Linking circular economy and digitalisation technologies : A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises

The circular economy (CE) has the potential to capitalise upon emerging digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of things (IoT), amongst others. These digital technologies combined with business model innovation are deemed to provide solutions to myriad problems in the world, including those related to circular economy transformation. Given the societal and practical importance of CE and digitalisation, last decade has witnessed a significant increase in academic publication on these topics. Therefore, this study aims to capture the essence of the scholarly work at the intersection of the CE and digital technologies. A detailed analysis of the literature based on emerging themes was conducted with a focus on illuminating the path of CE implementation. The results reveal that IoT and AI play a key role in the transition towards the CE. A multitude of studies focus on barriers to digitalisation-led CE transition and highlight policy-related issues, the lack of predictability, psychological issues and information vulnerability as some important barriers. In addition, product-service system (PSS) has been acknowledged as an important business model innovation for achieving the digitalisation enabled CE. Through a detailed assessment of the existing literature, a viable systems-based framework for digitalisation enabled CE has been developed which show the literature linkages amongst the emerging research streams and provide novel insights regarding the realisation of CE benefits.© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Food loss and waste in food supply chains. A systematic literature review and framework development approach

This study examines the state of the art of the literature in the domain of food loss and waste (FLW) in food supply chains (FSC). The authors used a systematic literature review (SLR) approach to examine and synthesise the findings of the existing literature to identify the key research themes, research gaps and avenues of future research on FLW in FSC. To this end, this SLR considered 152 articles relevant for the review. The authors uncovered the extant literature in the domain by presenting the research profile of the selected studies, along with thematic analysis. The authors identified eight key themes from the extant literature. The themes range from factors responsible for FLW generation to new, emerging areas of research such as digitalisation and food surplus redistribution. The study's findings will help clarify existing practices in FSC for waste mitigation and act as a foundation for strategic and policy initiatives in this area. The findings indicate that the major factors responsible for FLW include the poor management of perishable food items, stakeholder attitudes, buyer-supplier agreements and supply chain interruptions. Some of the important implications of the study include formal guidelines and policy-level interventions for assisting the accurate quantification of FLW along with an impetus on digitalisation to reduce FLW. The study concludes with the development of a research framework to assist future research in this domain. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Supply chain collaboration and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Teamwork makes achieving SDGs dream work

The global push towards sustainable development has led to an upsurge in academic literature at the juncture of supply chain collaboration (SCC) and sustainability. The present paper aims to map this growing literature to understand how SCC can contribute to the achievement of broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Via a systematic review of literature (SLR), the paper maps key themes at the intersection of SCC and sustainable development. Relying on nine key themes, the study presents novel insights into the domain of SCC for sustainable development. The results of the SLR reveal that collaborative innovation, collaborative process and product development are key mechanisms driving SCC. However, the extant literature has not devoted much attention to the effectiveness of SCC mechanisms or their performance. Further, the current study posits that more effective SCC strategies can boost the sustainable operational performance of the supply chain (SC) by enhancing capacity building and resource utilisation. Based on the contingency approach, this study offers a novel framework linking SCC to SDGs. The study thus has the potential to help managers and practitioners identify strategic fields of action for achieving SDGs.publishedVersio

Drivers and barriers of circular economy business models: Where we are now, and where we are heading

Literature on the circular economy business model (CEBM) has witnessed a sharp upsurge in recent years. Although scholars have investigated CEBM from several perspectives, including the green business model, waste management, digital technology, the supply chain, and the financial impact of CEBM, critical analysis of the extant literature has not attracted scholarly attention. The current systematic literature review (SLR) on CEBM is an attempt to critically analyse and appraise the prior findings by following robust research protocols. We analysed a pool of 126 studies to identify the thematic research areas, recognise the research gaps and present future research agendas. Subsequently, we classified the research themes, namely the drivers of and barriers to CEBM. The paper thus provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the art on the drivers and barriers involved in executing CEBM. By identifying existing research gaps and presenting avenues for future research, the SLR illuminates the nuances of CEBM implementation. Moreover, we propose an actor-network theory-based conceptual framework for CEBM implementation for further investigation. We conclude the study by providing the theoretical and practical implications for those attempting to overcome the barriers and address the challenges involved in CEBM implementation.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Comparison of quality of anardana (dried arils) prepared in mechanical cabinet and solar tunnel drier from wild pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits procured from different locations of Himachal Pradesh, India

