Exploring Circular Supply Chain Designs in B Corps: The Role of Flows and Capabilities

Research on sustainable supply chain design has highlighted that three types of flows — material, information, and financial — are needed to arrive at sustainable supply chain designs with sustainable outputs and outcomes. This research investigates configurations of these flows in a circular supply chain context, the significance of each flow type in enabling circularity, and the role of capabilities in managing them. The winners of environmental awards within the B Corp certification scheme have been analysed. This entails data from 200 B Corps in a secondary data analysis as well as a qualitative data analysis of 15 interviews plus additional materials around six case study firms. The results highlight the need for integrative designs of all types of flows, as well as the paramount role of capabilities in the successful implementation of circular supply chain designs, including those related to stakeholder relationship management, supply chain collaboration for improved supply chain transparency, and systemic thinking.