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Evolving trajectories of circular
supply chain domain: a citation
path analysis
Soumya Varma
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur, Paonta Sahib, India
Nitin Singh
Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, Ranchi, India, and
Justin Zuopeng Zhang
Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The enormous amount of waste generated and the scarcity of natural resources worldwide have
encouraged societies and industries to adopt the Circular Supply Chain (CSC) concept. With a focus on zero-
waste generation, Circular Economy (CE) mimics the ecosystem cycle as an alternative to the traditional linear
economic model. This paper aims to investigate the evolution of research themes in this research area, hence,
trace the trajectory of development in the field of CSC.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors conduct scientometric analysis using Pajek and VOSviewer
software to identify key themes in the Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) field. The Citation Path
Analysis (CPA), including Main Path and Local Path analysis, has been followed by a critical review of the
papers. This paper includes highlighting the interrelationships between the information flows in the topic of
study as well as an analysis of keywords co-occurrence.
Findings –The analysis of keywords co-occurrence revealed that the earlier years of research in CSC were
more inclined toward value chain, stakeholders and green supply chains, whereas, in recent years, topics like
logistics, Industry 4.0 and food supply chain have been more focused upon. Further, the Main Path Analysis
(MPA) revealed an evolving trajectory that examines challenges and opportunities in CSC, the economic
aspects of implementing CSC, the impact on the firm’s revenue growth and collaboration between multiple
echelons of a supply chain and Industry 4.0.
Research limitations/implications –The adoption of scientometrics analysis unveils the hidden flow of
information, various themes of research and their interconnections. The development of research trajectories
and progressive attention paid to certain topics is also discovered. The research findings could be used by
researchers for further theoretical and research development.
Originality/value –This paper traces the path of development in the field of CSC and its emerging trends and
provides a thorough understanding of the same. It enables research scholars to conduct an in-depth study in the
CSC domain, adding to the body of literature.
Keywords Circular supply chain, Citation path analysis, Zero-waste, Sustainability,
Keyword co-occurrence clusters
Paper type Research article
1. Introduction
Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) is defined as the integration of Supply Chain
Management (SCM) into the Circular Economy (CE) (Di Maria et al., 2022;Belhadi et al., 2022;
Genovese et al., 2017). A more elaborate definition is given by Farooque et al. (2019a), stating
that CSCM aims at zero waste through the systematic restoration of technical materials and
regeneration of biological materials. This zero-waste-vision can be achieved through
business model innovations and improvement in Supply Chain (SC) functions ranging from
the design of products and services to end-of-life and management of waste. These activities
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Conflict of interest: All authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interest in the submitted work.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1741-0398.htm
Received 22 March 2023
Revised 11 July 2023
Accepted 11 September 2023
Journal of Enterprise Information
Management
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1741-0398
DOI 10.1108/JEIM-03-2023-0147
involve all stakeholders, including society, consumers, manufacturers and service providers.
Circular Supply Chain (CSC) aims to judiciously use natural resources in accordance with the
3Rs, i.e. reduce, reuse and recycle to ensure minimal wastage (Tseng et al., 2018). A CSC
supports improving environmental performance by enabling value recovery, i.e. taking back
goods from the SC into the same SC and utilizing these in auxiliary SCs to ensure zero waste
generation (Farooque et al., 2019a).
The concept of CE was also promoted by Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in 2014 to
ensure that products are used at their highest possible utility considering their biological as
well as technical cycles (EMF, 2014). It is evident that integrating CE with SCM is
advantageous for implementing Sustainable Supply Chains (SSC) (Lu et al., 2022;Nasir et al.,
2017). Servitization is seen as one of the ways to enhance circularity. A product service
systems business model is found to be an enabler of CSCM (K€
uhl et al., 2019). Digital
technologies and their vital role in enabling CE in a supply chain have been explored by
scholars (Sharma et al., 2022).
According to The World Bank (WB), the amount of “solid waste”generated in the year
2016 was about 2.01 billion tons which is expected to increase by 70% to 3.4 billion tons in
2050, with more than 30% of it being poorly managed with respect to the environmental
impact. On average, a human being generates 0.74 kilograms of waste per day worldwide,
which is alarmingly high (Kaza et al., 2022). In the past few years, landslides of waste dumps
have led to pathetic sites of people residing nearby facing serious health issues (Kaza and
Yao, 2018;Merzdorf, 2020). Poor waste management is a threat to human development
worldwide. Negligence in waste management has left oceans of the world contaminated,
destroying underwater eco-systems and adversely impacting economic development (WB,
2018). Moreover, climate change has become a major concern, and greenhouse gases emitted
from waste are seen as a major contributor to the problem (Kaza et al., 2018). The traditional
linear cycle of take, make, use and dispose of has resulted in perilously high levels of waste
generation (Rajput and Singh, 2019). The linear SC depletes natural resources and disposes of
End of Life (EoL) products from various stages of the SC, resulting in environmental
pollution. The importance of moving toward sustainable SC has been recognized by both
industry and academia. Sustainability has become integral to management decisions and has
provoked myriad discussions in academic literature (Larsen et al., 2022;Shakib et al., 2022).
The dangerously increasing waste generation and its detrimental environmental impact have
urged companies to adopt SSC management. The circular approach has been integrated with
SCM to give birth to the concept of CSCM.
It is abundantly clear that CSCM has an important role to play in the sustainability of this
planet. Hence, it is important to understand the evolution of research in this area which is the
primary objective of this study. By understanding the evolution of research, one can assess
the major themes which have been studied. This will also help identify studies that have had a
major impact on research in the field of CSCM. Consequently, this can help to carry out future
research in CSCM.
This paper makes several contributions to the domain of CSCM. It carries out a
comprehensive study of the literature available on CSCs in engineering or management. With
the help of scientometrics analysis, the key themes that have been researched are identified
and discussed. The main path presented in the paper gives emerging research trends and
opportunities for researchers to delve deeper into the study topic. The keyword co-occurrence
analysis identifies keywords and clusters in the extant literature on CSCM.
The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 illustrates the literature review. Section 3
elaborates on data and research methodology, followed by Section 4, which describes the
keyword analysis, and an elaborate discussion on CPA. Key findings of the study are
presented in Section 5, and limitations and future directions for work are stated in Section 6.
Finally, Section 7 concludes the study.
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2. Literature review
The traditional linear economic model has led to rising waste generation and vanishing
natural resources. The huge amount of waste generation has resulted in the exhaustion of
natural deposits and made it a misfit for the circular economic model (Genovese et al., 2017).
Sustainability can be a way to reduce the destruction caused by reckless amounts of waste
generation. Seuring and Muller (2008, p. 1700) define sustainability as “the management of
material, information and capital flows as well as cooperation among companies along the
supply chain while taking goals from all three dimensions of food development, i.e. economic,
environmental and social, into account which are derived from customer and stakeholder
requirements.”Several concepts, such as SSC (Menon and Ravi, 2022;Jain et al., 2022), green
SC (Gawusu et al., 2022), closed-loop SC (Garai and Sarkar, 2022) and other concepts related to
sustainability have been discussed in the literature (Horne and Fischter, 2022;Seuring and
Mullar, 2008). But a comprehensive definition of CSC has been put forward by Farooque et al.
(2019a, p. 884), who defined CSCM as the “integration of circular thinking into the
management of the supply chain and its surrounding industrial and natural ecosystems. It
systematically restores technical materials and regenerates biological materials toward a zero-
waste vision through system-wide innovation in business models and supply chain functions
from product/service design to end-of-life and waste management, involving all stakeholders in
a product/service lifecycle, including parts/product manufacturers, service providers,
consumers, and users.”A decade ago, Harte (1995) claimed that separating the
environment from economic and production systems is not possible. Zhang et al. (2021)
reiterated how integrating CE into SCM can help achieve the vision of zero waste generation.
Achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) has been frequently discussed in the
literature, stating the challenges faced in the business environment (Popkova et al., 2022;
Thompson and Bunds, 2022;McCullough and Murfree, 2022). A contrast between the model
of CE and non-linear production was highlighted by Sehnem et al. (2019a).Ayati et al. (2022)
have discussed the barriers to the adoption of CSC with a recovery perspective, while Mangla
et al. (2018) and Luthra et al. (2022) identified the barriers for developing nations. Few studies
have focused on industry-specific barriers to the implementation of CSC. Sharma et al. (2023)
examined the barriers prevailing in the Oil and Gas industry, while a study by Kazancoglu
et al. (2022) investigated the barriers in the textiles industry. Rizos and Bryhn (2022) have
elaborated upon the enablers of CSCM in the electrical and electronic equipment sector, while
Khan and Ali (2022) listed enablers in the pharmaceutical sector. Coordination and
collaboration within a supply chain are critical facilitators for harnessing CSC’s benefits
(Tseng et al., 2022;Khan and Ali, 2022). Sudusinghe and Seuring (2022) conducted a review to
highlight the role of supply chain collaboration in improving its circular performance. Supply
chain coordination and improved communication between different supply chain echelons
can effectively overcome the challenges in achieving a CE (Bag and Rahman, 2021). Agrawal
et al. (2023) used a game theoretic approach to understand the coordination problem in a
supply chain with two echelons. Their study revealed the efficient impact of extended
product and resource value in implementing a circular business model.
