Circular Supply Chain Management: A Sustainability Approach

This book provides fundamental knowledge of theories on the circular economy and circular supply chain management. It also discusses theories that have been developed or adopted in circular economy research. Traditional supply chains organizations have felt the importance of transforming their activities to become more circular. This book provides insights into the need for adopting circular supply chain practices and the circular business models they can adopt. Barriers that supply chain organizations will encounter in their efforts to expediate the transformation, and the drivers that they will need to achieve these goals, are elaborated in the book. The key factors that help in the decision-making process and modalities involved in modelling the circular chains are also discussed. These will be of great value to managers and other stakeholders. Additionally, the role of I4.0 technologies in future supply circular chains is elucidated.

This book also offers solutions to supply chain organizations for achieving the sustainable development goals. Case studies and illustrations are provided in each chapter for easy understanding of theory to practice.

Jayakrishna Kandasamy is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Vellore Institute of Technology University, India. Jayakrishna’s research is focused on the design and management of manufacturing systems and supply chains to enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability performance. More recent research is in the area of developing tools and techniques to enable value creation through sustainable manufacturing, including methods to facilitate more sustainable product design for closed-loop material flow in industrial symbiotic setup, and developing sustainable products using hybrid bio composites. He has mentored doctoral students, graduate and undergraduate students which have so far led to 104 journal publications in leading SCI/ SCOPUS Indexed journals, 46 book chapters, and 92 refereed conference proceedings, 4 authored books, 12 edited books in CRC/Springer Series. Dr. Jayakrishna’s team has received numerous awards in recognition for the quality of the work that has been produced. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the manufacturing and industrial systems area and his initiatives to improve teaching effectiveness have been recognized through national awards. Notably, he is ranked among the Top 2% most influential researchers globally in the prestigious 2023 & 2024 Stanford University World Ranking. He has also been awarded Global Engineering Education Award from Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) Society International, U.S.A. in 2021, Institution of Engineers (India)-Young Engineer Award in 2019 and Distinguished Researcher Award in the field of Sustainable Systems Engineering in 2019 by International Institute of Organized Research, Best Faculty Researcher Award for the year(s) 2016-2021 consecutively. Coordinator – Circular Economy Club, VIT University, Academic Editor – Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Wiley-Hindawi Publications, and Editorial Board Member – Journal of Operational Research for Engineering Management Studies (JOREMS), Green and Low-Carbon Economy, Area Editor – Operations Management Research, Associate Editor – Circular Economy, Frontiers in Sustainability, Book Series Editor - Industrial Engineering, Systems, and Management, CRC Press.

Vimal K E K received his Ph.D. degree in Sustainable Manufacturing in 2016 and M. Tech degree in Industrial Engineering in 2012 from National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India, and Production Engineering degree in 2010, from the PSG College of Technology, India. He has more than 12 years of teaching and research experience in Mechanical Engineering with special emphasis in supply chain management. He has worked as Guest Editor of the International Journal of Enterprise Network Management, and Polymer and Polymer composites Journal. Presently, acts as a reviewer for more than 30 prestigious Web of Science journals. In addition, he has also published as an author (and co-author) 4 books with International reputed Publisher, 20 book chapters, and more than 100 articles in Journals and Conferences. He is one of the top researchers working in the area of Circular Economy and Life cycle assessment in India. He has delivered over 30 guest lectures in various FDPs (within India and Abroad) and conferences organized by reputed institutions. He has acted as session chair in many reputed international conferences. He has organized two Scopus indexed international conferences.  He is currently working as Assistant Professor, Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, India.

Manavalan Ethirajan is a Senior Delivery Manager at Kinaxis India Pvt Ltd, specializing in product development, project management, and supply chain solutions with over 18 years of experience. He manages high-budget international projects, delivering ERP and supply chain management solutions, and has expertise in tools like Kinaxis Rapid Response, Oracle ERP, and JDA Software. He holds a Ph.D. in Digital Supply Chain from VIT, along with multiple certifications, and has worked with companies like Oracle, Blue Yonder, and Gilead Sciences. Dr. Ethirajan is skilled in project delivery, solution design, and cross-functional team management across diverse industries.

Nishal Murali is an Assistant Professor at Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, with over eight years of experience in both industry and academia. He holds a Master's degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Coventry University, UK, and a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Panimalar Engineering College, Anna University. His research focuses on sustainable management, lean manufacturing, sustainable supply chain management, and quality management. His contributions extend to areas such as supply chain management, maintenance engineering, and ergonomics. He has authored and co-authored nine book chapters and published seven research papers. He has published three patents and two patents have been granted.