The dried arils (anardana) prepared from wild pomegranate fruits (Punica granatum L.) are widely used as an acidulant in culinary purposes and in formulations of various ayurvedic medicines which are helpful in curing a number of ailments. As there is a wide variation among the quality of fruits which is due to geographic conditions, climatic factors and genetic variability so anardana was prepared from the fruits of different locations under different drying modes. The prepared product was further compared for its physico-chemical, antioxidant and sensory characteristics. Anardana prepared under mechanical cabinet drier and solar tunnel drier was comparable in terms of its various quality characteristics. While comparing the locations for the procurement of raw material, best quality anardana in terms of various quality attributes like colour, TSS [(total soluble solids) (40.35 oB)], total sugars (26.15 %), anthocyanins (37.97 mg/100 g), total phenols (176.46 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (39.45 mg QuE/100 g), antioxidant activity (59.53 %), starch (2.87 %) and sensory characteristics was prepared from the fruits of Karsog location (1265 meters above mean sea level) of Himachal Pradesh, India

Drivers and barriers of circular economy business models: Where we are now, and where we are heading

Literature on the circular economy business model (CEBM) has witnessed a sharp upsurge in recent years. Although scholars have investigated CEBM from several perspectives, including the green business model, waste management, digital technology, the supply chain, and the financial impact of CEBM, critical analysis of the extant literature has not attracted scholarly attention. The current systematic literature review (SLR) on CEBM is an attempt to critically analyse and appraise the prior findings by following robust research protocols. We analysed a pool of 126 studies to identify the thematic research areas, recognise the research gaps and present future research agendas. Subsequently, we classified the research themes, namely the drivers of and barriers to CEBM. The paper thus provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the art on the drivers and barriers involved in executing CEBM. By identifying existing research gaps and presenting avenues for future research, the SLR illuminates the nuances of CEBM implementation. Moreover, we propose an actor-network theory-based conceptual framework for CEBM implementation for further investigation. We conclude the study by providing the theoretical and practical implications for those attempting to overcome the barriers and address the challenges involved in CEBM implementation.publishedVersio

Supply chain collaboration and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Teamwork makes achieving SDGs dream work

The global push towards sustainable development has led to an upsurge in academic literature at the juncture of supply chain collaboration (SCC) and sustainability. The present paper aims to map this growing literature to understand how SCC can contribute to the achievement of broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Via a systematic review of literature (SLR), the paper maps key themes at the intersection of SCC and sustainable development. Relying on nine key themes, the study presents novel insights into the domain of SCC for sustainable development. The results of the SLR reveal that collaborative innovation, collaborative process and product development are key mechanisms driving SCC. However, the extant literature has not devoted much attention to the effectiveness of SCC mechanisms or their performance. Further, the current study posits that more effective SCC strategies can boost the sustainable operational performance of the supply chain (SC) by enhancing capacity building and resource utilisation. Based on the contingency approach, this study offers a novel framework linking SCC to SDGs. The study thus has the potential to help managers and practitioners identify strategic fields of action for achieving SDGs.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Linking circular economy and digitalisation technologies: A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises

The circular economy (CE) has the potential to capitalise upon emerging digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of things (IoT), amongst others. These digital technologies combined with business model innovation are deemed to provide solutions to myriad problems in the world, including those related to circular economy transformation. Given the societal and practical importance of CE and digitalisation, last decade has witnessed a significant increase in academic publication on these topics. Therefore, this study aims to capture the essence of the scholarly work at the intersection of the CE and digital technologies. A detailed analysis of the literature based on emerging themes was conducted with a focus on illuminating the path of CE implementation. The results reveal that IoT and AI play a key role in the transition towards the CE. A multitude of studies focus on barriers to digitalisation-led CE transition and highlight policy-related issues, the lack of predictability, psychological issues and information vulnerability as some important barriers. In addition, product-service system (PSS) has been acknowledged as an important business model innovation for achieving the digitalisation enabled CE. Through a detailed assessment of the existing literature, a viable systems-based framework for digitalisation enabled CE has been developed which show the literature linkages amongst the emerging research streams and provide novel insights regarding the realisation of CE benefits

Linking circular economy and digitalisation technologies: A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises

The circular economy (CE) has the potential to capitalise upon emerging digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of things (IoT), amongst others. These digital technologies combined with business model innovation are deemed to provide solutions to myriad problems in the world, including those related to circular economy transformation. Given the societal and practical importance of CE and digitalisation, last decade has witnessed a significant increase in academic publication on these topics. Therefore, this study aims to capture the essence of the scholarly work at the intersection of the CE and digital technologies. A detailed analysis of the literature based on emerging themes was conducted with a focus on illuminating the path of CE implementation. The results reveal that IoT and AI play a key role in the transition towards the CE. A multitude of studies focus on barriers to digitalisation-led CE transition and highlight policy-related issues, the lack of predictability, psychological issues and information vulnerability as some important barriers. In addition, product-service system (PSS) has been acknowledged as an important business model innovation for achieving the digitalisation enabled CE. Through a detailed assessment of the existing literature, a viable systems-based framework for digitalisation enabled CE has been developed which show the literature linkages amongst the emerging research streams and provide novel insights regarding the realisation of CE benefits