Lahane et al. (2020) reviewed journals over the last decade and highlighted the gaps in the
literature and potential future research areas. One such area is exploring the budding
developments of Industry 4.0 and mapping it to CE as a step toward achieving SDGs (Patyal
et al., 2022). The role of Industry 4.0 in strengthening SC integration is evident from the study
by Di Maria et al. (2022). The impact of digital technologies is proven to be an effective enabler
for CE (Han et al., 2023). A review conducted by Toth-Peter et al. (2023) explored the transition
process of a linear business model into a circular business model. Further, the authors
propose digitalizing business models to better implement CE. Quayson et al. (2023) proposed
a blockchain-driven framework to highlight cause-effect relationships to highlight the role of
seizing, sensing and reconfiguring dynamic capabilities. Godinho et al. (2022) investigated
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
how SCM performance could be enhanced by the relationship between Industry 4.0 and the
CE. On the other hand, Tang et al. (2022) took a holistic view to study how Industry 4.0 acts as
a business management strategy enhancing environmental sustainability.
A rise in environmental destruction and a threat to sustainability is seen because of the
Food Supply Chain (FSC), given its high greenhouse emissions and large energy consumption
(Zamuz et al., 2021). The adverse impact of information hiding in an FSC was highlighted by
Mangla et al. (2021), while Ersoy et al. (2022) noted the impact of knowledge sharing on FSCs.
Research conducted by Dossa et al. (2022) for the British FSC revealed that financial
considerations are the primary driver behind adopting CE practices, while institutional risk,
lack of existing laws and policies were the major barriers to Agri-FSC identified by Mehmood
et al. (2021).Ada et al. (2021) proposed Industry 4.0 solutions to the barriers of FSC. The role of
reverse logistics in the FSC was noted as a potential solution to enhance circularity (Munch
et al., 2021).
The end goal of CE is to attain sustainable growth while nullifying the damage done to the
environment. In this context, Lamba et al. (2023) reviewed the literature to explore studies
where CE led to sustainable development. Nayal et al. (2022) studied how CSC performance
may be improved to achieve SDGs. Implementing a CSC with outsourced logistics operations
is crucial for sustainable development (Zarbakhshnia et al., 2023). With a similar aim of
achieving sustainable growth in the European Union, Georgescu et al. (2022) investigated the
causalities of CE and economic developments and analyzed their dependencies.
2.1 Research problem
The concept of CSCM is relatively new, and research in this field is still nascent. The
enormous amount of waste generation gives rise to an urgent need to move toward
sustainable growth, and hence an in-depth study into the various aspects of CE is
required. Though a few research studies have been undertaken related to CSCM, there is
a need to understand how this research has evolved over time (Zhang et al., 2021;Lahane
et al., 2020). This will give us an understanding of the aspects of CSCM already studied
and the new themes which are evolving and need to be studied further. The research
problem has been based on the rationale that by using bibliometric techniques to
understand the evolution of research, it is possible to identify major sub-themes in CSCM
research. The analysis can also help quantitatively analyze the impact of research
studies. Certain keywords in CSCM research can be identified. Understanding the impact
of certain research studies and identifying important keywords and clusters can help
guide future research in this field.
To the best of our knowledge, no published research is available that reviews the flow of
information in the field of CSCM research using Citation Path Analysis (CPA). This paper is
an attempt to fill this gap and tries to answer the following research questions:
RQ1. What are the evolving trajectories of development and information flow in the
CSCM field?
RQ2. What are the themes focused upon in literature and their timelines for CSCM?
RQ3. What are the keywords and clusters for the research carried out on CSCM?
2.2 Research contribution
This study has the following proposed contributions.
(1) While the paper studies the evolution of research in CSCM, it also serves as a
literature review for this field of study as it does an exhaustive review of existing
research carried out over the past several years.
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(2) It identifies major sub-themes which have been researched in CSCM. Doing this can
help any researcher or practitioner understand important concepts relevant to CSCM.
Identifying important keywords used in these research studies and clusters further
enhances understanding of CSCM.
(3) A study of how the evolution of research in CSCM has occurred helps in knowing
current trends in this field. This can be useful for both academicians and industry
practitioners. While academicians can employ this knowledge for further research in
CSCM, it can guide practitioners to identify topics for sponsored research that can
directly benefit the industry.
3. Method and material
The existing literature on CE and CSC has been reviewed to reveal the various research
themes. With the help of bibliometric data, researchers get an opportunity to analyze the
evolution in the topic of study and hence uncover interrelationships among key themes
existing within current literature (Singh et al., 2022). However, all these traditional reviews
and contemporary meta-bibliometric analytical approaches leave the reader underfed with
the inherent complexities and flow of information within a system (Henrique et al., 2019). As
defined by Nalimov and Mul’chenko (1969),“scientometrics”refers to a cybernetic approach
to the “development of science”using “quantitative methods of research,”which overcome
the limitations of existing review methods. This paper presents a scientometrics analysis to
analyze research on CSCM worldwide and adds to the body of literature using an objective
map of scientific knowledge.
3.1 Data
Bibliographic data collected from the Scopus database has been used in the study. The range
of data collected extends from the year 2006 to the year 2023. The choice of the database has
been made owing to a wider range of research papers in the Scopus database as compared to
other databases such as Web of Science (WoS) and Google Scholar (Zhao et al., 2018).
Moreover, the relatively faster indexing process of Scopus leads to the retrieval of more recent
publications, making it a clear choice over other databases (Van Eck and Waltman, 2010).
Several combinations of keywords were tried, and different filters were used to find the
most appropriate string of keywords to be searched. These have been provided in Table 1.
After analyzing the relevance of results obtained from the search, the search string
selected was as follows: Topic of search5(“circular economy”AND “supply chain”). The
presence of inverted commas ensured the presence of “circular economy”as one phrase and
“supply chain”as another. The absence of inverted commas would have rendered irrelevant
results. The AND operator is used to ensure the presence of both the phrases in the document
title, abstract, or keywords of the research paper, as this study was limited to the field code,
TITLE-ABS-KEY. All subject areas were included in the search as the topic of CSC is relevant
Keywords Number of papers retrieved Field code
“Circular supply chain”328 Title-key-abstract
(“Circular supply chain”)OR(“circular economy”) AND
(“supply chain”)
2,128 Title-key-abstract
“Circular economy”AND “supply chain”2040 Title-key-abstract
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Table 1.
Keywords searched
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
for management and fields like engineering or environmental science. Bibliometric data was
exported into a separate file in comma-separated values (CSV) format. A similar search was
conducted with the keywords “circular supply chain”with the restriction on field code as
TITLE-ABS-KEY. The study is aimed to investigate the evolution of research themes in the
research area of CSCs, hence, trace the trajectory of development in the field. The chosen
keywords (“circular economy”AND “supply chain”;“circular supply chain”) give a holistic
view of studies combining the concept of CSC as well as any supply chain operating in a CE.
The inclusion of a greater number of keywords would have diluted our study. The results
obtained were exported in CSV format. Subsequently, results from both searches were
combined into a single file for analysis. In order to remove any duplicate entries from the
consolidated file, software written in Python was used for de-duping. The final consolidated
file after de-duping consisted of 1952 research papers.
3.2 Methodology
With the help of keywords, the key content of an article can be known (He, 1999;Zhu and Hua,
2017). This paper analyses keyword co-occurrence to highlight the trending topics in the field
of CSCM. In the technique of keyword co-occurrence analysis, each keyword is represented as
a node and the co-occurrence of a pair of words as a link. The network helps uncover
meaningful knowledge components and insights based on the patterns and strength of links
between keywords that appear in the literature (Radhakrishnan et al., 2017). Using
VOSviewer, co-occurrence analysis was performed using the unit of analysis as “all
keywords.”
Researchers have used different techniques to carry out bibliometric analysis. Some
researchers have used bibliographic coupling for citation analysis (Wudil and Muhammad,
2023;Ruggeri et al., 2019). Two research papers are said to be bibliographically coupled if
both of them cite one or more documents in common. Others have used the co-citation
technique, proposed by Small in 1973, aiming to map a research field’s structure by analyzing
groups of commonly cited documents (Singh et al., 2020). This technique is more likely to
capture older contributions and well-established scholars rather than the forefront of the
research (Kashani et al., 2023).
The third technique is the Main Path Analysis (MPA), and the work by Hummon and
Doreian (1989) is widely accepted for carrying out scientometric analysis. The technique
identifies prominent trajectories in the evolution of research in a field due to the rich
information provided by the citations of each research paper.
This paper uses Main Path Analysis (MPA) to form a map of scientific knowledge. This
method weighs the network according to the significance of nodes (Hummon and Doreian,
1989). MPA traces the noteworthy paths in a citation network and hence traces the trajectory
of development in the field of research (Liu and Lu, 2012).
