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Open research questions in Sustainable Supply Chain Management

100 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,231 Sustainable Supply Chain Management papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • This study set out to examine how the circular economy (CE) has been incorporated into the scientific domain of agrifood research, development, and innovation (RD&I) to interrogate the conceptual structure, thematic evolution, and dominant orientations that have shaped this interface. The evidence generated demonstrates that, although CE has become an increasingly visible reference in agrifood RD&I, its integration into agrifood RD&I remains fragmented, and frequently anchored in process-specific or efficiency-oriented approaches rather than in systemic reconfigurations of innovation agendas. From a theoretical standpoint, the main contribution of the study lies in reframing the CE–agrifood relationship through the lens of RD&I as a knowledge-producing and direction-setting domain. The results suggest that the recovered literature has not converged toward a unified conceptual model capable of consistently articulating circularity principles with technological innovation trajectories. Instead, what emerges is a pattern of partial convergence, in which CE appears simultaneously as (1) a normative framework (2), a set of technological solutions (often centered on waste valorization and resource efficiency) and (3) an analytical layer supported by system-level assessment tools. However, these dimensions remain only loosely integrated, indicating that circularity has been more frequently operationalized as incremental improvement within prevailing production logics. Saying in other form: circularity has not been operationalized as a driver of transformative innovation. This finding advances the scientific literature by clarifying that the central challenge is not the absence of CE-related research, but the limited consolidation of CE as a structuring principle of agrifood RD&I itself. 1 3Circular Economy and Sustainability (2026) 6:352 352 Page 28 of 35 One of the main findings of this study is the disconnect between the strategic prominence attributed to digital agriculture-related technologies and their actual position within the scientific structure of circular economy-oriented agrifood RD&I. Although artificial intelligence, blockchain, and Agriculture 4.0/5.0 are frequently presented as drivers of future circular transitions, the current literature remains predominantly organized around resource recovery, biomass valorization, waste management, and life cycle assessment. This suggests that digital technologies presently represent an emerging expectation for the field rather than one of its consolidated research frontiers. Practically, these results carry direct implications for the design and governance of agrifood RD&I systems.

    Circular Economy in Agrifood RD&I: A Global Bibliometric Review · 2026 · DOI

  • the Environment, 30(4), 2038-2060. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2720. future research. Business Strategy and Sustainability, framework. 12(18), review and for a [47 ] de Camargo Fiorini, P., & Jabbour, C. J. C. (2017). Information systems and sustainable supply chain management towards a more sustainable society: Where we are and where we are going. International Journal of Information Management, 37(4), 241-249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.12.004. [48 ] Baryannis, G., Validi, S., Dani, S., & Antoniou, G. (2019). Supply chain risk management and artificial intelligence: state of the art and future research directions. International journal of production research, 57(7), 2179-2202. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2018.1530476. [49 ] Danese, P., Manfè, V., & Romano, P. (2018). A systematic literature review on recent lean research: state‐of‐the‐art 579-605.

    Analyzing the Drivers of Fashion Supply Chain Sustainability During Pandemics (Case Study: COVID-19) · 2026 · DOI

  • This study suggests some tangible recommendations that can help and improve the implementation of circular economy practices in the industrial sector of Bangladesh. By filling the existing gap between theory and practice, the proposed recommendations indicate certain steps to be taken by relevant parties. As shown in Table 7 below, these initiatives are founded on the tested assumptions concerning awareness of environmental issues, availability of resources, regulatory pressure, and organizational culture ensuring they are evidence based and contextually relevant to the Bangladeshi socio-economic landscape. Table 7. Stakeholder-Oriented Recommendations in Bangladesh Manufacturing Sector.

    Exploring the Drivers of Circular Economy Implementation: Evidence from Bangladesh’s Manufacturing Sector · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the scope of this research is limited to a sample of European companies, which may influence the generalizability of the findings. This predominant focus on products suggests that while companies are making progress in sustainable product development, opportunities remain underexplored in areas like circular economy-driven business models and service-based solutions that could complement and enhance product innovations in reducing emissions. This addresses a recent gap in the literature, which has largely called for more empirical research on how companies operationalize their environmental commitments.

