Exploring the transition towards circular supply chains through the arcs of integration
本文批判性审视供应链整合概念在循环经济中的适用性，提出使用F-W的整合弧工具同时分析正向和逆向供应链的整合水平，并通过四个案例为未来研究指明方向。
A Circular Economy aims at fostering the development of a new economic system characterised by regenerative and cyclical flows of materials and energy. Such a paradigm shift is expected to signal an industrial transformation that will incorporate different product designs and end-of-life strategies intending to narrow, slow, and close resource loops. Within this context, the development of circular supply chains extends beyond traditional linear supplier-manufacturer-customer networks to include new actors and facilitate horizontal collaboration across competing sectors. The current literature has identified collaboration and coordination as fundamental components of the systemic transition to a Circular Economy. Thus, it is imperative to increase the capacity of involved companies in their supply chain to share information and knowledge to reduce uncertainty and resource dependency. While the literature points towards supply chain integration in facilitating the adoption of Circular Economy practices, this concept has typically been defined within traditional linear supply chains. As such, the objective of this paper is to critically examine the supply chain integration concept and assess its suitability for the analysis of circular supply chains. Acknowledging the need to rethink the idea of supply chain integration in the context of Circular Economy, we point to the direction of F–W's arcs of integration as a tool that could enable the simultaneous examination of the level of integration for both forward and reverse supply chains. Four exemplary cases are developed based on the type (forward or reverse), and degree (low, medium, or high) of supply chain integration, which pave the way for future research avenues.