The applications used to conduct MPA include VOSviewer and Pajek. The exported
bibliographic data from Scopus was read in VOSviewer to visualize the network of various
research papers. This data was saved in a format suitable for Pajek in which the MPA was
conducted. MPA, proposed by Hummon and Doreian (1989), identified the trajectory of
research work conducted in the selected field. Also, the various studies carried out in the field
were placed in chronological order to clarify their evolution and ensure better visualization of
the research direction. Further, Search Path Count (SPC) algorithm proposed by Batagelj
(2003) added to the research by discovering main paths using different methods (Liu and Lu,
2012). In order to clarify the concept, a conceptual framework of the main path is shown in
Figure 1. The research methodology adopted in the paper is summarized in Figure 2.
In Figure 1, each node on the main trajectory represents a research paper. The arrow
connecting the nodes points toward the cited paper from the citing paper giving the direction
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in which knowledge flows. The node having only outward links, i.e. nodes A and B, are
known as Source nodes. These research works (represented by A and B) are cited by other
researchers but do not cite research on the main path. On the other hand, Sink refers to the
node that only cites other research and is not cited by any other. In Figure 1, nodes H, F and G
represent Sink nodes. The rest of the nodes between the Source and the Sink, such as C, D and
E, are called intermediate nodes. Intermediate nodes cite other papers and are cited by other
nodes as well, giving rise to alternating paths.
The number of times a link is traversed can be known by SPC. As shown in Figure 1, the
SPC of link DE is equal to 2 as it is the intermediate link for two paths, ACDEF and BCDEF.
A link with a higher value of SPC depicts a greater role in knowledge transmission.
The path with the largest “overall traversal counts”constitutes the global main path,
whereas the local main path results from the “priority first search algorithm”(Hummon and
Doreian, 1989). A holistic view of the significance of the flow of knowledge is obtained
through the global main path, while the local main path is limited to presenting the
progressing importance at each step. The papers attracting a maximum number of followers
represent the local forward path, while the backward local path gives weightage to papers
that borrow ideas from a larger number of sources. Finally, the convergence of the target field
is indicated by the consistency of the two paths (Liu and Lu, 2012). Various main paths may
be merged to form a complex network which can further be simplified by a method proposed
by Hummon and Carley (1993).
The forward main path includes searching from Source to Sink, whereas the backward
main path traces the trajectory from the latest paper to the earliest one. Backward searching
gives meaningful analysis only in the case of “local main path search”(Liu and Lu, 2012). For
example, at node C, two links emanate from it, D and E. The link with greater SPC, i.e. CD, is
selected for further search. Performing these steps iteratively forms the local main path, a
combination of ACDH, ACDEF, BCDH and BCDEF. In order to find the backward main path,
backward searching begins from the Sink nodes, i.e. H, F and G. The link FE is chosen for
further search. Backward local main paths found in this case are ACDH, ACDEF, BCDH
and BCDEF.
However, while finding the main path, a situation may arise where the link having the
greatest traversal count does not appear in the main path. In such a case, the key route
A F
H
D
C
G
B
3
2
4
2
3
3
1
2
E
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 1.
Conceptual framework
illustrating MPA
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
algorithm is helpful, which searches from both ends of the key route. According to Figure 1,
the link CD with SPC 4 comprises the key route. Now, starting from the endpoints of the key
route, a backward search is conducted to hit the Source node and a forward search aims at
hitting the Sink node. ACDH and ACDEF are some of the key route main paths.
4. Analysis
4.1 Keyword co-occurrence analysis (cluster analysis)
A keyword co-occurrence map has been created using VOSviewer and shows the number
of documents in which a keyword occurs. Different keywords are depicted by nodes, and
the connecting link indicates the relation between keywords. The strength of each link is
Major themes of
research
Collect Literature and Explore Bibliographic Data
Define Search Keys
“Supply Chain”
AND “Circular
Economy”
“Circular Supply
Chain”
Scopus
Database
Determine Timeline-
Document type
De-duping using Python
1218 Papers
Build Citation Network
Key-words occurrences
and Network
Visualization
(VOSviewer)
Citation Path Analysis
(using Pajek)
Scientometric Analysis using
Forward and Backward, Key-route,
Global-Local Path Analysis and
Research Path Count Al
g
orithm
Import Net file
Chronological Research Evolution
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 2.
CSC development over
the past decade
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represented by a numerical value; the higher the numerical value, the stronger the link
(Van Eck and Waltman, 2022). The keyword co-occurrence analysis consists of 364 nodes.
Considering the unit weight of each link, the number of links is 19,623 with total link
strength of 58,373. Further, 6 clusters can be seen on the map. Each cluster comprises
different keywords with varying weights where weights depict their importance. The
significance of weights can be seen as the prominence of nodes on the map (Van Eck and
Waltman, 2022,pp.6–7). The final keyword co-occurrence network is shown in Figure 3.
To ensure that the clusters formed using thekeywordsarenotclutteredand,atthe
same time, are not scarcely spread, a threshold value to the number of keyword
occurrences is applied. The minimum number of occurrences necessary for a keyword to
appear in the network was set to 10. The threshold chosen ensures heterogeneity among
the clusters formed and, at the same time, maintains homogeneity within the clusters.
Applying this threshold value led to the formation of six clusters which have been
summarized in Table 2. The clusters formed in VOSviewer were exported to MS Excel for
further analysis.
4.1.1 Cluster 1. Cluster 1, the mother cluster, is “waste management.”The need for a CSCM
arises due to the enormous waste generated. Waste dumps in landfills are polluting the
environment. Thus, waste management is crucial. The cluster includes lifecycle assessment
and longevity of the life of products. This could be done by remanufacturing, refurbishing
and recycling products. Genovese et al. (2017) developed a life cycle assessment methodology
capable of analyzing total emissions, including indirect and direct lifecycle emissions from
resources that were used and later recovered. Utilizing waste is important for accomplishing a
zero-waste economy; hence, to utilize waste from one company in another was focused upon
(Łex;kawska-Andrinopoulou et al., 2021). Cao et al. (2022) developed an eco-innovation
framework emphasizing the lifecycle analysis of products. In an analysis of risk related to CE
performance, Chimmwal et al. (2021) found waste management and adverse economic impact
to be among the major risk categories.
Figure 3.
Keyword co-
occurrences network
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
4.1.2 Cluster 2. Cluster 2, which has been named a “circular economy,”indicates the
deposition of zero waste in landfills. This could be achieved by recycling and reusing
products and preventing the wastage of food. A circular blockchain platform capable of
redistributing, recycling and remanufacturing products was designed by Centobelli et al.
(2022).Łex;kawska-Andrinopoulou et al. (2021) highlighted the need to utilize waste from one
company in another, thus, emphasizing the significance of the 3Rs—reduce, reuse and
recycle. Both barriers and enablers have been identified in the literature. A study by De
Olivera et al. (2019) focused on barriers to implementing CSCM. Lack of awareness among
people and insufficient infrastructure were identified as major barriers in Expanded
Polystyrene (EPS) supply chain. Enablers for implementing circularity include support from
top management, environment-friendly organizational culture and collaboration across the
supply chain echelons (Ciccullo et al., 2023;Tseng et al., 2021).
4.1.3 Cluster 3. The third cluster is named “closed loop supply chain”that incorporates a
green supply chain, reverse logistics and remanufacturing. These practices minimize the
deposition of waste to landfill. Kazancoglu et al. (2021) highlight that the green performance
of reverse logistics significantly impacts the FSC and eventually contributes toward CE. The
study by Bekrar et al. (2021) gives insights into the transportation, blockchain and reverse
logistics nexus. The need for logistics providers to incorporate flexible and reliable green
processes was recognized by Gupta et al. (2022).
4.1.4 Cluster 4. Cluster 4 identifies papers that discuss the various impacts of CSC on the
environment and economy. The industry is concerned with achieving both: environmental
benefits and economic benefits. Hence, this cluster is named “sustainable and economic
impacts.”Masi et al. (2017) and Genovese et al. (2017) highlighted the need to decouple economic
growth from environmental disruption and proposed CSCM as a potential solution for this
decoupling. Integrating green SCM into the existing traditional supply chain can reduce carbon
emissions and balance economic growth and ecological balance (Nasir et al., 2017).
4.1.5 Cluster 5. Cluster 5 includes keywords related to resource efficiency and is named
“value creation.”The cluster discusses improving business processes by including additive
manufacturing, three-dimensional printing (3DP) and sustainable production practices.
Xiong et al. (2022) studied 3DP from the point of view of the non-manufacturers such as
logistics providers. It shows how business may improve due to 3DP. Growth in a firm’s
revenue and maximum resource utilization are a few outcomes of practicing sustainable
production (Kumar et al., 2022).
