Background: Closed-loop supply chains are a concept in sustainability that refers to reusingraw materials and reducing waste to fulfill the global demands for sustainable action.While profit-driven organizations’ interest in closed-loop supply chains has increased, there arefinancial barriers that limit the integration of the economic and the environmental dimension of sustainability. This study investigates profitability factors along with the closed-loop supplychain activities in their potential for overcoming the financial barriers within the context ofSwedish furniture manufacturers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine closed-loop supply chains in their integrationof forward and reverse flows to achieve sustainability. The forward and reverse flows are investigated for factors of closed-loop supply chain profitability, within the context of the Swedish furniture industry. Method: This explorative study follows an inductive approach using a qualitative case studymethod. Data is triangulated from primary and secondary sources in the form of semi-structuredinterviews with purposefully chosen case companies, and secondary reports. Following a content analysis, data is coded and analyzed within and across cases. Findings: The study revealed seven financial barriers and a large range of profitability factorsthat help overcome financial barriers in closed-loop supply chains. The study generated a framework to show how profitability can be integrated along the closed-loop supply chain. The studyalso disclosed that product design and collaborative relationships offer the most potential forovercoming barriers among and between supply chains and for achieving a profitable CLSC.

Esta pesquisa aborda a relação entre território e moeda. O objetivo central é analisar a relação entre a expansão territorial do crédito bancário e a desigualdade econômica inter-regional no Brasil contemporâneo (2000-2010). A hipótese subjacente é que a redução das desigualdades econômicas inter-regionais favoreceu a expansão territorial do crédito bancário no país durante o período analisado. Para alcançar o objetivo e comprovar a hipótese central, a metodologia utilizada abarca uma análise teórica por meio do diálogo entre três das principais abordagens sobre o tema, a saber: marxista, pós-keynesiana e economia cultural. Além disso, analisamos o contexto histórico e apresentamos um estudo empírico, que abrange tanto as análises estatísticas de regressões temporais quanto as análises cartográficas. Os resultados principais da pesquisa mostram que as quebras das barreiras financeiras, sobretudo regulatórias e macroeconômicas, associadas com políticas sociais propiciaram um maior poder de compra em especial às populações de regiões com alta demanda reprimida, como também um maior acesso ao crédito para consumo para essas regiões. Isso acarretou no maior crescimento do crédito que o país já presenciou e também em uma significativa expansão territorial do crédito dos bancos comerciais. / This research addresses the relationship between territory and money. The main objective is to analyze the relationship between territorial expansion of bank credit and interregional economic inequality in contemporary Brazil (2000-2010). The underlying hypothesis is that the reduction of inter-regional economic inequalities favored the territorial expansion of bank credit in the country during the above period. To achieve the objective and prove the central hypothesis a methodology is used, which includes a theoretical analysis based on three major approaches, namely Marxist, Post-Keynesian and Cultural Economy. Furthermore, we analyze the historical context and perform an empirical analysis, which consists both of a statistical analysis with temporal regressions as well as a cartographic analysis. The main results of the research show that the breaks of financial barriers - particularly regulatory and macroeconomic - associated with social policies provided a greater purchasing power, especially for populations of regions with repressed high demand, as well as greater access to consumer credit for these regions. This resulted in the highest credit growth that the country has ever experienced and also in a significant territorial expansion of commercial bank credit.

Esta pesquisa aborda a relação entre território e moeda. O objetivo central é analisar a relação entre a expansão territorial do crédito bancário e a desigualdade econômica inter-regional no Brasil contemporâneo (2000-2010). A hipótese subjacente é que a redução das desigualdades econômicas inter-regionais favoreceu a expansão territorial do crédito bancário no país durante o período analisado. Para alcançar o objetivo e comprovar a hipótese central, a metodologia utilizada abarca uma análise teórica por meio do diálogo entre três das principais abordagens sobre o tema, a saber: marxista, pós-keynesiana e economia cultural. Além disso, analisamos o contexto histórico e apresentamos um estudo empírico, que abrange tanto as análises estatísticas de regressões temporais quanto as análises cartográficas. Os resultados principais da pesquisa mostram que as quebras das barreiras financeiras, sobretudo regulatórias e macroeconômicas, associadas com políticas sociais propiciaram um maior poder de compra em especial às populações de regiões com alta demanda reprimida, como também um maior acesso ao crédito para consumo para essas regiões. Isso acarretou no maior crescimento do crédito que o país já presenciou e também em uma significativa expansão territorial do crédito dos bancos comerciais. / This research addresses the relationship between territory and money. The main objective is to analyze the relationship between territorial expansion of bank credit and interregional economic inequality in contemporary Brazil (2000-2010). The underlying hypothesis is that the reduction of inter-regional economic inequalities favored the territorial expansion of bank credit in the country during the above period. To achieve the objective and prove the central hypothesis a methodology is used, which includes a theoretical analysis based on three major approaches, namely Marxist, Post-Keynesian and Cultural Economy. Furthermore, we analyze the historical context and perform an empirical analysis, which consists both of a statistical analysis with temporal regressions as well as a cartographic analysis. The main results of the research show that the breaks of financial barriers - particularly regulatory and macroeconomic - associated with social policies provided a greater purchasing power, especially for populations of regions with repressed high demand, as well as greater access to consumer credit for these regions. This resulted in the highest credit growth that the country has ever experienced and also in a significant territorial expansion of commercial bank credit.