Genovese et al. (2017) diverse organisations
• Nasir et al. (2017) • Cascading of used materials and renewable resources
between firms, engagement in waste and by-product
synergy systems

phenomenon of interest as espoused by the notion of a Circular

Economy? and (2) What distinctive ‘form(s)’ of a circular supply
chains enable restorative and regenerative processes in Circular
Economy business ecosystems?
In response to our questions, we conducted a content-anal-
ysis-based literature review on existing sustainability narra-
tives of supply chains and major restorative and regenerative
processes advocated by the Circular Economy ideal. We derive
an archetypal form from four antecedent sustainable supply
chain narratives – ‘reverse logistics’, ‘green supply chains’, ‘sus-
tainable supply chain management’ and ‘closed-loop supply
chains’. We subsequently offer five propositions about what
the circular supply chain archetype represents in terms of its
scope, focus and impact. Novel insights lead to a definition
of circular supply chain and a more coherent foundation for
future inquiry and practice. In doing so, the paper contributes
to a recent call by the academic community for the develop-
Figure 5. Structured integration of component supply chains in the wide circular ment of integrative theories surrounding SSCM (Markman and
supply chain context. Krause 2016).
The conceptual aspects here developed have practical implica-
Furthermore, it may involve several loops of recovery mate- tions. For instance, we emphasise the importance of coordinated
rials for a number of different restorative processes (e.g. integration of distinct value chains (traditional and restorative/
reuse, repairing, reconditioning, refurbishing, remanufac- regenerative) comprising a circular supply chain. It is also impor-
turing, recycling and cascading). tant to stimulate restorative processes downstream. This is pos-
• Downstream design: In terms of resource-efficiency, circular sible by designing products that facilitative reuse and repair
supply chains should be designed to favour restorative pro- processes close to end consumers. Product modularisation in
cesses downstream. this context becomes an essential strategy (Mikkola and Skjøtt-
• Value chain composition: It comprises traditional and restor- Larsen 2004), which can be supported by the circular supply chain
ative supply chains involving forward and reverse value archetype characterised in this paper.
chains of primary and secondary materials. The research developed here is not exempt from limitations.
The content-based method and related selective approach to
developing the systematic literature review allowed us to focus
5. Conclusion
on key contributions to the research topic. Nonetheless, the selec-
This paper addresses the following two research questions: (1) tion process may have been too strict and overlooked other key
What extant body of knowledge on sustainable supply chains papers in the area, hindering a more comprehensive analysis.
contributes to our understanding of the circular supply chain The papers here analysed are far from stressing the full range of
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  449

contributions and different perspectives in the area. For example, Palie Smart, PhD, is a professor in Operations and
there is a growing evidence of businesses implementing restora- Innovation Management. Her research interests are
focussed on new models of innovation for sustainable
tive processes based on by-product and waste material synergies
business in partnership with Cambridge University and
involving industrial symbiosis collaborations. Future research may the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
want to discuss these business models and related circular supply Council. Previous works have been published in world
chains in the light of the conceptualisation and propositions here leading and internationally excellent journals including
introduced. Research Policy, British Journal of Management,
International Journal of Operations and Production
The Circular Economy advocates a certain ‘resource efficiency’
Management, International Journal of Management Reviews, R&D
hierarchy for the restorative loops discussed in the paper, claiming Management and International Journal of Production Economics. She is an
that ‘inner cycle’ loops are more environmentally friendly (Stahel appointed member of prestigious UK Innovation Caucus to provide thought
2010; Dervojeda et al. 2014). Although there is a coherent logic leadership to Innovate UK, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
in this assertion (see Propositions 4 and 5), future replication and and Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The caucus is a
new research policy body developed to support sustainable innovation-led
validation studies are welcomed.
economic growth across the UK.