Cluster
number Size
Range of publication
year Themes discussed Name of cluster
1 97 2018–2021.923 Lifecycle assessment, food wastage,
carbon footprint
Waste Management
2 90 2018.185–2022.364 Sustainable development,
environmental management, economic
and social effects
Circular economy
3 65 2016.700–2022.000 Closed loop, reverse logistics, recycling,
remanufacturing
Closed loop supply
chain
4 49 2018.500–2021.333 Ecological balance, environmental
economics, sustainability
Sustainable and
economic impacts
5 41 2018.308–2022.091 Material flow analysis, resource
efficiency, energy efficiency
Value creation
6 22 2018.073–2022.194 Blockchain, artificial intelligence,
Internet of things, big data
Industry 4.0
Source(s): Authors’own creation/work
Table 2.
Keyword co-
occurrence clusters
JEIM
4.1.6 Cluster 6. Cluster 6, named “Industry 4.0”, emphasizes that technological
development is important in implementing a CSC.
Cwiklicki and Wojnarowska (2020)
explored the relationship between Industry 4.0 and CE. Similar findings by Rajput and Singh
(2019) stated that integration of CE and reverse logistics can be made easy using Industry 4.0
solutions. Mastos et al. (2021) explored the role of Industry 4.0 in building circular business
models. Cui et al. (2021) noted the significance of energy efficiency and maximization of
service life which can be achieved through Industry 4.0. Chen et al. (2022) described the
enabling role of Industry 4.0 in implementing CSCM.
The most prominent clusters are the first three clusters (clusters 1, 2 and 3) with the maximum
weight of “total link strength”as 1996, 8,563 and 6,562, respectively, and the maximum research
published in 2020. The earlier part of the research is more focused on waste management and
utilizing resources efficiently (clusters 1, 3, 4 and 5), while the recent researches are more inclined
toward logistics, Industry 4.0 and maintaining ecological balance (cluster 2, cluster 6).
4.2 Citation path analysis
MPA is a bibliometric method that quantifies the citation relations and traces the trajectory of
evolution (Leydesdorff and Wouters, 1999). Sections 4.2.1 to 4.2.4 discuss the local paths
(forward and backward), the global main path and the global key-route path, respectively.
The local paths highlight the most influential connections; hence these paths choose the local
maximum. On the other hand, the main path concentrates on the path with the overall largest
value rather than the most influential link. However, these paths combined may not highlight
some of the highly influential nodes. Hence, key-route path analysis is carried out to show the
detailed trajectory of the evolution of CSCM. Following these paths, one can understand the
various fields the topic has diverged into. The global main path has the largest “overall
traversal counts,”whereas the local main path is limited to presenting the progressing
importance at each step. The papers attracting a maximum number of followers represent the
forward local path, while the backward local path gives weightage to papers that borrow
ideas from a larger number of sources. If a situation arises where the link having the greatest
traversal count does not appear in the main path, the key route algorithm is helpful, which
searches from both ends of the key-route path. The distribution of papers across global and
local main paths is shown in Figure 4. The citation network of research papers forming the
main path is discussed in this section. Figures 5–8represent the forward local, backward
local, global and global key-route main paths, respectively.
4.2.1 Local, global and key route main paths. The Venn diagram in Figure 4 represents the
papers included in forward local, backward local, key route global and the global main path.
The forward local main path has 19 exclusive papers (Rejeb and Appolloni, 2022;Dolatabad
et al., 2022;Kayikci et al., 2022;Xiong et al., 2022;Wuni and Shen, 2022;Saroha et al., 2020,
2022;Majumdar et al., 2022;Shaikh et al., 2022;Tseng et al., 2021;Kumar et al., 2021;Mina
et al., 2021;Dulia et al., 2021;Ethirajan et al., 2021;Chhimwal et al., 2021;Sundgreen, 2020;
Kanan et al., 2020;Ciulli et al., 2020;Khan et al., 2022;Canning, 2006) while the backward main
path has 25 exclusive papers (Zhu et al., 2010,2011;Sehnem et al., 2019b;Dev et al., 2020;
Bekrar et al., 2021;Khan et al., 2021a,b;Kazancoglu et al., 2021;Khan et al., 2021a;Dongfang
et al., 2022;Alves et al., 2022;Xie et al., 2022;Dwivedi and Paul, 2022;Mukherjee et al., 2021;
Acerbi et al., 2022;Gong et al., 2022a,b;Percin et al., 2022;Pannila et al., 2022;Formentini et al.,
2022;Centobelli et al., 2022;Yontar, 2023;Kouhizadeh et al., 2023;Dwivedi et al., 2023;Le,
2023) and seven papers exclusive to the global key route path (Mastos et al., 2021;Cui et al.,
2021;
Cwiklicki and Wojnarowska, 2020;Rajput and Singh, 2019;Mangla et al., 2018;Nasir
et al., 2017;Ciccullo et al., 2023). There are 4 papers that are common to all the four main paths
(Masi et al., 2017;Tseng et al., 2021;Wu et al., 2021;Cao et al., 2022). However, the global main
path contains no exclusive paper.
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
4.2.2 The forward main path. Figure 5 shows the forward local main path consisting of 30
papers.
4.2.2.1 Circularity and economy. Masi et al. (2017) conducted a meso-level SC review and
found that CSCM is a potential solution for improving economic growth by decoupling it from
environmental disruption. A study by Genovese et al. (2017) found similar results. By
comparing traditional and circular production systems, they found that if CE principles were
integrated within SSC, it could lead to reduced environmental degradation as well as the
“creation of a self-sustained production system.”
4.2.2.2 Circularity and FSC. A study by Sundgren (2020) aims to identify the different
structures in the supply chain responsible for surplus food distribution. The results revealed
the presence of tetrad, triad and chain as three constellations of actors in the food supply
chain (FSC). Ciulli et al. (2020) focused on the rising environmental impact of food waste and
on circularity holes, the weak link between waste generators and the potential beneficiaries.
Any actor uniting this missing link was termed a circularity broker that may take the form of
a connector between the receiver, the generator, the protector, or maybe an integrator in the
supply chain.
4.2.2.3 Circularity and risk. In reaping the economic and environmental benefits of CE,
organizations deal with certain risks too. The adoption of CSC complex processes involved
makes it imperative to manage risk. To fill this gap in the literature, Ethirajan et al. (2021)
conducted a study for risk assessment in the implementation of CSC. Establishing a
transparent process and the financial risk involved in transitioning to circular practices was
found to be pivotal. Dulia et al. (2021) developed a model for classifying risk factors associated
with a CE. The study found the degradation of the quality of recycled products and
framework risks associated with CE to be the most crucial risks. Chimmwal et al. (2021) found
Forward local main path
Global main
path
Backward local main path
Key-route
global main
path
19
8
8
8
NIL
4
8
8
10
7
4
4
33
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 4.
Venn diagram
illustrating the
distribution of research
papers based on
citation paths
JEIM
Dolatabad et al. (2022) Kanan et al. (2020)
Xiong et al. (2022)
Mina et al.
(2021)
Saroha et al. (2020)
Lengyel et al. (2021)
Wu et al. (2021)
Saroha et al. (2022b)
Kumar et al. (2021) Canning (2006)
Ciulli et al. (2020)
Tseng et al. (2021a)
Chen et al.
(2022)
Masi et al.
(2017)
Rajeb and Appolloni (2022)
Kayikci et al. (2022) Wuni and Shen (2022)
Dulia et al. (2021) Ethirajan et al. (2021)
Hussain and
Malik (2020) Gonzalez-sanchez et al.
(2020)
De Oliveria et al. (2019)
Genovese et al. (2017)
Cao et al. (2022)
Sundgren (2020)
Shaikh et al. (2022)
Tseng et al. (2021b)
Chimmwal et al. (2021)
Majumdar et al. (2022)
Khan et al. (2022)
Chimwal et al. (2021)
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 5.
Forward local
main path
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Kumar et al. (2022b)
Formentini et al. (2022)
Gong et al. (2022a)
Acerbi et al. (2022)
Zhu et al. (2010)
Masi et al. (2017)
Zhu et al. (2011)
Dev et al. (2020)
Sehnem et al. (2019)
Bekrar et al. (2021)
Tseng et al. (2021b)
Cao et al. (2022)
Wu et al. (2021)
Nandi et al. (2021 a)
Dwivedi and Paul (2022)
Centobelliet al. (2022)
Kouhizadeh et al. (2023)
Alves et al. (2022)
Xie et al. (2022)
Gong et al. (2022b)
Yontar (2022)
Dwivedi et al. (2023a)
Le (2023)
Pannila et al. (2022a)
Gupta et al. (2022)
Nayak et al. (2022)
Khan et al. (2021c)
Khan et al. (2021b)
Percin et al. (2022)
Khan and Ponce (2022b)
Dongfang et al. (2022)
Kazancoglu et al. (2021a)
Mukherjee et al. (2022)
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 6.
Backward local
main path
JEIM
De Oliveria et al. (2019)
Cao et al. (2022)
Gupta et al. (2022) Nayal et al. (2022)
Kumar et al. (2022) Nandiet al. (2021a)
Tseng et al. (2021) Wu et al. (2021)
Łękawska-Andrinopoulou et al.