    Driving product innovation for greenhouse gas reduction: insights from European manufacturing · 2026 · DOI

  • compliance, extended producer responsibility, standardization, circular economy action plan, knowledge transfer accountability, decision-making, knowledge exchange, shared responsibility, collaborative governance material flow, co-benefits, identify opportunities, mapping stakeholders steering, facilitator The 487 keyword occurrences were analysed and Figure 1 presents the top 20 keywords. Because the scraping method prevented keyword repetition within a factor occurrence, the keyword frequencies represent single occurrences within distinct projects rather than counting keyword repetition. While references to collaboration and cooperation are expected in CE projects, collaboration appears to require more than relational coordination alone. The prominence of transparency and traceability indicates a focus on shared information infrastructures as foundations for trust and collective action. Figure 1. Overview of the frequency of the top 20 keyword occurrences across the studied cases 3.2.3. Extracted text segments and illustrative examples From the 279 analysed cases, a total of 720 text segments were identified that referenced one or more of the nine enabling factors. Each segment captured a project context in which a relevant keyword appeared, revealing a range of actions, approaches, and strategies associated with collaboration in CE projects. Summaries and quotes of recurrent themes associated with each factor are outlined in Table 3. DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY 1245 Table 3.

    Towards collaboration in circular ecosystems: barriers, enablers, and insights from European projects · 2026 · DOI

  • S2 Established automotive ecosystem to stimulate the country’s economy, ecology, and society S3 Active support from the Malaysian government towards the automotive sector W4 Weak brand image making it difficult S4 High domestic demand is growing, and for Malaysian brands to compete in export markets its middle class is expanding, fuelling demand for new automobiles W5 Limited research and development S5…

    Unlocking Strategic Renewal Supply Chain Options for the Malaysian Automotives Sector · 2026 · DOI

  • Makerspaces constitute an under-recognized form of circular micro-infrastructure that couples technical capacity with social learning and can translate CE ambitions into everyday practice.

    Implicit Circularity in the City: How Makerspaces Enable Everyday Repair, Reuse, and Learning · 2026 · DOI

  • In spite of the increased research attention to green logistics, the available literature is mostly based on developed economies, and the few studies on Africa put environmental awareness as an obviously significant phenomenon without critically analyzing its explanatory role or conditions under which it can be translated into practice adoption.

    Green logistics awareness and sustainable practice adoption in African logistics firms · 2026 · DOI

  • This study has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. First, regarding expert-based subjectivity, while our panel included diverse stakehold- ers and the sensitivity analysis confirmed ranking stability (Section 4.1.3), the judgments remain inherently subjective and reflect the specific knowledge and biases of the five experts. Second, regarding scope constraints, our empiri- cal focus is exclusively Indonesia. As revised throughout the manuscript, we frame our findings as contextualized to Indonesia with implications for other emerging econo- mies rather than claiming universal generalizability. Third, regarding method selection, Fuzzy RAFSI, ISM, and MIC- MAC rely on the quality of the Structural Self-Interaction Matrix derived from expert consensus; alternative methods (e.g., DEMATEL, Fuzzy AHP) might yield complementary insights. Fourth, this study identifies and structures enablers but does not measure their causal effects quantitatively; future research could employ structural equation model- ing or system dynamics to test the directional relationships proposed in the ISM hierarchy. Despite these limitations, the integrated framework provides a rigorous foundation for understanding circular resilience in informal-dominated e-waste systems. Author Contributions All authors were involved in the study’s concep- tualization and design. Ilyas Masudin took the lead in developing the methodology and drafting the initial manuscript. Rangga Primadasa and Dian Palupi Restuputri handled data collection and analysis. Ilyas Masudin and Dian Palupi Restuputri conducted critical revisions and edited the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the submit- ted version of the manuscript. Funding No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript. Data Availability The datasets generated during and/or analyzed dur- ing the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Code Availability Not applicable.

