Conference Agenda

Circular economy is increasingly discussed as a means of improving the environmental performance of logistics and supply chain systems. Yet, circular economy approaches in both research and practice are still frequently associated with recycling, recovery, waste management, and end-of-life treatment. This perspective risks underrepresenting non-recycling R-strategies that are deployed earlier in the product life cycle and seek to prevent resource use, extend product lifetimes, or maintain the functionality and value of products and components before material recovery becomes necessary.

This paper examines selected non-recycling R-strategies in circular supply chains, while recycling and recovery serve as reference points within the broader R-strategy spectrum. The paper conducts an integrative literature review, synthesizing selected research on circular economy, R-strategies, value retention, circular supply chain management, and environmental sustainability. First, the review consolidates the current state of knowledge on the R-strategy spectrum by bringing together different perspectives from the literature, including life-cycle stages, value-retention levels, and circularity logics.

Building on this conceptual overview, the main analysis links selected non-recycling R-strategies to supply chain processes. For this purpose, the paper uses the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model as a structuring framework and examines how the selected strategies relate to the process areas Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, and Enable. This allows the analysis to identify which supply chain processes and operational capabilities are particularly relevant for the practical application of different non-recycling R-strategies.

Finally, the review provides a concise ecological reflection on the proposed classification. Rather than conducting an empirical impact assessment or life cycle assessment, it discusses how the identified supply chain processes and operational requirements may help explain why circular strategies are not automatically environmentally beneficial and why their relevance depends on the specific context of application.

By connecting the current state of knowledge on the R-strategy spectrum with a SCOR-based analysis of selected non-recycling R-strategies, the paper contributes to a more differentiated understanding of circular economy beyond recycling and recovery. It outlines two directions for future research: the empirical environmental assessment of non-recycling R-strategies and the analysis of strategy-process combinations across circular supply chain contexts.