Hussain and Malik (2020)
Maranesi et al. (2020)
González-Sánchez et al. (2020)
Genovese et al. (2017)
Masi et al. (2017)
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 7.
Global main path
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Mastoset al. (2021)
Cao et al. (2022)
Barber et al.
Wu et al. (2021)
Mangla et al. (2018)
Masi et al.
(2017)
Nayal et al.
Gupta et al. (2022)
Kumar et al. (2022)
Chen et al. (2022)
Cui et al. (2021)
Nasir et al. (2017)
Cwiklicki and
Wojnarowska et al.
Rajput and Singh (2019)
Nandi et al. (2021)
Dev et al. (2021)
Tseng et al. (2021)
Łękawska-Andrinopoulou
et al. (2021)
Maranesi and De
Giovanni (2020)
Hussain and Malik (2020)
González-Sánchez et
al. (2020) De Oliveira et al. (2019)
Genovese et al. (2017)
Canning (2006)
Cucillo et al. (2023)
Source(s): Author’s own creation/work
Figure 8.
Key-route main path
JEIM
waste management, adverse economic impact and the risk of cannibalization among the
major risk categories.
4.2.2.4 Barriers, enablers and implementation of circularity. Canning (2006) aimed to
understand the significance of key actors in implementing circularity. The results show the
crucial role of consumer participation in the success of any take-back scheme for further
recovery of products.
A study by De Olivera et al. (2019) focused on the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) supply
chain and listed the barriers the industry encountered while implementing CSC. The authors
found that recycling proved to be tedious because of a lack of awareness about expanded
polystyrene among the people, a small number of recycling workshops, and a huge amount of
EPS being generated. Hussain and Malik (2020) explored the relationship between
sustainability and CE and discussed the practices that could be undertaken for
transitioning to CSCs.
Gonz
alez-S
anchez et al. (2020) mapped value chains to study the interaction between
different echelons of the supply chain. They suggested a conceptual framework to study
CSCs and identified four dimensions to support the development of these new supply
chains—greater intensity in the relationships established in the supply chain, the adaptation
of logistics and organization, disruptive and smart technologies and a functioning
environment.
Challenges to CSCM from the Indian industrial perspective were studied by Saroha et al.
(2020). Financial pressure, lack of support from top management and poor implementation of
government policies have been posited as significant pressures for CSCM implementation.
Wu et al. (2021) challenged the earlier studies by emphasizing that spreading awareness
about CE principles and stakeholder engagement is more significant than the importance of
the 3Rs, as stated in the literature. Kanan et al. (2020) present a sustainable supplier selection
technique based on social, economic and circular factors. This framework is then validated
considering Iran’s wire-and-cable industry.
Tseng et al. (2021) identified enablers of CSC in the Vietnamese seafood processing
industry. Further analysis revealed the significance of an agile and technologically advanced
organization. Top management’s support, willingness to accept organizational changes and
integration of circularity in the organization’s strategy were listed among the factors that
could lead to industrial improvement.
Mina et al. (2021) developed a supplier selection framework for the petrochemical industry.
The proposed framework is based on the transition toward CSCM and considers a few SDGs,
including industry, innovation and infrastructure, good health and well-being.
Implementation of CSCM was further studied by Cao et al. (2022) with respect to the textile
industry, who proposed an eco-innovation framework critical for CSCM implementation.
Establishing an eco-innovation strategy, lifecycle assessment, sharing ex-innovation
knowledge, controlling capital efficiency and environmental monitoring were stated as the
most effective practices for implementing CSCM.
Rejeb and Appolloni (2022) reviewed the literature to unveil the antecedents, performance
outcomes and enablers of circular production enabled due to technologies such as AI, IoT and
blockchain technology (BCT).
An investigation of the extent of circularity achieved in the Indian Automobile sector was
carried out by Saroha et al. (2022). The study revealed various CSCM practices, of which
financial and governmental practices were crucial. Lengyel et al. (2021) conducted a review to
study the research trends in CSCM. The influence of European Union policies on the body of
literature was noted, and the difference between CE and sustainability was highlighted in
the study.
To progress the transition from a linear economy to CE, Khan et al. (2022) prioritized
enablers that could accelerate the implementation of CSCM. Aligning CE goals to the
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
organization’s strategy, developing a long-term plan to achieve desired goals and ingraining
the CE culture were the most significant enablers.
The textile industry, being highly resource-intensive, needs attention to implementing
circularity. Majumdar et al. (2022) explored the barriers to implementing circularity in the
textile supply chain. Lack of collaboration, technical know-how for recycling and poor
planning emerged as the most worrying barriers. They suggested strategies for
implementing CSCM, which included the generation of consumer awareness and the
production of recyclable fiber in order to increase the longevity of cloth and ease the recycling
process.
Barriers to CSCM implementation concerning Pakistan’s fast-moving consumer goods
sector were studied by Shaikh et al. (2022). Changing consumer preferences and poor
implementation of environmental regulations were found to be the most influencing barriers.
The most influenced barriers included lack of collaboration, lack of infrastructure to
implement circular practices, the prevailing uncertainty about returns and vagueness in
profits.
A special issue editorial by Chen et al. (2022) described the enabling role of Industry 4.0 in
implementing CSCM. The position paper encapsulated the major themes covered under the
umbrella of CSCM, which include barriers, enablers, performance measurement tools as well
as applications of CSCM. A few studies have focused on the adoption of 3DP from the
perspective of the manufacturer. Xiong et al. (2022) studied 3DP from the non-manufacturer’s
point of view. 3DP could be used by logistics suppliers to become a green manufacturers and
also benefit the customer.
4.2.2.5 Circularity and critical success factors. Kumar et al. (2021) identified the critical
success factors (CSF) related to applying Industry 4.0 in implementing a CSC. The
investigation revealed the crucial role played by the top management’s support as well as the
significance of adequate knowledge of CSC and the intervention of Industry 4.0 in its
functioning.
The circularity gap has increased in the recent past, and the construction sector is one of
the major causes of this worrying increment. Addressing this problem, Wuni and Shen (2022)
identified CSF pertaining to circularity in modular construction projects. The study resulted
in three major clusters of CSFs, namely, competence and early commitment, effective SCM
and collaboration and information management. A study by Kayikci et al. (2022) presented
CSF for the implementation of blockchain-enabled CSC and ranked network collaboration as
the most significant CSF.
4.2.2.6 Performance evaluation of circularity. Dolatabad et al. (2022) evaluated the supply
chain of intensive care units, a part of the healthcare supply chain. A conceptual framework
was posited showcasing the key performance indicators for the hospital’s CSC. The most
influential indicators were found to be the availability of inventory, availability of accurate
information and advancement of technological innovation.
4.2.3 The backward main path. The backward local main path in shown in Figure 6 with 33
papers.
4.2.3.1 Economic growth and circularity. Scholars have been constantly trying to decouple
economic growth from environmental degradation, and CE has been proposed as a possible
solution for environmental protection. In this context, Zhu et al. (2010) stated that both
upstream and downstream cooperation across a supply chain should be strengthened to reap
environmental as well as economic benefits. Further, the link between the implementation of
CE practices and cooperation between Chinese manufacturers was studied by Zhu et al.
(2011). The findings pointed out the role of environmental supply chain cooperation in
implementing a CE. Similarly, Masi et al. (2017) conducted a meso-level SC review and found
that CSCM is a potential solution for improving economic growth by decoupling it from
environmental disruption, which could also improve the system’s resilience.
JEIM
4.2.3.2 Industry 4.0 and circularity. Dev et al. (2020) posited an integrated roadmap for the
joint implementation of CE principles and Industry 4.0 technologies. The case-based
exploration presented a real-time decision model incorporating digital technologies and
circularity.
The era of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains worldwide. Several scholars
have attempted to propose solutions to the problems arising due to the pandemic. Khan et al.
(2021b) explored the relationship between CE, industry 4.0 technologies, environmental
regulation policies and COVID-19 disruptions. The study found that regulation policies and
digital technologies influence Industry 4.0. The significance of Industry 4.0 in implementing
CE has been further brought out by Khan et al. (2021a). Their study recognized BCT’s vital
role in enhancing an organization’s performance due to transformed CE practices. Dwivedi
and Paul (2022) proposed a conceptual framework to integrate CE principles with digital
supply chains. Identifying barriers during framework development revealed a lack of skills to
use digital technology and a lack of digital infrastructure as the biggest challenge for
implementing digital CE. Dongfang et al. (2022) identified ten future projections that could
potentially lead to CE adoption. The paper presented the role of Industry 4.0, the digitalization
of various processes, and the significance of government policies in adopting CE in the next
decade. Using big data in the supply chain can also help progress toward achieving a CE
(Le, 2023).
The applications of Industry 5.0 in transitioning from a linear to a CE have also been
studied by Dwivedi et al. (2023). They propose installing connected systems across the supply
chain to enable intelligent manufacturing and hence achieve a circular business model.
4.2.3.3 Logistics and circularity. Logistics has a major role in CSCs, and the need for
sustainable service quality-based logistics providers was recognized by Gupta et al. (2022).
