Background: The importance of transitioning to a more sustainable and circular production and consumption model is growing, with the looming threat of climate change. The supply chains (SC) are at the foreground of this change, with the linear model as a polluter of magnitude. Transitioning to a circular supplychain (CSC) is a massive undertaking, and barriers may arise between SC partners embracing this significant change. However, the literature is vague on which barriers are significant within buyer-supplier collaboration and how to address and overcome the barriers that may stand in the way of implementing CSCs. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis to explore to investigate how to support circularity implementation in SCs through dyadic buyer-supplier collaboration. By exploring the collaboration barriers presented in academic literature, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of which barriers can arise during collaboration when implementing circularity in the SC, while linking relevant actions to address these barriers. Thereby providing new insights to practitioners who wish to implement circularity in their SC. Method: A multiple case study method with four interior textile companies were studied with the help of collaboration barriers when implementing CE in the SC from existing literature. By using a qualitative research approach, data was collected through ten interviews. Conclusion: Five major barriers occur in buyer-supplier collaboration when implementing circularity in the SC within the case companies. Including (1) lack of shared vision, (2) lack of commitment, (3) lack of capable suppliers, (4) lack of transparency, (5) and lack of power balance between buyer-supplier. To address the five barriers, five action groups emerged from the case companies, (1) communication, (2) supplier engagement, (3) education, (4) addressing cultural differences, and lastly (5) long-term commitment. These barriers and actions are matched to each other in a framework and summarizes the finding of this study.

Yes / The role of closed loop supply chains (CLSC) for creating and recovering value is widely acknowledged in supply chain management and there are many examples, mainly in the business-to-business sector, of successful OEM remanufacturing. The integration of value creation and recovery activities into retail customer value propositions is, however, under researched and raises many challenges, especially in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) retail where few real world examples have been published. The recent emergence of the term ‘circular economy’ has initiated further debate about closed loop value propositions and closed loop supply chain implications. This paper selects four circular economy-led closed loop product case examples from a major European FMCG company, and assesses, at a high level, how these cases created value, for whom value was created, and key challenges in their implementation. The findings highlight that each case is different. Closing loops and creating successful value propositions is complex and requires simultaneous reconfiguration of key building blocks to ensure customer acceptance and business viability. The paper proposes the term ‘circular supply chain’ for cases where circular economy principles are explicitly incorporated in CLSC for value creation.

Yes / Circular supply chain (CSC) emphasises surge in application of reuse, recycling, remanufacturing and thereby promotes transformation from linear to circular model of flow of products. Supply chains of manufacturing industries have become global over the years. Products manufactured in developing nations are being sent to developed nations for mass consumption. Developed nations have regulatory policies, technological knowhow and modern infrastructure to adopt CSC model. Their counterpart is trailing in these aspects. In literature, limited work has been performed on identifying challenges of implementing CSC in developing nations. Therefore, employing literature review and feedback received from experts, 16 important barriers were identified to CSC adoption in India. These barriers were analysed using integrated Interpretive Structural Modelling ? MICMAC approach. The findings will contribute in transforming supply chains thereby bringing economic prosperity, addressing global warming and generating employment opportunities. Finally, crucial policy measures and recommendations are proposed to assist managers and government bodies.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of technologies for traceability within the Swedish textile recycling industry. This study further aims to investigate the status of information collection and management in the textile recycling industry and the factors which are affecting the implementation of different traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology.   Design/ Methodology/ Approach: This study followed a qualitative exploratory approach as there is little prior knowledge regarding usage of traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology in the Swedish textile recycling industry. Primary data was collected by semi-structured interviews, and it was analysed through thematic analysis. Purposive sampling was used to collect relevant data. The sample included experts from the academia and industry, who have knowledge in the field of textile recycling and traceability technologies.   Findings: The findings suggest that there is no available information collection and management systems that enable efficient recycling processes. Moreover, there is a lack of infrastructure for collecting and sorting the textile waste, cost and technological challenges hampering the potential of efficient textile recycling and the possibility to create an efficient circular supply chain in Sweden. There are four factors which affect the opportunities and challenges for implementation of traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology, these are: management and decision making, integration and collaboration, rules and regulations and value creation through blockchain in the textile recycling industry.   Implications: This study may contribute to reshaping the traditional view on where traceability technologies can be implemented to create efforts to enhance the circular economy principles, as suggested by literature from the previous stages in a supply chain. This study suggests that blockchain technology may enhance information sharing in a circular supply chain within the textile recycling industry. It further shows that the textile recyclers have the potential to implement blockchain technology from their stage to minimise the information gaps which are currently existing.   Originality/ Value: The academic literature lacks practical cases and exploration regarding the usage of traceability technologies such as blockchain technology at the textile recycling stage and this study tries to explore if it would be beneficial for the textile recycling industry in Sweden.

Yes / The traditional linear economy using a take‐make‐dispose model is resource intensive and has adverse environmental impacts. Circular economy (CE) which is regenerative and restorative by design is recommended as the business model for resource efficiency. While there is a need for businesses and organisations to switch from linear to CE, there are several challenges that needs addressing such as business models and the criticism of CE projects often being small scale. Technology can be an enabler toward scaling up CE; however, the prime challenge is to identify technologies that can allow predicting, tracking and proactively monitoring product's residual value to motivate businesses to pursue circularity decisions. In this paper, we propose an IoT‐enabled decision support system (DSS) for CE business model that effectively allows tracking, monitoring, and analysing products in real time with the focus on residual value. The business model is implemented using an ontological model. This model is complemented by a semantic decision support system. The semantic ontological model, first of its kind, is evaluated for technical compliance. We applied DSS and the ontological model in a real‐world use case and demonstrate viability and applicability of our approach.