Another important topic for further research concerns the
Roger Maull is a professor of Management Systems in
sustainability efficiency of ‘closed’ and ‘open’ loops. A key debate
the University of Surrey Business School and a founder
between proponents of the Circular Economy and other experts member of Surrey’s Centre for the Digital Economy (CoDE).
in the sustainability arena lies in the fact that not all ‘circular’ pro- He joined Surrey in October 2014 after 16 years at the
cesses are more sustainable than ‘open loop’ processes and vice University of Exeter where he was the head of Department
versa. The archetypal circular supply chain model here developed of Management and founded the centre for Innovation
and Service Research (ISR). Since joining surrey his research
provides a helpful frame of reference of closed and open loops
has entered a new phase: considering the implications of
to support future research addressing this debate from a supply the Digital Revolution for businesses and society.
chain angle.
An in-depth discussion of the configurational challenges of
circular supply chains and the network of actors engaged in ORCID
different restorative business models is also an important area Luciano Batista http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0367-2975
for further research. As Bocken et al. (2014) point out, sustain-
ability value is not created by firms acting in isolation, but by
a group of actors acting together through formal and informal References
arrangements. Circular Economy business models and their Agrawal, Saurabh, Rajesh K. Singh, and Qasim Murtaza. 2015. “A Literature
related circular supply chains comprise a wide set of stake- Review and Perspectives in Reverse Logistics.” Resources, Conservation
holders that require a broader value chain outlook that take and Recycling 97: 76–92. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.02.009.
into account the collaborative ties for developing and enacting Ahi, Payman, and Cory Searcy. 2013. “A Comparative Literature Analysis of
Definitions for Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management.” Journal
the restorative and regenerative capabilities espoused by the
of Cleaner Production 52: 329–341. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.02.018.
Circular Economy. Appolloni, Andrea, Hui Sun, Fu Jia, and Xiaomei Li. 2014. “Green
Procurement in the Private Sector: A State of the Art Review between
1996 and 2013.” Journal of Cleaner Production 85: 122–133. doi:10.1016/j.
Disclosure statement jclepro.2014.08.106.
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. APSRG. 2014. Remanufacturing: Towards a Resource Efficient Economy.
London: All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group.
Batista, Luciano, Michael Bourlakis, and Roger Maull. 2016. “Business Models
Notes on contributors in the Circular Economy and the Enabling Role of Supply Chains.” 23rd
European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), Trondheim,
Luciano Batista, PhD, is an associate professor of Norway, June 17–22.
Operations Management in the Faculty of Business and Beh, Loo-See, Abby Ghobadian, Qile He, David Gallear, and Nicholas O’Regan.
Law, University of Northampton, UK. He is a chartered 2016. “Second-life Retailing: A Reverse Supply Chain Perspective.” In
member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. Vol. 21, edited by
Transport (CILT) UK, member of the European Operations Vikas Kumar, Marlene Amorim, Arijit Bhattacharya, and Jose Arturo Garza-
Management Association (EurOMA), editorial board Reyes, 259–272. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/
member for the International Journal of Supply Chain SCM-07-2015-0296.
and Operations Resilience. His research focuses mainly Beske, Philip, and Stefan Seuring. 2014. “Putting Sustainability into Supply
on the sustainability of operations and supply chains, Chain Management.” In Supply Chain Management: An International
new business models in the circular economy, and the interface between Journal. Vol. 19, edited by Stefan Schaltegger and Roger Burr, 322–331.
the circular and the digital economy. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/SCM-12-2013-
0432.
Michael Bourlak is the director of Demand Chain
Bocken, N. M. P., S. W. Short, P. Rana, and S. Evans. 2014. “A Literature and
Management Community & head of Centre for Logistics &
Practice Review to Develop Sustainable Business Model Archetypes.”
Supply Chain Management at Cranfield School of
Journal of Cleaner Production 65 (Feb.): 42–56. doi:10.1016/j.
Management, Cranfield University, UK. He is a fellow of
jclepro.2013.11.039.