The study found the imperative need for logistics providers to incorporate flexible and
reliable green processes, focus on the reduction of response time and develop mutual trust
among stakeholders. Digitalization of the supply chain was seen as a significant enabler
for CE.
Transportation is an integral part of any supply chain. A study by Bekrar et al. (2021)
focused on digitalizing transportation activities to enable CE implementation. The paper
gives insights into the connection between transportation, BCT and reverse logistics. Reverse
logistics was further studied by Kazancoglu et al. (2021), who stated that reverse logistics
could also play a key role in CSCM. Their study focused on the significance of reverse
logistics and its green performance in the FSC.
4.2.3.4 Blockchain and circularity. Several benefits of BCT, such as enhancing
organizational performance and improving the supply chain during COVID-19 pandemic,
have been observed. Centobelli et al. (2022) focused on designing a circular blockchain
platform that could enable product redistribution, recycling and remanufacturing while
ensuring traceability, trust and transparency. Mukherjee et al. (2021) identified the various
benefits of BCT that help implement CE in a multi-echelon supply chain. Data immutability,
privacy of data and building of a resilient supply chain are a few of the listed benefits of
implementing BCT.
A few studies have focused on the application of BCT in improving recycling
performance. The study by Xie et al. (2022) presented a conceptual framework
highlighting the recycling chain functions: integration transparency, service
transformation and behavior channelization. The paper identified several benefits of using
BCT for implementing the recycling chain process, including improvement in cost
performance, flexibility and sustainability of the process. Another study by Gong et al.
(2022a) applied network theory to find the effective performance of BCT to ensure the
tracking of waste flows, stimulating participation by stakeholders and providing transparent
recycling chains.
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
The study by Gong et al. (2022b) focuses on the application of BCT, specifically in
recycling marine plastic debris. The paper proposes solutions to address the need for public
awareness about the recycling process, reducing the use of paper in the recycling chain and
protecting local economies from the adverse impact of poor marine plastic debris
management.
The application of BCT for CE was further studied by Yontar et al. (2023), who gave
insights into the benefits that can be reaped by applying it to the agri-food supply chain. This
paper explores CSF for achieving CE in the agri-SCM and their degree of influence
contributing to CE.
4.2.3.5 Food supply chain (FSC) and circularity. Food loss and waste is a major challenge
for CSCM. The FSC faces the challenges of environmental degradation and food scarcity.
Focusing on the challenges confronted by the FSC, Pannila et al. (2022) identified the major
factors that hindered CE adoption in this industry. The gained insights can help create
policies that favor CE implementation in the FSC.
Formentini et al. (2022) aimed to highlight the significance of food loss and waste reporting
and accounting standards for recognizing the barriers and enablers in agri-food supply.
Further, this study appreciates the efficient reuse of food loss and waste caused in a CSC, thus
revealing the significance of developing an interconnected SCM.
Khan and Ponce (2022) investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food
supply chain of perishable items. They found a significant role in the perception of personal
risk caused due to the disastrous pandemic. The perception of people influenced the demand
and price fluctuations of perishable food, and these alterations could be prevented with the
help of CSCM.
4.2.3.6 Implementation of circularity. Sehnem et al. (2019b) compared a developing and a
mature economy to study the CSFs for sustainability. The results revealed the direct relation
of proactiveness toward CE with superior management of CSF and a better understanding of
sustainability.
A study by Tseng et al. (2021) concluded that support by managers, collaboration across
multiple echelons in the SC, the culture of the firm, intent to accept and encourage
organizational change and the willingness to integrate the concept of sustainability with the
existing practices are the major supporting conditions for enhancing industrial performance.
While earlier studies emphasized the importance of the 3Rs for CE, Wu et al. (2021)
emphasized that spreading awareness about CE principles and stakeholder engagement are
even more important than these.
Cao et al. (2022) studied the implementation of CSCM for the textile industry and proposed
an eco-innovation framework for implementation. Establishing an eco-innovation strategy,
lifecycle assessment, sharing ex-innovation knowledge, controlling capital efficiency and
environmental monitoring were stated as the most effective practices to implement CSCM.
Circular manufacturing (CM), which entails recycling, remanufacturing and cleaner
production, is integral to the CE. Barriers to implementing CM include resistance to data
sharing as one of the prevalent barriers. Acerbi et al. (2022) proposed a conceptual model to
support the decision-making process for data sharing in CM. This could be done by
structuring and standardizing the data relevant to CM.
Percin (2022) proposed the potential of big data analytics for achieving CE. The most
important capability for CE was identified as SCM, followed by big data infrastructure. One
of the major impacts of harnessing these capabilities would be improved productivity, which
would eventually lead to CE.
The importance of information in achieving circularity was studied by Nayal et al. (2022).
Their study revealed the significance of organizational flexibility and information flexibility
in impacting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) adoption, which in turn
influences supply chain performance.
JEIM
4.2.3.7 Performance evaluation and circularity. Performance evaluation of CSCs is
necessary for effective implementation. Nandi et al. (2021a) conceptualized the evaluation of
CE using a “CE performance measurement model”and elaborated on the role of CE in
different states of disruption caused by COVID-19. Kumar et al. (2022) also proposed a
performance evaluation model to rank the sustainable dimensions and determined sixteen
key performance indicators.
A study by Kouhizadeh et al. (2023) proposes CE performance measures and finds that
many of these proposed measures can be supported by BCT. Blockchain capabilities, namely
transparency, reliability and tokenization, contribute to a supporting performance
measurement of CE.
4.2.4 Global main path. The forward and the local main paths discussed in Sections 4.2.1
and 4.2.2 focus on exploring the papers defining the local influential links. On the other hand,
the global main path shown in Figure 7 represents the most influential path in the citation
network with 14 papers.
With rising development across the globe, there is a need to decouple economic growth
from environmental disruption. With this crucial aim in mind, Masi et al. (2017) and Genovese
et al. (2017) explored the potential solutions to integrate CE practices into business practices,
thus striking a balance between protecting our environment and supporting economic
growth.
The benefits of a CE can be reaped by overcoming challenges to implementing it. A study
by De Olivera et al. (2019) focused on challenges faced by supply chains in achieving CE,
while Maranesi and De Giovanni (2020),Hussain and Malik (2020) and Wu et al. (2021) studied
the enablers for circularity. A few scholars focused on the smooth implementation of CSC and
achieving zero waste economies through collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders
(Gonz
alez-S
anchez et al., 2020;Tseng et al., 2021). Strategies for eco-innovation and using
waste from one industry as raw material in another were also proposed (Łex;kawska-
Andrinopoulou et al., 2021;Cao et al., 2022).
What gets measured gets done is an adage. In other words, the implementation of a
measure is incomplete without its evaluation. A few scholars proposed CE measurement tools
to evaluate CE performance (Nandi et al., 2021a;Kumar et al., 2022).
Recent studies have focused on enhancing CE adoption with the help of Industry 4.0 (AI,
IOT, BCT). A digitalized supply chain is proven to be more flexible and resilient than a
traditional supply chain. Hence scholars have promoted Industry 4.0-enabled supply chains
(Gupta et al., 2022;Nayal et al., 2022).
4.2.4.1 Keyword analysis of papers appearing in the main path. Keywords provided by the
author give a glimpse of the research paper. The keywords appearing in the global main path
are given in Table 3.
Masi et al. (2017) considered the industrial ecology point of view to achieve a CSC. They
emphasized the significance of SSCs. A similar interest in environmental sustainability, along
with green SCM and lifecycle analysis, was shown by Genovese et al. (2017). A few scholars
focused on enablers and challenges for a CSC. The EPS supply chain and the impact of
reverse logistics on CE in Brazil were discussed by De Oliveira et al. (2019).Hussain and Malik
(2020) conducted a study to explore the organizational enablers with respect to SSCM.
Instilling a corporate strategy that supports circularity was found to enable the
implementation of CE (Maranesi and De Giovanni, 2020).
Gonz
alez-S
anchez et al. (2020) focused on value creation in a supply chain using CSCM.
The dimensions of a supply chain that can lead to the implementation of CSC were posited in
the study. CE aims at zero waste generation, and achieving zero economy is possible only
when waste from one company is used by another. Łex;kawska-Andrinopoulou (2021)
developed a matching framework to develop an online marketplace where one company’s
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Authors Author keywords
Masi et al. (2017) Circular economy
Closed-loop supply chains
Industrial ecology
Literature review
Sustainable supply chains
Genovese et al. (2017) Circular economy
Decision support
Environmental sustainability
Green supply chain management
Product lifecycle analysis
de Oliveira et al. (2019) Brazil
Circular economy
EPS
Packaging
Reverse logistics
Supply chain
Hussain and Malik (2020) Circular economy
Circular supply chains
Sustainability
Sustainable supply chain management
Maranesi and De Giovanni (2020) Circular economy
Corporate strategies
Eco-innovation
Industrial symbiosis
Performance
Gonz
alez-S
anchez et al. (2020) Circular economy
Circular supply chain (CSC)
Circular supply chain management (CSCM)
Literature review
Sustainability
Value creation
Łexkawska-Andrinopoulou al. (2021) CE collaboration
Circular economy
Matchmaking framework
Online marketplace
Nandi et al. (2021a,b) Circular economy
COVID-19
Digitization
Environmental Economics
For indexing: sustainability
Logistics
Performance measurement
Tseng et al. (2021) Analytical network process
Circular supply chain capabilities
Decision-making trial and evaluation Laboratory method
Qualitative data analytic
Resource-based view
Wu et al. (2021) Circular supply chain practices
Decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory
Fuzzy synthetic method
Influential model
Pulp and paper
(continued )
Table 3.
