The circular economy and its application in the supply chain and, more specifically, in the purchasing department

• Main Author: Camoesas, Marta Miranda
• Publication Date: 2018
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/24513
• topic: Circular economy; Sustainability; Supply chain; Purchasing department

This document aims at spreading the circular economy concept. The main objectives are to help understand why it emerged and let readers know what it is, how it has evolved and how important it has become over the last years. After that, the idea is to study how the concept may be applied in the supply chain and, more specifically, in the purchasing department. Nowadays, linear economy is the most practiced one. According to this model, resources are extracted, products are made and used and waste is created and disposed. This has shown to be coming to an end, because planet Earth cannot take it anymore. The circular economy is opposed to this concept and has the goal of reaching the balance between industrial development, human beings and the environment. It is now seen as an opportunity and there is a growing number of entities and organizations that are trying to comprehend how to support its implementation. Lifecycle thinking, trying to turn waste into input, designing for longevity, service, reuse and recovery, involving different knowledge areas in a product’s development phase, letting people know about the concept’s importance, thinking about regeneration, producing durable products and selling performance and paying attention to the surroundings are some of the key points for applying the circular economy.