The Circular Economy (CE) is gaining momentum in companies as a powerful paradigm that, by seeking to restore the residual value in products through strategies such as repair, reuse, remanufacture and recycle, allows to address an ever-rising resource scarcity, unlike the prevailing “take-make-dispose” model. Being an enabler of the reverse movement of goods in supply chains, logistics is acknowledged as a pillar of CE, since it promotes the establishment of take-back systems that are an essential feature of circular business models. Hence, properly designing logistics systems to support circular initiatives is crucial to ensuring their success. Existing literature has primarily focused on either developing quantitative models to optimize networks for reverse flows, or on solving issues related to specific contexts or processes of the reverse flow (e.g., collection). However, in spite of the extensive research on CE and reverse logistics, there is still a lack of structured knowledge on how logistics systems can be effectively operationalised to support circularity. Indeed, research in the field requires a more practitioner-oriented approach, so that the key logistics choices facilitating resource conservation are clearly identified and organized to drive their practical implementation by managers. This study addresses the gap through a Systematic Literature Review, identifying and categorising the key variables and associated options to be set when (re)designing logistics systems for circularity, along with the management dimensions to be considered throughout their deployment. By structuring these findings across multiple dimensions and providing research directions, this research contributes to both logistics management and CE-related academic discussions, while offering practitioners a structured overview of the key decisions involved in (re)designing and managing logistics systems to support circular strategies.
Logistics System Design and Management for the Circular Economy: Insights and Opportunities from Literature
Priori E.;Tappia E.;Colicchia C.;Melacini M.
2025-01-01
Abstract
The Circular Economy (CE) is gaining momentum in companies as a powerful paradigm that, by seeking to restore the residual value in products through strategies such as repair, reuse, remanufacture and recycle, allows to address an ever-rising resource scarcity, unlike the prevailing “take-make-dispose” model. Being an enabler of the reverse movement of goods in supply chains, logistics is acknowledged as a pillar of CE, since it promotes the establishment of take-back systems that are an essential feature of circular business models. Hence, properly designing logistics systems to support circular initiatives is crucial to ensuring their success. Existing literature has primarily focused on either developing quantitative models to optimize networks for reverse flows, or on solving issues related to specific contexts or processes of the reverse flow (e.g., collection). However, in spite of the extensive research on CE and reverse logistics, there is still a lack of structured knowledge on how logistics systems can be effectively operationalised to support circularity. Indeed, research in the field requires a more practitioner-oriented approach, so that the key logistics choices facilitating resource conservation are clearly identified and organized to drive their practical implementation by managers. This study addresses the gap through a Systematic Literature Review, identifying and categorising the key variables and associated options to be set when (re)designing logistics systems for circularity, along with the management dimensions to be considered throughout their deployment. By structuring these findings across multiple dimensions and providing research directions, this research contributes to both logistics management and CE-related academic discussions, while offering practitioners a structured overview of the key decisions involved in (re)designing and managing logistics systems to support circular strategies.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