Keyword analysis of
papers appearing in the
main path
JEIM
waste could act as a resource for another, thus, focusing on the significance of CE
collaboration.
Digitization of the supply chain emerged as a way to achieve circularity. Nandi et al.
(2021a) posited a performance measurement model for CE and studied the application of
digital technologies to enhance CE performance. Technologies such as AI-IOT have been
found to impact supply chain flexibility, thus impacting CE adoption (Nayal et al., 2022).
CSC implementation in various industries has been explored by scholars. Tseng et al.
(2021) analyzed the seafood processing industry supply chain considering a resource-based
view to reveal the various CSC capabilities, while a study by Wu et al. (2021) posited an
influential model that integrated CSC practices in the pulp and paper industry. Eco-
innovation practices for achieving CSC in the textiles industry were explored by Cao et al.
(2022).Kumar et al. (2022) gave importance to the agri-food supply chain and suggested
developing a sustainable performance assessment tool to study the CE practices that may be
adopted. Gupta et al. (2022) studied the implementation of CSC practices among logistics
providers. They emphasized sustainable service quality attributes of collaboration and
coordination among the logistics providers.
4.2.5 Key-route main path. The key route main path containing 25 papers is shown in
Figure 8. Very few exclusive papers exist on the key route that is not included in local
forward, local backward, or global main paths. Hence, a separate discussion on such papers
already existing paper on other paths is short. Only the papers exclusive to the key-route path
are discussed in detail. The key-route main path branches at different places from the global
main path and ultimately converges back to the global main path. Moreover, a few papers
branching out of the global main path are exclusive to the key-route path.
With the rapidly increasing development, there is a need to reduce carbon emissions and
balance economic growth and ecological balance. Masi et al. (2017),Genovese et al. (2017) and
Authors Author keywords
Cao et al. (2022) Circular supply chain management
Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory
Eco-innovation
Fuzzy set theory
Textile and clothing industry
Kumar et al. (2022) Agri-food supply chain (AFSC)
Circular economy practice (CEP)
Fuzzy-AHP
Fuzzy-TOPSIS
Sustainability
Sustainable performance assessment
Nayal et al. (2022) AI-IoT
Circular economy (CE)
Resource orchestration theory
SEM
Supply chain flexibility
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Gupta et al. (2022) Factor analysis
Fuzzy AHP -TOPSIS
Logistics providers
Sensitivity analysis
Service quality
Sustainable development
Source(s): Authors’own creation/work Table 3.
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Nasir et al. (2017) found the crucial role of CSCM in decoupling economic growth from
environmental disruption, hence promoting the adoption of circular practices.
Implementing CSC faces certain barriers. A study by De Olivera et al. (2019) focused on
barriers to the EPS supply chain and found recycling tedious because people lacked
awareness about EPS. As a result, few recycling workshops existed and a huge amount of
EPS was generated. Overcoming the barriers hindering the implementation of CSC, scholars
proposed several enablers. Canning (2006) showed the crucial role of consumer participation
in a take-back scheme for further recovery of products. Hussain and Malik (2020) and
Maranesi and De Giovanni (2020) found that practices to enhance CE implementation and
incorporation of CE into the corporate strategy of an organization were one of them.
Reiterating finding along the same lines, Cao et al. (2022) stated the significance of an eco-
innovation framework, including developing an eco-innovation strategy, lifecycle
assessment and environmental monitoring.
Focusing on lifecycle assessment and using innovative technologies, Gonz
alez-S
anchez
et al. (2020) posited that increasing intensity in established relationships, adapting low carbon
emitting logistics, using disruptive technologies and ensuring a smooth functioning
environment were identified as supporting practices for the development of supply chains.
A study by Cui et al. (2021) found somewhat similar results. Using advanced technological
equipment, investing in quality and product design to maximize usable life and encouraging
reusing and recycling are among the crucial practices that should be adopted for
implementing CSCM. The significance of utilizing waste from one company in another
was focused upon by Łex;kawska-Andrinopoulou et al. (2021). Their study proposed a
theoretical online marketplace that provides an opportunity to find a desired match for raw
materials in the secondary market based on circular cooperation. The significance of the 3Rs
reduce, reuse and recycle has been emphasized. Wu et al. (2021) challenged the earlier studies
by emphasizing that spreading awareness about CE principles and stakeholder engagement
is more significant than the importance of the 3Rs, as stated in the literature.
A few scholars have also highlighted the role of different actors in an organization. The
study by Tseng et al. (2021) concluded that support by managers, collaboration across the
SC and willingness to accept and promote organizational change could enhance industrial
performance. Ciccullo et al. (2023) reiterated the significance of coordination among the
supply chain actors to achieve circularity. Analysis of multiple case studies revealed a
similar intent to enhance sustainability and restore the maximum value within the
supply chain.
Several scholars have attempted to investigate the relationship between Industry 4.0 and
CE. Rajput and Singh (2019) analyzed enabling and challenging factors to Industry-4.0-
assisted CE. The findings revealed AI and service policy framework as the key enablers,
while automated synergy model and interface designing were listed as significant barriers.
The benefits of CE can be reaped only if CE is integrated into business practices. With this
goal in mind,
Cwiklicki and Wojnarowska (2020) explored the link between Industry 4.0 and
CE. An influence of Industry 4.0 on CE in the form of impact on reuse and recycle strategy
was found. Dev et al. (2020) posited a real-time decision model incorporating digital
technologies and circularity. Mastos et al. (2021) offered Industry 4.0 solutions for the CE. The
presented study applies the industry 4.0 assisted CE solutions to the supply chain and its
benefits are showcased using the ReSOLVE model. These benefits include complete visibility
throughout the supply chain, readily available personnel and fleet resources and automation
in various processes that result in improved accuracy.
The study by Nayal et al. (2022) reveals the significance of organizational flexibility and
information flexibility in impacting AI-IOT adoption, and eventually, the supply chain
performance of a firm is impacted. A special issue editorial by Chen et al. (2022) described the
enabling role of Industry 4.0 in implementing CSCM. The position paper encapsulated the
JEIM
major themes covered under the umbrella of CSCM. The study includes a discussion on
barriers, enablers, performance measurement tools, as well as application of CSCM.
Bekrar et al. (2021) focused on digitalizing transportation activities to enable CE
implementation. Another study in the transportation sector by Gupta et al. (2022) found the
imperative need for logistics providers to incorporate flexible and reliable green processes,
focus on reducing response time and develop mutual trust among stakeholders.
Implementation of CE is incomplete without its performance assessment. Nandi et al.
(2021a) proposed a model using digital technologies such as IoT and AI to achieve circularity.
Similarly, Nandi et al. (2021b) conceptualized the use of Industry 4.0 during the disruption
caused by COVID-19. Adding to this, Kumar et al. (2022) proposed a sustainable performance
indicator to determine key performance indicators for sustainability, with revenue growth,
utilization of resources and food quality being some of them.
5. Findings and discussion
This research study has done an extensive literature survey by converging two separate
research areas: “Circular Economy”and “Supply Chain.”
The paper presents the key findings that were uncovered by the investigation using the
CPA. The MPA revealed an evolving trajectory that examined challenges and opportunities
in CSC, the decoupling of economic growth and environmental degradation, the revenue
impact of CSC, the impact of collaboration in SC stakeholders and Industry 4.0. We found that
the studies are of cross-functional relevance and examine CSC-related issues interfacing with
economics, finance, stakeholder management, government policies and collaboration.
The beginning of the CSCM trajectory is marked by waste management studies, giving
rise to a discussion on closed-loop supply chains and CE. Maintenance of ecological balance
along with economic benefits by using resources efficiently has been highlighted. Recent
research has dwelled on leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies to implement CSCM.
We find that specific bodies of work are coming out as branches from the main path, and
these bodies examine a specific path of research. So, there were commonalities of research in
the local path with the research in the main path, but certain key attributes distinguished the
research themes in the local path. The forward local path included a case study discussion
involving material SC specific to textile and seafood processing industries. The role of SSC in
implementing CSC was widely discussed. The significance of collaboration and cooperation
among manufacturers was elaborated. The exclusive papers in the backward local path were
more inclined toward Industry 4.0 as an enabler for implementing CSC practices. Studies
included exploration of greater use of technology in SCs which could make the SC more
sustainable and hence achieve circularity. Four main paths confirmed that the interaction of
CE with Industry 4.0 and circular practices has been one of the most researched topics
recently.
