Exploring circular supply chain practices from a dual perspective: using a hybrid method under uncertainty

Abstract

Circular supply chains have received increasing attention due to their contributions to the reduction of resource waste and the improvement of resource utilisation efficiency. To comprehensively and systematically gain deeper insight into circular supply chain practices, this paper adopts a dual perspective and proposes a hybrid method considering the relationship between the circular supply chain practices in each link to analyse critical circular supply chain practices. Specifically, first, a system of circular supply chain practices based on the 3R principle (reduce, reuse and recycle) of the circular economy and the whole supply chain process is built. Then, a hybrid method integrating fuzzy set theory, the Delphi method and a Bayesian network is proposed to identify the critical criteria of circular supply chain practices. The results show that using mechanised and automatic equipment, extending the service life of products through technological innovation, using energy-saving technology, working with middlemen to develop measures to encourage consumers to return secondhand products after use and working with middlemen to motivate consumers to buy products using recyclable materials are the top five critical practices. Firms should consider the priority of practices from the perspective of the whole supply chain. Finally, some corresponding suggestions are provided.

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