Supply chain management in the era of circular economy: the moderating effect of big data

Purpose–This paper analyzes the effect of circular economy practices on firm performance for a circularsupply chain and explores the moderating role that big-data-driven supply chain plays within theserelationships. Design/methodology/approach–This study uses data collected through an online survey distributed tomanagers of 378 Italian firms that have adopted circular economy principles. The data are processed usingmultiple regression analysis.Findings–The results indicate that the three categories of circular economy practices investigated–namelycircular economy supply chain management design, circular economy supply chain relationship managementand circular economy HR management–play a crucial role in enhancing firm performance from a circulareconomy perspective. A big-data-driven supply chain acts as a moderator of the relationship between circulareconomy HR management and firm performance for a circular economy supply chain. Originality/value–This study makes a number of original contributions to research on circular economypractices in a big-data-driven supply chain and provides useful insights for practitioners. First, it answers thecall to capture digital transformation trends and to extend research on sustainability in supply chainmanagement. Second, it enhances the literature by investigating the relationships between three different kindsof circular economy supply chain practices and firm performance. Finally, it clarifies the moderating role of bigdata in making decisions and implementing circular supply chain solutions to achieve better environmental,social and economic benefits.