Initial studies highlighted the crucial need for waste management and, thus, the birth of
CSCM. Studies focused on the techniques for enhancing a product’s life, recycling and
recovering value from products. Leveraging used resources from one supply chain as raw
materials in another can be a way to achieve the goal of zero waste. Subsequently, enablers for
CSC were studied, revealing the significance of awareness of stakeholders and their
participation in the form of collaboration across multiple echelons of the SC. In 2020 and 2021,
attention has been given to the lack of awareness among people and the shortage of facilities
for implementing circularity. Scholars found that incorporating CE into corporate strategy
can help the firm to excel in economic, social and environmental performance. The support by
managers, collaboration across multiple echelons in the SC, the culture of the firm, intent to
accept and encourage organizational change and the willingness to integrate the concept of
sustainability with the existing practices are the major supporting conditions for enhancing
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
industrial performance. Studies posit the significance of decoupling economic growth from
environmental degradation and the role CSC practices play in incrementing the existing
revenue stream. Studies highlighted the various benefits that could be reaped by
adopting CSC.
The most recent research has focused on the role of Industry 4.0 in mitigating the impact
of SC disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The body of literature showed that applying
technologies, such as BCT and IoT, can be a savior in SC disruption. Challenges the industry
faces are also discussed, followed by a review of digital technologies available for protecting
our environment and excelling in economic growth.
The keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed the major research themes in “CE”and
“supply chain”and the associated periods. Six clusters have been identified: “waste
management,”“circular economy,”“sustainable and economic impacts,”“closed-loop supply
chain,”“value creation,”and “Industry 4.0”.Cluster 1 on waste management had the
maximum number of papers. The cluster analysis shows the time range of studies. The
analysis revealed that the earlier years’research focused on research efficiency, managing
waste and value creation with the help of CSC implementation. Subsequently, the body of
literature highlighted the necessity of a closed-loop supply chain and the significance of
adopting circular practices. Continuing this discussion, researchers highlighted the benefits
of CSCM and the need to decouple economic growth from environmental disruption. The
recent studies focused on barriers and enablers of CSC and the role of Industry 4.0 in
enhancing circular practices. Hence, these three areas can be considered as emerging areas of
research.
5.1 Research implications
This study has the following research implications.
(1) For researchers: Several aspects related to CSCM have not been adequately studied
and need to be researched. One of these is related to the role of reverse logistics in
CSCM. Recycling is an important part of CSCs. Recycling products needs a collection
of used products from the customer, and reverse logistics has an important role to
play in this regard. The second area which needs to be studied is the FSC. Wastage of
farm produce during transportation and storage is substantial, especially in countries
like India, where cold supply chains are not adequately developed. The third area for
further research could be evaluating the performance of circularity in supply chains.
Metrics need to be developed to assess the performance of supply chains in terms of
being circular. The successful implementation of reuse/recycling of material, reverse
logistics and performance evaluation will require ready availability of information
which can be enabled through enterprise information management.
(2) For Practitioners: The role of technology, especially Industry 4.0 and blockchain, is
clearly evident from this study. Practitioners need to find out how these technologies
can be applied in real life to enhance circularity in the supply chain. Blockchains make
supply chains more efficient, bringing about cost savings, transparency and
traceability. Industry 4.0 merges physical activity with digital connectivity and
Artificial Intelligence. This can have an important role in bringing about
sustainability in supply chains. These technologies are based on the availability
and transfer of relevant information, which underlines the importance of enterprise
information management for achieving CE. Practitioners must also develop solutions
that can decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
(3) For government: The study reveals that poor law enforcement and weak regulations
are one of the reasons for transitioning to CSCs. The government needs to think
JEIM
actively about policy-making and promote circularity. Such policies need to be based
on a long-term vision to achieve a CE. Implementing these policies can be a real
challenge, and the government needs to have a realistic plan for putting these policies
into practice. The government also needs to monitor the implementation of these
policies to achieve a CE. This monitoring will require extensive use of information
technology by the government too.
(4) For Enterprise Information Management: The study has important implications for
Enterprise Information Management. Enterprise information management optimizes
the storage and processing of information within organizations. It helps to support
decision-making processes by ensuring relevant information is available to business
processes for decision-making.
A few research studies in this paper discuss the importance of information
technology for transitioning to CSCM. Information brings visibility to the supply
chain and is the backbone of all SCM. This is true for CSCs, also.
In particular, many research studies discuss the relevance of using Blockchain
and Industry 4.0 to implementing CSCM, which are heavily based on information
technology. Industry 4.0 involves the digitization of manufacturing using data,
analytics and connectivity and is an application of enterprise information
management.
Some of the studies included in the citation path analysis discuss collaboration
between firms to facilitate the reuse and recycling of materials. This can only be
made possible if relevant information is available readily to the firm.
6. Future research and limitations
The articles retrieved for this study have been extracted from the Scopus database only.
Another database - Web of Science (WoS), also carries many articles from numerous journals.
Several journals are common to both Scopus and Web of Science. However, certain journals
are exclusive to each of these databases. Hence, some articles of WoS which are not in Scopus
would have got been excluded from this study. A similar approach with scientometrics
analysis can be adopted with WoS databases to understand if there are similar or near similar
implications. Future research can also be conducted to understand centrality measures that
can provide information about the articles or studies connecting different fields of study
within this domain of CSC.
There lies a plethora of areas that still need to be studied in-depth. First, reverse logistics
activities are important in maintaining a healthy environment. A comparison of reverse
logistics in different supply chains focusing on reverse logistics activities is needed.
Second, the food supply chain needs more extensive study as it generates huge waste. The
food supply chain from the point of view of reverse logistics has been scarcely studied. There
appears to be a need to investigate the vital role of all stakeholders in a supply chain,
specifically for this supply. Further studies can explore the various aspects of FSC, such as
the critical factors for implementing a circular FSC.
Third, performance evaluation for the circularity of food supply chains needs to be
researched, focusing on how circularity can be measured in supply chains. Improvement in
circularity can only be brought about if it can be measured.
Fourth, including micro and macro-level aspects is necessary to contrast SC, commercial
strategy and product design. However, studies have often ignored the macro aspects, leaving
a gap in the literature.
Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
Fifth, businesses exist for profit, but at the same time, environmental health needs to be
taken care of. Hence, A few studies have focused on balancing environmental well-being and
economic development. Scholars need to know how to maintain the desired balance through
circular product design, green raw materials, cleaner fuels and manufacturing processes.
Recent research studies have focused on technological advancements and digital supply
chains for enhancing circularity. Technologies such as 3DP, AI, IoT and BCT have been a
part of the trajectory of CSCM. Future studies can focus on these Industry 4.0 technologies
from the customer point of view rather than the business point of view.
Waste management has been a long-discussed topic for the past decade. There seems to be
a dearth of papers empirically assessing waste management performance. Also, refurbishing
has been scarcely discussed, specifically with respect to various industries. The barriers and
enablers for implementing CSC have been identified in a few studies. However, papers
discussing strategies for implementing CSCM remain scarce.
Finally, the literature talks in abundance about qualitative aspects of CSC, but only a few
studies have focused on quantitative aspects and optimization of CSCs. An emphasis on
practical aspects of CSC through case studies can help industries implement circularity in
their supply chains.
7. Conclusions
In this paper, we have conducted a comprehensive literature review using scientometric
analysis. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified prominent themes of research and their
interconnections. It was found that themes have overlapping research fields and cross-
functional overtones. Enterprises aspire to develop SSC systems while utilizing technology and
management best practices. Significant research has been carried out to study the impact of
factors such as stakeholder collaboration, government policies and Industry 4.0. Subsequently,
CPAanalyseshavebeenperformedtodiscoverthemainpathandlocalpaths.Suchananalysis
can trace evolving research focus on the main path and offshoots of the main path. CPA analysis
and findings helpresearchers and practitioners identify evolving trends and drive their research
initiatives or managerial interventions in a specific direction. Initial studies underscored the
challenges and opportunities in CSCM. Subsequent studies have attempted to understand
environmental concerns and the possibility of economic growth being decoupled from
environmental degradation. These studies interfaced with different disciplines, including
operations, economics and strategy. If economic growth can be decoupled, then, evidently,
enterprises would like to examine if there can be a positive impact on revenue by adopting the
CSCM framework. Many research studies have examined this issue, and it was found that
revenue growth can be achieved by adopting CSCM. The government needs to think actively
about policy-making and promote circularity. Such policies need to be based on a long-term
vision to achieve a CE. It has also led to research that assesses the relevance and adoption of
technology, Industry 4.0 practices, data analytics and BCT as enablers.A few research studies in
this paper discuss the importance of information technology for transitioning to CSCM. CSCM is
an important area for the current andfuture generations, and it is expected that more attention
will be given to this research domain in the future.
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Corresponding author
Justin Zuopeng Zhang can be contacted at: justin.zhang@unf.edu
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Trajectories of
circular supply
chain domain
