Kartika Nur Alfina’s research while affiliated with University of Stavanger and other places

The emergence of the circular economy (CE) paradigm is a key driver in steering industrial sectors towards sustainability. The formulation of a robust circularity strategy depends on a comprehensive assessment, which is closely related to the overarching goal of managing the transition to circularity. The initial phase of transition within the healthcare sector reinforces the need to seamlessly integrate CE principles. It is therefore imperative to define and carefully monitor indicators that will help assess and improve sustainability, operational efficiency, supply chain resilience and stakeholder satisfaction, including both consumers and patients. The primary objective of this research is to prioritize relevant performance indicators that will be critical in measuring the effectiveness of the transition to a circular economy within the healthcare supply chain. To achieve this objective, the study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a well-established methodology known for its effectiveness in solving complex multi-criteria challenges. The AHP is used to prioritize performance indicators that facilitate the management of the circular economy transition in the healthcare supply chain. The focus is on improving the quality of care, optimizing delivery efficiency, and emphasizing environmental sustainability within the healthcare paradigm. The methodological framework includes the identification of key main criteria covering environmental, social, economic, and logistical dimensions. These criteria are further refined with the inclusion of 14 sub-criteria, resulting in a list of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs). Additionally, the study proposes an alternative business model advocating for the implementation of the Circular Supply Chain Operation Reference Model (circular SCOR). This model offers a perspective for rapid change in supply chain processes towards circular transition within the healthcare system. The final stage of the research involves verifying the results through sensitivity analysis and correlation mapping of the indicator results with the Circular SCOR model. This process helps organizations refine their performance measurement protocols, enhancing their capacity for effective evaluation and strategic decision-making within the circular economy framework. This comprehensive approach enables healthcare organizations to proactively contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future while maintaining a focus on quality care for patient well-being.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the integration of risk management and circular economy (CE) principles within the healthcare sector to promote sustainability and resilience. Specifically, the study aims to demonstrate how risk management can support the transition to a circular economy in healthcare supply chains. By integrating risk management practices with CE principles, healthcare organizations can identify potential risks and opportunities associated with circular initiatives. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative research approach, using a case study methodology with semi-structured interviews conducted at primary care facilities to understand the application of CE principles in practice. The study uses fuzzy logic methods to assess and mitigate risks associated with strategies promoting CE principles. Additionally, key performance indicators are identified to evaluate the effectiveness and enhance the resilience of these strategies within healthcare supply chains. Findings The study highlights the critical role of robust risk management strategies in facilitating the transition to a circular economy within healthcare organizations. Primary care facilities, which are critical to frontline healthcare delivery, are particularly vulnerable to product shortages due to supply risks. This study focuses on critical protective equipment, specifically latex gloves and assesses operational risks, including supply, demand and environmental risks, using a fuzzy logic-based model. Import delays were found to be a moderate risk, typically occurring once a year. The research highlights critical KPIs for a successful CE transition within healthcare supply chains, such as on-time delivery and service quality, which are directly related to the risk of supply chain disruption. In addition, the study highlights the significant impact of other CE strategies on healthcare supply chains, including localized production and manufacturing, innovation in product development, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chains and the adoption of lean principles. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for healthcare organizations to optimize resource efficiency, reduce waste and promote circularity in their operations. By implementing the proposed solutions and focusing on the identified KPIs, organizations can develop strategies to achieve sustainability goals and enhance resilience in healthcare supply chains. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the application of risk management in facilitating the transition to a circular economy in the healthcare sector. The use of fuzzy logic methodology offers a novel approach to assessing and mitigating risks associated with critical product failures in supply chain activities. The study’s findings provide practical guidance for healthcare organizations seeking to integrate circular economy principles and improve sustainability performance.

High-quality healthcare prevents disease and improves the quality of life by utilizing doctors, nurses, drugs, medical support, and other services. The primary goal of the healthcare supply chain is to deliver products on time to satisfy the needs of healthcare service providers. Due to numerous relevant barriers, it is challenging for the health sector to achieve sustainable consumption and production trends in supply chains. The future agendas of the transition to a circular economy include a dual mission of profitability and sustainability. A transition towards a circular economy (CE) represents a shift from a take-make-dispose economy toward a regenerative economy that matches the targets for all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aims to define the barriers to circular transition and to highlight the role of manufacturing in minimizing barriers in the health sector. Manufacturing's role in the health sector, particularly at the product development stage, could be one of the long-term solutions to sustainable and circular development. The manufacturing and modern technology roles were highlighted as accomplishments of sustainable development in the circular transition in the conceptual framework that was developed based on overcoming barriers. The conceptual framework was created to make health sector managers, practitioners, and supply chain actors aware of the hurdles to circular economy implementation.

The healthcare supply chain is significantly unsustainable due to the linear resource consumption. Implementing circular economy (CE) principles in the health sector supply chains are in an evolution phase. Manufacturers and service providers need to strengthen the integration for enhancing healthcare supply chains to minimize linear resource consumption. There is an opportunity for improvement, especially from a planning integration perspective, to satisfy circular economy goals and face the volatility of consumer demand, like in pandemic conditions. Lean thinking should be applied in supply chains to achieve waste minimization and improved operational efficiency. A systematic literature review is conducted to develop the strategic framework for aligning the manufacturing and health sector planning and integration. The resulting framework explains strategic, tactical, and operational levels for planning and integration. The framework also illustrates the interaction between internal and external value chains to give a clear flow of integration among stakeholders.

Recent research underlines the crucial role of supply chain optimization, in terms of maximize profit and minimize cost. Today the stakeholders are also empowered and the organizations are becoming stakeholder-centered, relates to the main objectives of a supply chain are availability and inventory control so the particular aim for availability must relate to stakeholder satisfaction. The implementation of supply chain optimization in tire industry nowadays not only focuses on profit, but also on the environmental and societal effect that is considered as ways to achieve the sustainable supply chain and stakeholder satisfaction. Currently a wealth of literature on supply chain optimization with maximize profit and minimize cost, to the best of our knowledge there is limited state-of-the art review on supply chain optimization considering with economy, environment and stakeholder satisfaction. This manuscript analyze research stream on supply chain optimization with economy objectives such maximize profit and minimize cost, environmental effect and stakeholder satisfaction with the aim to relate the existing optimization methods to empirical research and reveal the conceptual framework. The paper classifies existing research streams and application in tire industry areas with different optimization subject. The results of this study gives outlook which optimization methods are available for supply chain managers and give a conceptual framework in tire industry considering sustainable supply chain factors from economic, environmental and societal effect.