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK. He has an
Brown, Steve, John Bessant, and Richard Lamming. 2013. Strategic Operations
applied, industry-led research perspective examining logis-
Management. 3rd ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
tics and supply chain management issues via multi- and inter-
Bryman, Alan, and Emma Bell. 2015. Business Research Methods. 4th ed.
disciplinary lenses. His work has appeared in leading supply
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
chain management, marketing and business journals.
450  L. BATISTA ET AL.

Büyüközkan, Gülçin, and Gizem Çifçi. 2012. “Evaluation of the Green Supply Govindan, Kannan, and Hamed Soleimani. 2017. “A Review of Reverse
Chain Management Practices: A Fuzzy ANP Approach.” Production Logistics and Closed-loop Supply Chains: A Journal of Cleaner Production
Planning & Control 23 (6): 405–418. doi:10.1080/09537287.2011.561814. Focus.” Journal of Cleaner Production 142: 371–384. doi:10.1016/j.
Cannella, Salvatore, Manfredi Bruccoleri, and Jose M. Framinan. 2016. jclepro.2016.03.126.
“Closed-loop Supply Chains: What Reverse Logistics Factors Influence Govindan, Kannan, Hamed Soleimani, and Devika Kannan. 2015. “Reverse
Performance?” International Journal of Production Economics 175: 35–49. Logistics and Closed-loop Supply Chain: A Comprehensive Review to
doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.01.012. Explore the Future.” European Journal of Operational Research 240 (3):
Carter, Craig R., and P. Liane Easton. 2011. “Sustainable Supply Chain 603–626. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2014.07.012.
Management: Evolution and Future Directions.” In International Journal Green, Kenneth W., Pamela J. Zelbst, Jeramy Meacham, and Vikram S.
of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. Vol. 41, edited by Bhadauria. 2012. “Green Supply Chain Management Practices: Impact on
Michael Crum, 46–62. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Performance.” Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 17 (3):
doi:10.1108/09600031111101420. 290–305. doi:10.1108/13598541211227126.
Carter, Craig R., and Dale S. Rogers. 2008. “A Framework of Sustainable Guide, Daniel, and Luk N. Van Wassenhove. 2009. “OR FORUM – The Evolution
Supply Chain Management: Moving toward New Theory.” International of Closed-loop Supply Chain Research.” Operations Research 57 (1): 10–18.
Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 38 (5): 360–387. doi:10.1287/opre.1080.0628.
doi:10.1108/09600030810882816. Gurtoo, Anjula, and S. J. Antony. 2007. “Environmental Regulations.”
Chertow, Marian R. 2007. “‘Uncovering’ Industrial Symbiosis.” Journal of Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 18 (6):
Industrial Ecology 11 (1): 11–30. doi:10.1162/jiec.2007.1110. 626–642. doi:10.1108/14777830710826676.
Daly, Herman E. 1996. Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable van Hoek, Remko I. 1999. “From Reversed Logistics to Green Supply Chains.”
Development. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 4 (3): 129–135.
Das, Kanchan, and Nageswara Rao Posinasetti. 2015. “Addressing doi:10.1108/13598549910279576.
Environmental Concerns in Closed Loop Supply Chain Design and Hoon, Christina. 2013. “Meta-synthesis of Qualitative Case Studies: An
Planning.” International Journal of Production Economics 163: 34–47. Approach to Theory Building.” Organizational Research Methods 16 (4):
doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.02.012. 522–556. doi:10.1177/1094428113484969.
Dervojeda, K., D. Verzijl, E. Rouwmaat, L. Probst, and L. Frideres. 2014. Clean Jalil, Emy Ezura A., David B. Grant, John D Nicholson, and Pauline Deutz.
Technologies – Circular Supply Chains. Business Innovation Observatory 2016. “Reverse Logistics in Household Recycling and Waste Systems: A
Report. Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry. Brussels: Symbiosis Perspective.” In Supply Chain Management: An International
European Commission. Journal. Vol. 21, edited by Vikas Kumar, Marlene Amorim, Arijit
Dües, Christina Maria, Kim Hua Tan, and Ming Lim. 2013. “Green as the Bhattacharya, and Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, 245–258. Bingley: Emerald
New Lean: How to Use Lean Practices as a Catalyst to Greening Your Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/SCM-02-2015-0056.
