CIRCULAR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF PRACTICES, DIGITAL ENABLERS, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Global climate change and resource scarcity have highlighted the urgent need for the construction industry (CI) to transition toward a circular economy (CE). However, systematic understanding of Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) within the CI remains limited. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to examine the implementation status, research trends, and challenges associated with eight major circular economy practices (CEPs): circular design, circular procurement, waste management, industrial symbiosis, information sharing, material passports, circular business models, and information management. The review reveals a strong emphasis on front-end practices, such as circular design and circular procurement, whereas downstream practices, including waste management and industrial symbiosis, remain comparatively underexplored. It also finds that research on integration of digital technologies remains limited and that existing studies are concentrated largely in developed countries, leaving developing-country contexts insufficiently examined. The findings underscore the need for more empirical case-based research, stronger integration of digital technologies, and context-sensitive strategies to accelerate the transition of the CI toward circularity and support long-term sustainable development.