Circular supply chain management within the wind energy industry – conceptional ideas towards more circularity

Abstract

Supply chains have to be designed and managed to handle complexity and uncertainties. Recent events (e.g. Covid-19) have shown how fragile supply chains can be when assumptions for the design and management of supply chains are challenged. In addition, governments are striving for systemic changes towards more sustainability (e.g. European Green Deal). To meet the resulting requirements, the concept of circular economy and with it, circular supply chain management (CSCM) are gaining attention as they could contribute to building a sustainable and resilient system. The German wind energy industry, with its long track record, is a suitable application for further research on CSCM, as the industry operates predominantly in a linear system and relies on finite materials. Despite, research on CSCM for the wind energy industry is still rare. The aim of the paper is therefore to present conceptional ideas that enable an efficient design of a circular wind energy industry in Germany. Aspects from an organization, products and processes level of a CSCM are outlined. These ideas contribute to the state of the art and inspire future discussions between researchers and practitioners.