Exploring the challenges to circular supply chain (CSC) implementation in the chemical-intensive manufacturing industries of emerging economies: Implications toward sustainability

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100278

Abstract

Abstract:

Waste management strategies employed by emerging economies worldwide are often insufficient to address the new-age sustainability challenges. Especially in chemical-intensive manufacturing industries, increasing levels of waste production are a significant environmental threat. Adopting a circular supply chain (CSC) can be a viable solution to this problem since it incorporates the components of the circular economy into an organization’s supply chain, bringing an engaging viewpoint to the supply chain sustainability field. Nevertheless, the adoption of CSC in chemical-intensive manufacturing industries faces various intricate challenges in emerging economies. This study, therefore, aims to explore and evaluate the challenges associated with adopting CSC in the chemical-intensive manufacturing industries, using the empirical case of an emerging economy, Bangladesh. After a thorough literature review and expert validation, 26 challenges were analyzed using a probabilistic group decision-making approach, i.e., the Bayesian best-worst method (BWM). The result showed that the most significant challenge is the chemical composition-related complexity (global weight=0.0801), followed by strong emphasis on the take-make-dispose policy (0.0705), and insufficient investment and financial resources (0.0697). On the contrary, the least important challenge is the resistance toward the transition from conventional supply chain to CSC (0.0078). The outcomes of this study are expected to enrich existing knowledge and comprehension of the challenges linked to implementing CSC practices in Bangladesh and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), and so on.

Key words: Circular supply chain (CSC), Circular economy (CE), Chemical-intensive manufacturing industries, Emerging economy, Bayesian best-worst method (BWM), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A. B. M. Mainul BARI, Md Mahfujur RAHMAN, Asif RAIHAN, Umar Muhammad MODIBBO, Ashish TRIVEDI, Nuhu AMIN, Amirhossein TAGHIPOUR. Exploring the challenges to circular supply chain (CSC) implementation in the chemical-intensive manufacturing industries of emerging economies: Implications toward sustainability[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2025, 6(6): 100278.

Figures/Tables 11

Fig. 1.

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

Finalized challenges for further analysis."

Cluster	Challenge	Source
Decision-making-related challenges	Inadequate policies, rules, and environmental regulations	Farooque et al. (2019a); Amiri et al. (2022)
	Lack of standardization of CSC activities	Kumar et al. (2021)
	Insufficient assistance and commitment from management	Mangla et al. (2018); Amiri et al. (2022)
	Inadequate strategic planning	Ozkan-Ozen et al. (2020)
	Lack of locally available CSC technologies	Expert feedback
Employment-related challenges	Insufficient technical knowledge	Farooque et al. (2019a); Khandelwal and Barua (2024)
	Lack of proper training	Mangla et al. (2018); Ozkan-Ozen et al. (2020)
	Scarcity of skilled labor	Ada et al. (2021); Bhatia et al. (2022)
	Insufficient theoretical knowledge	Ada et al. (2021)
	Inadequate coordination of reverse logistics activities	Kazancoglu et al. (2022); Khandelwal and Barua (2024)
Design- and materials-related challenges	Strong emphasis on the take-make-dispose policy	Govindan and Hasanagic (2018); Ozkan-Ozen et al. (2020)
	Limited utilization for end-of-life product design concepts	Mangla et al. (2018); Kumar et al. (2021)
	Lack of proper information management	Farooque et al. (2019b); Khandelwal and Barua (2024)
	Scarcity of sustainable and recyclable materials	Govindan and Hasanagic (2018)
	Chemical composition-related complexity	Expert feedback
Financial and infrastructural challenges	Expensive waste collection and segregation processes	Kazancoglu et al. (2020)
	Uncertain economic benefits in the short run	Ada et al. (2021); Amiri et al. (2022)
	Insufficient investment and financial resources	Govindan and Hasanagic (2018)
	High testing, research, and analysis cost	Expert feedback
	Inadequate collection points and recycling plants	Kazancoglu et al. (2022)
	Scarcity of proper infrastructure	Kumar et al. (2021)
Customer- and stakeholder-related challenges	Concerns about the quality of refurbished and recycled materials	Govindan and Hasanagic (2018)
	Negative perception of reusing recycled materials	Bhatia et al. (2022)
	Lack of market demand for products made from recycled materials	Expert feedback
	Lack of mass awareness and sense of social responsibility	Expert feedback
	Resistance toward the transition from conventional supply chain to CSC	Expert feedback

Table 3

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

Fig. 7.

Fig. 8.

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Subject	Search string
Challenges to implementing circular supply chain (CSC)	“challenges to implementing CSC”, or “barriers to implementing CSC”, or “CSC challenges”, or “CSC barriers”, or “challenges to implementing closed-loop supply chain”, or “barriers to implementing closed-loop supply chain”
Chemical-intensive manufacturing industries	“chemical-intensive industry”, or “chemical-intensive sector”, or “manufacturing industry”, or “chemical industry”, or “chemical-based industrial sector”

No.	Company age (a)	Company size	Does the company have ISO 9000 certification?	Job title	Experience (a)	Expertise	Education	Industry
1	31	Large	Yes	Chemist	5-10	Chemical department	Post graduate	Pharmaceuticals
2	24	Small	No	Manager	>10	Supply chain	Post graduate	Plastics
3	70	Large	No	Pharmacist	5-10	Chemical department	Post graduate	Pharmaceuticals
4	31	Large	Yes	Manager	>10	Supply chain	Post graduate	Leather industry
5	20	Medium	No	Chemical engineer	>10	Chemical department	Under graduate	Paint manufacturing
6	69	Large	Yes	Manager	>10	Supply chain	Under graduate	Textile industry
7	65	Large	Yes	Analytical chemist	>10	Chemical department	Post graduate	Leather industry
8	65	Large	Yes	Chemist	>10	Chemical department	Post graduate	Chemical manufacturing
9	31	Medium	Yes	Chemist	5-10	Chemical department	Under graduate	Textile industry
10	31	Large	Yes	Chemist	5-10	Chemical department	Post graduate	Chemical manufacturing
11	69	Large	Yes	Manager	>10	Supply chain	Under graduate	Textile industry
12	70	Large	No	Manager	>10	Supply chain	Post graduate	Paint manufacturing