[pt] A sociedade tem exigido um desenvolvimento sustentável das organizações com uma postura social e ambiental responsável em sua gestão indo além da tradicional econômica. Entretanto as organizações têm enfrentado dificuldades para implementar a responsabilidade social corporativa (RSC) e adotar uma economia circular (EC) em sua cadeia de suprimentos. A literatura apresenta uma carência de pesquisas de EC com intuito de entender se esse modelo está se tornando parte das estratégias das empresas e também de compreender sua relação com RSC. Visando preencher essa lacuna de pesquisa, o objetivo desta dissertação é desenvolver um framework conceitual para responsabilidade social corporativa visando o desenvolvimento da economia circular sob a perspectiva da gestão de cadeia de suprimentos sustentáveis. O framework foi construído a partir de uma revisão de escopo abrangendo 60 artigos da base Scopus e validado por um painel de especialistas da área de sustentabilidade. Os resultados obtidos contemplam uma análise da literatura acadêmica sobre o tema e apresentam a relação do Tripple Botton Line (TBL) com RSC e EC e os constructos do framework com suas diretrizes e os promotores responsáveis por sua execução. A contribuição prática é um artefato para apoiar empresas na implementação da RSC, como contribuição teórica o próprio framework conceitual e como contribuição social maior conscientização para os stakeholders da necessidade de implementar RSC. / [en] The society has demanded a sustainable development from organizations with a social and environmental responsible attitude in their management going beyond the traditional economic. However, organizations have faced difficulties in implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) and adopting a circular economy (CE) in their supply chain. The literature shows a lack of research on circular economy in order to understand if this model is becoming part of companies strategies and also to understand its relationship with corporate social responsibility. In order to fill this research gap, the objective of this dissertation is to develop a conceptual framework for corporate social responsibility aiming at the development of circular economy from the perspective of sustainable supply chain management. The framework was built from a scoping review covering 60 articles from the Scopus database and validated by a panel of sustainability experts. The results embrace a bibliometric analysis of the literature on the topic and present the relationship of Tripple Botton Line (TBL) with CSR and CE and the constructs of the framework with its guidelines and the promoters responsible for its implementation. The practical contribution is an artifact to support companies in the implementation of CSR, as a theoretical contribution the conceptual framework itself and as a social contribution greater awareness for stakeholders of the need to implement CSR.

Cirkulär Supply Chain Management är en central del av många organisationer och företags grunder. Cirkularitet är förankrat i IKEAs mål och grunder och något som företaget arbetar mycket med och därför valdes IKEA ut som fallstudie. Syftet med studien är att undersöka IKEAs applicering av Cirkulär Supply Chain Management (CSCM) samt utmaningar och möjligheter med CSCM. Studien genomfördes genom en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer med två respondenter som innehar kompetens inom området. Studien kompletterades med hållbarhetsrapporter, observationer och annan kompletterande information som lade grunden till det empiriska avsnittet. Forskningen beskriver att Cirkulär Supply Chain Management innebär maximering av användningen av varor och material samt minimering av avfall. Det är däremot inte helt tydligt hur leveranskedjan ska tillämpas och det kan finnas ekonomiska, strukturella eller tekniska utmaningar. Möjligheterna är däremot ökad motståndskraft i försörjningskedjan, främjande av resurseffektivitet som leder till konkurrenskraft på marknaden. Förutom det är minskat klimatavtryck en av företags främsta möjligheterna och anledningen till implementering. Studiens resultat visar att regelverken sätter stort hinder för att fullt implementera CSCM. Cirkulärbutiken och Retuna skapar en positiv kundupplevelse som bidrar till kundlojalitet för IKEA. IKEA stärker även varumärket, kundrelationer och företagets strategiska mål genom att vara en ledande aktör inom hållbarhet och cirkularitet. IKEA möter utmaningar kopplade till marknadsföring av second-hand produkter och att återfå fler produkter till butikerna. Möjligheter som IKEA ser är ett stort intresse av kunderna för second-hand produkter och därmed arbetar företaget mycket för att främja cirkulära mönster hos kunden och kundbeteendet. Slutligen innebär det att företag som inte vill arbeta med cirkularitet kan förlora stora ekonomiska möjligheter och riskerar att försvinna från marknaden. / Circular Supply Chain Management is a central part of the foundations of many organizations and companies. Circularity is embedded in IKEA’s goals and principles and therefore IKEA was chosen as a case study. The purpose of this study is to examine IKEA’s application of Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) and the challenges and opportunities associated with CSCM. The study was conducted using a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews with two respondents who possess expertise in the field. The study was supplemented with sustainability reports, forming the basis of the empirical section. The research describes that Circular Supply Chain Management involves maximizing the use of goods and materials while minimizing waste. However, it is not entirely clear how the supply chain should be applied, and there may be economic, structural or technical challenges. On the other hand, opportunities include increased supply chain resilience, promoting resource efficiency leading to marketing competitiveness. Additionally, reducing the carbon footprint is one of companies primary opportunities and reasons for implementation. The study’s result indicates that regulatory frameworks present significant obstacles to the full implementation of CSCM. Cirkulärbutiken and Retuna create a positive customer experience that contributes to customer loyalty for IKEA. Additionally, IKEA strengthens its brand, customer relationships, and strategic goals by being a leading player in sustainability and circularity. IKEA faces challenges related to the marketing of second-hand products and retrieving more products back to the store. Opportunities seen by IKEA include a significant customer interest for second-hand products and therefore the company works extensively to promote circular patterns in customer behavior. Ultimately, companies that do not embrace circularity risk missing out on substantial economic opportunities and potentially disappearing from the market.