Supply Chain.” Journal of Cleaner Production 40: 93–100. doi:10.1016/j. Jia, Fu, Richard Lamming, Marco Sartor, Guido Orzes, and Guido Nassimbeni.
jclepro.2011.12.023. 2014. “Global Purchasing Strategy and International Purchasing Offices:
EM Foundation. 2012. Towards the Circular Economy: Economic and Evidence from Case Studies.” International Journal of Production Economics
Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition. Ellen MacArthur 154: 284–298. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.09.007.
Foundation Report. Cowes: Ellen MacArthur Foundation. http://www. Khor, Kuan Siew, Zulkifli Mohamed Udin, Thurasamy Ramayah, and Benjamin
ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/Ellen- T. Hazen. 2016. “Reverse Logistics in Malaysia: The Contingent Role of
MacArthur-Foundation-Towards-the-Circular-Economy-vol.1.pdf. Institutional Pressure.” International Journal of Production Economics 175:
EM Foundation. 2014. Towards the Circular Economy – Volume 3: Accelerating 96–108. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.01.020.
the Scale-up across Global Supply Chains. Ellen MacArthur Foundation Kortmann, Sebastian, and Frank Piller. 2016. “Open Business Models
Report. Cowes: Ellen MacArthur Foundation. and Closed-loop Value Chains: Redefining the Firm-consumer
Eskandarpour, Majid, Pierre Dejax, Joe Miemczyk, and Olivier Péton. 2015. Relationship.” California Management Review 58 (3): 88–108. doi:10.1525/
“Sustainable Supply Chain Network Design: An Optimization-oriented cmr.2016.58.3.88.
Review.” Omega 54: 11–32. doi:10.1016/j.omega.2015.01.006. Krikke, Harold, Ieke le Blanc, and Steef van de Velde. 2004. “Product
Esty, Daniel C., and P. J. Simmons. 2011. The Green to Gold Business Playbook: Modularity and the Design of Closed-loop Supply Chains.” California
How to Implement Sustainability Practices for Bottom-line Results in Every Management Review 46 (2): 23–39.
Business Function. New Jersey: Wiley. Lacy, Peter, and Jakob Rutqvist. 2015. Waste to Wealth. Basingstoke: Palgrave
EU Commission. 2015. “Closing the Loop – An EU Action Plan for the Circular Macmillan.
Economy.” Communication 0614. Brussels: European Commission. Lai, Kee-hung, Sarah J. Wu, and Christina W. Y. Wong. 2013. “Did Reverse
Fabbe-Costes, Nathalie, Christine Roussat, Margaret Taylor, and Andrew Logistics Practices Hit the Triple Bottom Line of Chinese Manufacturers?”
Taylor. 2014. “Sustainable Supply Chains: A Framework for Environmental International Journal of Production Economics 146 (1): 106–117.
Scanning Practices.” International Journal of Operations & Production doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.03.005.
Management 34 (5): 664–694. doi:10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0446. Leigh, Michael, and Xiaohong Li. 2015. “Industrial Ecology, Industrial
Fahimnia, Behnam, Joseph Sarkis, Farzad Dehghanian, Nahid Banihashemi, Symbiosis and Supply Chain Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study
and Shams Rahman. 2013. “The Impact of Carbon Pricing on a Closed-loop of a Large UK Distributor.” Journal of Cleaner Production 106 (Nov.): 632–
Supply Chain: An Australian Case Study.” Journal of Cleaner Production 59: 643. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.022.
210–225. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.06.056. Loomba, Arvinder P. S., and Kenichi Nakashima. 2012. “Enhancing Value in
Genovese, Andrea, Adolf A. Acquaye, Alejandro Figueroa, and S. L. Koh. 2017. Reverse Supply Chains by Sorting before Product Recovery.” Production
“Sustainable Supply Chain Management and the Transition towards a Planning & Control 23 (2–3): 205–215. doi:10.1080/09537287.2011.591652.
