Calzolari, T., Genovese, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-5652-4634 and Brint, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-8863-407X (2021) The adoption of circular economy practices in supply chains – an assessment of European Multi-National Enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 312. 127616. ISSN 0959-6526
Abstract
The European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan aims at fostering a society based on sustainable production and consumption. Within this context, industrial organisations are called to implement a wide set of practices to drive this transition: manufacturing easy-to-repair and sustainable products, adopting solutions aimed at extending product lifetime, and promoting remanufacturing and materials’ recycling. A major contribution is expected from Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs), as these organisations dominate the European economy and coordinate resource-intensive global supply networks.
As such, this study assesses the Circular Economy-inspired initiatives promoted by the largest European MNEs. The content of sustainability reports is scrutinised, through a template analysis technique, in order to create a database of Circular Economy practices. Key findings include the degree of implementation, the level of involvement of supply chain partners, and the drivers behind the implementation of such practices. Furthermore, a conceptual framework is proposed, in order to describe the adoption of Circular Economy practices as a supply chain process. A theoretical discussion explores the role of institutional pressures and supply chain integration to shape the transition towards the adoption of Circular Economy practices in global supply chains.
Metadata
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Cleaner Production. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). | ||||
Keywords: | Circular economy; Fortune 500; Sustainability; MNEs; Supply chain integration; Institutional theory | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield | ||||
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) | ||||
Funding Information: |
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Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield | ||||
Date Deposited: | 28 Jul 2021 10:54 | ||||
Last Modified: | 28 May 2022 00:38 | ||||
Status: | Published | ||||
Publisher: | Elsevier BV | ||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||
Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127616 |