Title: Leftover materials and circular economy 4.0: applications and implications

Authors: Yudi Fernando; Joel Marianus Mukui

Addresses: Faculty of Industrial Management, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia; Management Department, BINUS Online Learning, Bina Nusantara University, Indonesia ' Hochschule Reutlingen ESB, Reutlingen University, Germany; Faculty of Industrial Management, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia

Abstract: The manufacturing sector continues to expand and appears to be more focused on environmental-based production. There is a need to understand how the manufacturing firms capable of utilising Industry 4.0 technology to improve remanufacturing process efficiency and procurement planning such as leftover materials, return products and scraps. This paper aims to propose the effectiveness of remanufacturing process, which turns waste into value-added products using the circular economy 4.0 approach. Data were collected during the Malaysian restriction of movement order of the COVID-19 pandemic using an online interview with key persons in charge of remanufacturing. The finding shows the circular economy 4.0 fits well to achieve the effectiveness of remanufacturing processes and less labour physical contacts. The proposed framework can help manufacturers empower business sustainability in production and supply chains, leading to firm competitiveness.

Keywords: circular economy; remanufacturing; supply chain; Industry 4.0; COVID-19; value-added product; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2023.131172

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2023 Vol.17 No.3, pp.346 - 367

Received: 19 Jul 2021
Accepted: 13 Nov 2021
Published online: 01 Jun 2023 *

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