Circular Economy: Evidence and Some Applications.” Omega 66 (Jan.): Lovins, Amory, and Michael Braungart. 2014. A New Dynamic – Effective
344–357. doi:10.1016/j.omega.2015.05.015. Business in a Circular Economy. 2nd ed. Cowes: Ellen MacArthur
Giarini, Orio, and Walter R. Stahel. 1989. The Limits to Certainty: Facing Risks in Foundation Publishing.
the New Service Economy. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Markman, Gideon D., and Daniel Krause. 2016. “Theory Building Surrounding
Glover, J. L., D. Champion, K. J. Daniels, and A. J. D. Dainty. 2014. “An Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Assessing What We Know,
Institutional Theory Perspective on Sustainable Practices across the Dairy Exploring Where to Go.” Journal of Supply Chain Management 52 (2): 3–10.
Supply Chain.” International Journal of Production Economics 152: 102– doi:10.1111/jscm.12105.
111. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.12.027. Meredith, Jack. 1993. “Theory Building through Conceptual Methods.”
Gosling, Jonathan, Fu Jia, Yu Gong, and Steve Brown. 2016. “The Role of International Journal of Operations & Production Management 13 (5): 3–11.
Supply Chain Leadership in the Learning of Sustainable Practice: Toward doi:10.1108/01443579310028120.
an Integrated Framework.” Journal of Cleaner Production 137: 1458–1469. Mikkola, Juliana H., and Tage Skjøtt-Larsen. 2004. “Supply-chain Integration:
doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.10.029. Implications for Mass Customization, Modularization and Postponement
 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL  451

Strategies.” Production Planning & Control 15 (4): 352–361. doi:10.1080/09 Schreier, Margrit. 2014. “Qualitative Content Analysis.” In The Sage Handbook
53728042000238845. of Qualitative Data Analysis, edited by Uwe Flick, 170–183. London: Sage
Mishra, N., V. Kumar, and F. T. S. Chan. 2012. “A Multi-agent Architecture Publications. doi:10.4135/9781446282243.n12.
for Reverse Logistics in a Green Supply Chain.” International Journal of Seuring, Stefan, and Stefan Gold. 2012. “Conducting Content‐analysis
Production Research 50 (9): 2396–2406. doi:10.1080/00207543.2011.581003. Based Literature Reviews in Supply Chain Management.” In Supply
Murray, Alan, Keith Skene, and Kathryn Haynes. 2017. “The Circular Economy: Chain Management: An International Journal. Vol. 17, edited by Richard
An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Concept and Application in a Wilding, 544–555. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Global Context.” Journal of Business Ethics 140 (3): 369–380. doi:10.1007/ doi:10.1108/13598541211258609.
s10551-015-2693-2. Seuring, Stefan, and Martin Müller. 2008. “From a Literature Review to a
Nasir, Mohammed Haneef Abdul, Andrea Genovese, Adolf A. Acquaye, S. C. Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Supply Chain Management.”
L. Koh, and Fred Yamoah. 2017. “Comparing Linear and Circular Supply Journal of Cleaner Production 16 (15): 1699–1710. doi:10.1016/j.
Chains: A Case Study from the Construction Industry.” International jclepro.2008.04.020.
Journal of Production Economics 183 (Jan.): 443–457. doi:10.1016/j. Sigala, Marianna. 2014. “Customer Involvement in Sustainable Supply
ijpe.2016.06.008. Chain Management.” Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 55 (1): 76–88.
Park, Jacob, Joseph Sarkis, and Zhaohui Wu. 2010. “Creating Integrated doi:10.1177/1938965513504030.
Business and Environmental Value within the Context of China’s Circular Smart, Palie, Stefan Hemel, Fiona Lettice, Richard Adams and Steve Evans.