    Circular Resilience Enablers in Informal-Dominated Urban Mining E-Waste Supply Chains in Emerging Economies · 2026 · DOI

  • Largely normative; limited operational and resilience focus Underestimates governance, informalsector dominance Weak integration with CE and resilience…

    Circular Resilience Enablers in Informal-Dominated Urban Mining E-Waste Supply Chains in Emerging Economies · 2026 · DOI

  • will focus primarily on the specific opportunities and challenges encountered in this region. Indeed, environmental challenges in Africa, such as air pollution and inadequate waste management, require a systems approach and efforts to integrate genomic and environmental factors into research studies (Joubert et al., future research could focus on the 2019). the circular impacts of socio-economic and environmental economy in Africa, examining how these models can help address environmental health issues while promoting sustainable development (Sanyang et al., 2017). Specially, research could explore how the circular economy can be adapted and implemented effectively in various sectors, such as agriculture, manufacturing and the waste sector, to meet local needs while minimizing environmental impact (Yang et al., 2023). In addition, an in- depth analysis of existing policies and regulatory frameworks in Africa would help determine the barriers to the adoption of the circular economy and identify the measures needed to foster its development. This should include investigation of governance models that can facilitate the transition from traditional waste management approaches to more sustainable systems based on circular principles, considering the unique socio-economic contexts of African countries. Finally, comparative studies between circular economy initiatives in different African regions could highlight best practices and lessons to be learned for successful implementation on a continental scale (Koech et al., 2023).

    Circular economy as a climate strategy: a semi-systematic review with bibliometric insights on the transition from traditional infrastructures to sustainable solutions · 2026 · DOI

  • 4.1 Exploring emerging trends in circular business models for sustainable infrastructure Beyond the European context, circular economy models are also being implemented across diverse global settings, demonstrating their broad applicability while highlighting the need for contextual adaptation. In Asia, China has integrated circular economy principles into its industrial policy, with eco- industrial parks serving as key implementation tools (Su et al., 2013). In Latin America, countries such as Brazil and Colombia focused are developing urban circular economy initiatives on waste management, urban agriculture, and sustainable construction, uneven due (Merli et al., 2018). to institutional implementation and financial constraints although remains In Africa, circular economy approaches are being applied in countries such as Rwanda and South Africa, particularly in electronic waste recycling and urban food systems (Godfrey et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2023). These diverse experiences demonstrate that while the European model provides a strong reference framework, the transition to a circular economy must be adapted to local socio-economic, institutional, and environmental contexts to be effective and equitable, especially in settings characterized by rapid urbanization (Merli et al., 2018). limited resources or The green economy, bioeconomy and green transition are the major emerging trends for sustainable development (D’Amato et al., 2017) (Figure 4). Indeed, the bioeconomy, defined as the efficient and sustainable use of biological resources to produce goods and services (European Commission, 2018), offers opportunities for a transition to more sustainable infrastructures by promoting the valorization of organic waste and biomass. At the same time, the green transition, focused on a low-carbon economy and efficient use of resources (Jänicke, 2012), aligns with the principles of the circular economy by encouraging recycling, technological innovation and the adoption of sustainable practices. Within the bioeconomy, the valorization of biological resources and organic waste contributes to the creation of positive feedback loops, where waste is transformed into valuable resources (European Commission, practices 2018). By such as biomethanization and biomass energy production, sustainable environmental footprint while promoting a more efficient use of natural resources (Vajda and Dragan, 2024). Similarly, the green transition, with its emphasis on qualitative and resilient economic growth, offers opportunities to rethink consumption and production models in order to minimize waste and promote the reuse infrastructures incorporating can reduce their FIGURE 4 Relations among bioeconomy, green economy, and circular economy. Source: Kardung et al. (2021), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

    Circular economy as a climate strategy: a semi-systematic review with bibliometric insights on the transition from traditional infrastructures to sustainable solutions · 2026 · DOI

  • This review is subject to several limitations. First, the database coverage was restricted to four main sources, potentially omitting recent or regionally published studies. Second, only English- language publications were included, which may bias findings toward Western-centric perspectives. Third, the focus on theoretical and conceptual contributions excluded practice-oriented or technical studies that could offer valuable insights into regenerative principles.

