Interplay between reverse logistics and circular economy: Critical success factors based taxonomy and framework
Abstract The production and consumption practices that follow the "take make dispose" flow have negatively impacted the environment over time. This has propelled the society to evaluate and seek sustainable development options, where Circular Economy (CE) emerged as a relevant concept. This embraced the accountability for reverse logistics of the end of life products, which is seen as a costly and complex effort to be managed. This article develops a taxonomy for critical success factors (CSFs) of the reverse logistics capable of creating value for the company and its supply chain, from the perspective of the CE technical cycle, and provides a framework that represents the relationship between the CSFs and reverse logistics in the context of the circular supply chain. The methodology adopted was the tertiary literature review using content analysis with a sample of 66 reviews. The proposed taxonomy embraced five CSFs: Material Planning and Management, Life Cycle Assessment, Industrial Sustainability, Information and Communication Technology, and Promoters and Relationships. The framework illustrates how each component of the circular supply chain (i.e. Circular Inputs, Product Design, Process Design and Circular Flows) is influenced by the five CSFs of the reverse logistics obtained, highlighting the Promoters and Relationships CSF, since it influences all components of the circular supply chain and, consequently, reverse logistics.