Objective: Circular supply chain management (CSCM) incorporates circular thinking — based on the circular economy paradigm — into supply chain management. In the last 5 years, this emerging research field has developed at a rapid pace and, as a result, has attracted great interest from researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners. As there are few studies on the theoretical conceptualization of the circular supply chain (CSC), especially on its definition, this paper aims to fill this gap and to provide conceptual transparency for the CSC framework. The main research question is “What are the current understandings among scholars of the CSC concept and CSCM framework?”. Method: To answer this question, a systematic literature review was conducted based on the Web of Science and Scopus databases. This was followed by a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and a comprehensive content analysis of the literature. Results: The bibliometric analysis provided an overview of CSC evolution and identified three temporal, thematic clusters. The content analysis identified 127 articles that explicitly mention the term CSC(M). Of these, seventeen articles provide explicit definitions that were thoroughly analyzed and categorized. Following this, six archetypal elements of the CSC and four propositions on the CSC’s uniqueness were formulated. Conclusion: The CSC research field is evolving rapidly. Its differentiation from other sustainability-related fields is sometimes not clear, and definitions and conceptualizations vary in detail, scope, and focus. Contributions: This study contributes to the CSC literature and provides transparency for the conceptualization and understanding of CSC. For both theory and practice, an agenda for future research opportunities is identified, which supports the further development of this research field.

The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. According to this ambitious plan, 50% of greenhouse gas emissions are to be saved through a wide implementation of a circular economy. With supply chains responsible for four-fifths of greenhouse gas emissions, their role in the transition from linearity to a circular economy, and thus in the successful implementation of circular systems, is critical and requires the attention of academia, policymakers, and practitioners. Maturity models are suitable for monitoring, assessing, and evaluating the transformation process and determining the status quo of a supply chain. However, as the implementation of circular supply chains is still in its infancy, circular maturity frameworks at the supply chain level are not available yet. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conceptualize a framework for analyzing the maturity level of circular economy adoption in the supply chain context. From an extensive and systematic literature review of overall 1,372 articles on supply chains, circular economy and maturity the following findings can be drawn: (i) circular economy and circular supply chains are massively growing research streams; (ii) the link between circular economy, supply chains and maturity assessment is so far missing; (iii) three constructs (organization, products, processes) characterize and influence circular supply chain maturity; (iv) a 3-layered maturity grid covering six archetypal elements of the circular economy enables the assessment of a circular supply chain maturity. The developed circular supply chain maturity framework paves the way for circular economy adoption at supply chain level by understanding current level of circular maturity and thus supporting the circular economy implementation process at supply chain level.

Circular business models operate differently from traditional linear models: by developing products designed for disassembly, reuse, and recycling; by using materials and products for as long as possible; and by replacing physical products with virtual ones, they aim to reduce the environmental impact of their operations and facilitate the creation of a more sustainable future. In this article, the framework for circular business models is discussed from two perspectives: first, a systematic literature review is conducted to explore the academic point of view; second, a comparative policy review is conducted to analyze the past, present, and future visions of Germany and Japan in relation to their circular transition, particularly with regard to each country’s vision of circular business models. A first outcome is a synthesis of current circular business model archetypes and the developed circular business model matrix, which adds value to the literature by providing information on circular goals, strategies, the actors involved, and the social and political implications of each circular business model typology. A second outcome is a comparative, in-depth analysis of the current policy frameworks and strategies for circular business models in Germany and Japan. This article outlines the main ways in which both countries are currently making the transition to a circular economy, providing an important knowledge base for further development.

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is a promising goal in sustainability efforts, but its implementation faces many barriers. Above all, there is a lack of cross-sectoral relationships between actors for the exchange of information, data and knowledge, forming so-called circularity holes. To overcome this problem, digital platforms can be introduced as circularity brokers. By supporting digital technologies like blockchain, other barriers, such as lack of trust or data security, can also be overcome. This study provides a selection and categorization of different, relevant digital technologies as well as an overview of how digital platforms are built and function in the context of CE. To evaluate sustainability and performance of the platform-based ecosystem comprehensively, a holistic performance framework for an updated SCOR perspective is presented. Instead of three, four sustainability dimensions (circular, economic, environmental and social) and a supplementing digital component are considered.