Implementing Circular Practices Through Supply-Chain Configurations of Service Offerings for Consumer Products

This research investigates how the supply-chain configurations of service offerings in Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets enable manufacturers to implement circular practices. We differentiate offerings by service complexity as relevant starting points for this purpose. Following best practices in methodological rigour, we provide empirical evidence from five cases in the household-appliances industry. We detail the respective supply chain configurations of service offerings and of circular practices. In addition, we identify three mechanisms by which the supply chain configurations of service offerings connect to the supply chain configurations of circular practices: complement, enable, and undermine. This research contributes to the debate on the connections between servitization and circularity in B2C markets. Specifically, we identify the supply-chain configuration of service-based business models and circular practices showing their downstream and upstream effects. This enabled us to identify the mechanisms connecting service offerings to circular practices via their respective supply-chain configurations.