Economy and Ecological Modernization.” Journal of Cleaner Production 18 Forthcoming. “Pre-paradigmatic Status of Industrial Sustainability: A
(15): 1494–1501. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.06.001. Systematic Review.” International Journal of Operations and Production
Parry, Glenn C, Saara A. Brax, Roger S. Maull, and Irene C. L. Ng. 2016. Management.
“Operationalising IoT for Reverse Supply: The Development of Use- Stahel, Walter R. 2010. The Performance Economy. 2nd ed. London: Palgrave-
visibility Measures.” In Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. MacMillan.
Vol. 21, edited by Vikas Kumar, Marlene Amorim, Arijit Bhattacharya, and Tahirov, Nail, Parviz Hasanov, and Mohamad Y. Jaber. 2016. “Optimization of
Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, 228–244. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Closed-loop Supply Chain of Multi-items with Returned Subassemblies.”
Limited. doi:10.1108/SCM-10-2015-0386. International Journal of Production Economics 174: 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.
Pohlen, Terrance L., and M. Theodore Farris. 1992. “Reverse Logistics in ijpe.2016.01.004.
Plastics Recycling.” International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Tranfield, David, David Denyer, and Palminder Smart. 2003. “Towards
Management 22 (7): 35–47. doi:10.1108/09600039210022051. a Methodology for Developing Evidence-informed Management
Preston, Felix. 2012. A Global Redesign? Shaping the Circular Economy. Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review.” British Journal of Management
London: Energy, Environment and Resource Governance – Chatham 14 (3): 207–222. doi:10.1111/1467-8551.00375.
House Briefing Paper Series. https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/ Walker, Helen, and Neil Jones. 2012. “Sustainable Supply Chain Management
chathamhouse/public/Research/Energy,EnvironmentandDevelopment/ across the UK Private Sector.” In Supply Chain Management: An
bp0312_preston.pdf. International Journal. Vol. 17, edited by Assistant, 15–28. Bingley: Emerald
Rathore, Pragam, Srinivas Kota, and Amaresh Chakrabarti. 2011. Group Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/13598541211212177.
“Sustainability through Remanufacturing in India: A Case Study on Mobile Webster, Ken. 2015. The Circular Economy – A Wealth of Flows. Cowes: Ellen
Handsets.” Journal of Cleaner Production 19 (15): 1709–1722. doi:10.1016/j. MacArthur Foundation Publishing.
jclepro.2011.06.016. World Economic Forum. 2014. Towards the Circular Economy: Accelerating the
Rizzi, Francesco, Irene Bartolozzi, Alessandra Borghini, and Marco Frey. Scale-up across Global Supply Chains. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
2013. “Environmental Management of End-of-Life Products: Nine Factors Wu, Guo-Ciang, Jyh-Hong Ding, and Ping-Shun Chen. 2012. “The
of Sustainability in Collaborative Networks.” Business Strategy and the Effects of GSCM Drivers and Institutional Pressures on GSCM
Environment 22 (8): 561–572. doi:10.1002/bse.1766. Practices in Taiwan’s Textile and Apparel Industry.” International
Rogers, Dale S., and Ronald Tibben-Lembke. 2001. “An Examination of Journal of Production Economics 135 (2): 618–636. doi:10.1016/j.
Reverse Logistics Practices.” Journal of Business Logistics 22 (2): 129–148. ijpe.2011.05.023.
doi:10.1002/j.2158-1592.2001.tb00007.x. Zorzini, Marta, Linda Hendry, Fahian Huq, and Mark Stevenson. 2015.
Sampson, Scott E., and Martin Spring. 2012. “Customer Roles in Service “Socially Responsible Sourcing: Reviewing the Literature and its Use of
Supply Chains and Opportunities for Innovation.” Journal of Supply Chain Theory.” International Journal of Operations & Production Management
Management 48 (4): 30–50. doi:10.1111/j.1745-493X.2012.03282.x. 35 (1): 60–109. doi:10.1108/IJOPM-07-2013-0355.