    SUSTAINABILITY VERSUS REGENERATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT: A PRISMA-BASED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THEORETICAL EVOLUTION AND CONCEPTUAL BOUNDARIES (2010-2025) · 2026 · DOI

  • Thus, the limitations of this study include the innate uncertainty of generalisability in case studies and further research into the topic in dif- ferent industries and geographical settings would be beneficial to verify the findings of this study and provide more data points, so that the findings on core definition and systematic remanufacturing activities can be verified to be causal and not correlational. Even though the core definition process was cre- ated based on the Stage-Gate model, the underlying rationale of defining remanufacturable parts, assemblies, and products is not limited to a specific PD model.

    Core definition in product development as a key capability for remanufacturing – managerial insights from the heavy-duty and off-road vehicles industry · 2026 · DOI

  • The study relies primarily on quantitative data and employs the ARDL-PMG methodology; consequently, the results may vary if alternative methodologies, different country samples, time periods, or estimation techniques are applied.

    Turning the tide on emissions through circular economy practices, tourism development and innovation-driven climate mitigation · 2026 · DOI

  • The results uncover two main gaps: (1) there is limited literature covering legal risks of EPR explicitly, and (2) there is generally only superficial engagement with particular legal risks of EPR.

    Perceived legal risks of extended producer responsibility · 2025 · DOI

  • Further research is required to examine the integration of sustainability concerns in the organizational strategy, technology-driven sustainable practices, and assessment of the impact of regulatory frameworks and incentives on encouraging public sector organizations to adopt and prioritize sustainability initiatives.

    Navigating Sustainable Practices in Public Sector Organizations: Current Themes and Emerging Trends · 2024 · DOI

  • Future research could explore cross-country comparisons to examine how institutional quality, regulatory stringency, or environmental governance models moderate the relationship between strategic alliances and innovation bubbles. Future studies could investigate additional mediators such as corporate social responsibility orientation, board environmental expertise, or external ESG rating pressure.

    Quantity or quality? The impact assessment of environmental regulation on green innovation · 2024 · DOI

  • Although the emissions trading system encourages businesses to move in this direction, it can be challenging for them to efficiently manage their carbon assets owing to issues such as lack of standardised methods for tracking emissions across suppliers and manufacturers and the fragmentation of carbon markets.

    Blockchain and the carbon credit ecosystem: sustainable management of the supply chain · 2023 · DOI

  • This study takes a network centric view to describe hitherto under-explored features of network functionality based on case analysis of a single business support network in the East Midlands of the UK.

    Building an empirically grounded conceptual frame for business networking as a mechanism for pro-environmental business growth · 2023 · DOI

  • Abstract Although both scholars and practitioners have recognized the crucial role of green supply chain integration (GSCI), our understanding of how green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) may affect GSCI is scarce.

    Enabling green supply chain integration via green entrepreneurial orientation: Does environmental leadership matter? · 2022 · DOI

  • The case findings could stimulate further research into how this and similar types of business models will help societies to change from the ‘use‐it‐once‐and‐throw‐it away’ mentality of linear business models to the integrated, holistic, CE model that seeks to emulate nature's cyclical systems, and achieve the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

    Circular economy business models: Towards achieving sustainable development goals in the waste management sector—Empirical evidence and theoretical implications · 2022 · DOI

  • Through a systematic review of the literature, this article aims to unify and to uncover the available evidence on innovation in relation to the circular economy and to determine those aspects that remain unexplored or should be studied in more depth in order to be able to continue to make progress in this field.

    Circular Economy and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review · 2021 · DOI

  • In this paper we conceptually identify the gap in the literature about lack of business's awareness in non -financial activities, especially biodiversity, which can be responsible for crisis like Covid-19 which can adversely affect the global economy.

    The future of<scp>non‐financial</scp>businesses reporting: Learning from the Covid‐19 pandemic · 2021 · DOI

  • Abstract Despite the strong societal demand for circular fashion (CF) businesses, the literature lacks a contextualized understanding about what has been explored versus what has been underexplored in the current literature.

    How fashion can achieve sustainable development through a circular economy and stakeholder engagement: A systematic literature review · 2020 · DOI

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100 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,231 Sustainable Supply Chain Management papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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