Wholesaler echelon and Industry 4.0 in circular supply chains – a systematic review

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse systematically previous literature that sought to understand the formation of circular supply chains (CSCs) and propose a research agenda for implementing circular economy 4.0 in the wholesale industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a systematic literature review.FindingsThere is a prevalence of research related to manufacturing and how industrial complexes can establish practices linked to the circular economy. The reviewed papers in this study can be classified into three perspectives: systemic analysis, institutional perspective and operational perspective. Considering these categories and the wholesaler perspective, there is a scope to explore Industry 4.0 technologies applications with wholesale distributors and their contributions to the reverse flow of waste along the CSC. In addition, it is interesting to examine the interpretation of wholesale distributors on circularity, and how these members can contribute to filling the information gaps between industries and retailers based on the concepts of circular economy and Industry 4.0, and how they can contribute to establishing public policies for proper waste recycling methods.Originality/valueFirst, this research considers the wholesaler the exclusive supply chain member under the influence of Industry 4.0 and highlights its importance in firms' circular operations. Second, it provides an inclusive plan for the other stakeholders to interact with the wholesaler echelon to design and operate under 4.0 technologies to consolidate effective CSCs.

Barriers to Industry 4.0 technology adoption in agricultural supply chains: a Fuzzy Delphi-ISM approach

“…Industry 4.0 technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Wireless Sensor-based Networks (WSNs), Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Autonomous Vehicles/Machineries, and Robotics have gained popularity across many sectors (Yadav et al ., 2020; Balasubramanian et al ., 2021a; Stocco et al ., 2022). In agriculture’s case, they could make the supply chains more intelligent, integrated, data-driven, agile, and autonomous and thereby improve their operational efficiency, responsiveness and traceability (Soosay and Kannusamy, 2018).…”

“…In agriculture’s case, they could make the supply chains more intelligent, integrated, data-driven, agile, and autonomous and thereby improve their operational efficiency, responsiveness and traceability (Soosay and Kannusamy, 2018). Industry 4.0 also contributes to the development of sustainable supply chains, and circular economy models (Stocco et al ., 2022). However, their diffusion/adoption rate in the agricultural sector continues to be low, which is a cause for concern, but which also reflects the barriers faced in (their) implementation (Soosay and Kannusamy, 2018; Akella et al ., 2023).…”