Manuscript Topics

In recent years, the circular economy (CE) paradigm has emerged as an alternative to face the negative impact on the environment of the traditional linear model of producing, consuming and disposing. The final disposal of the waste generated by the current production and consumption schemes is part of a problem that CE seeks to solve since the focus is on the end of a production chain and gives excessive prominence to recycling. This point is only part of a much larger problem. The approach proposed by the CE paradigm adopts a much more global perspective, considering not only the different stages of the products, but also all the actors involved and the interaction between them.

The circular economy contemplates in its strategy the implementation of public policies, the role of education, the application of eco-design notions in the development of products, services and infrastructure, etc. To verify the correct implementation of circular models, it is necessary to improve measurement indices that take into account the triple impact of the different economic activities, such as the calculation of the carbon footprint or the water footprint of different activities and institutions.

Value-retention processes (VRP), that include direct reuse, repair, comprehensive refurbishment and remanufacturing, are considered corner-stone components of the CE as they attempt to maintain as much as possible the value embodied in the end-of-use products (also called cores or returns) in order to reduce the use of raw material and energy, thus achieving a win-win-win situation for producers, consumers and environment. In this way, VRPs become crucial in production and management systems to ensure the circularity of products during several life cycles, until the end of their useful life is reached, and recycling or proper final disposal is necessary. Among several VRP alternatives, remanufacturing stands out as an industrial process that guarantees that a used product that is remanufactured offers at least the same characteristics as a newly produced one (as-new or better-than-new condition). In this way, remanufacturing is capable of providing several independent life cycles for a certain product, thus achieving the objectives established by the circular economy paradigm and occupying a prominent place within the product recovery options.

This Special Issue of MBE aims to collect high-quality and original works in production and management systems from an OR/MS perspective, that include value-retention process for used products, and in particular considering the remanufacturing activity, in the context of Circular Economy. Some of the topics within the scope of this Special Issue are (but not limited to):

• Barriers and Challenges for Value-Retention Processes in the Industry
• Business Models in the Circular Economy
• Closed-Loop/Green/Sustainable Supply Chain Management
• Core Acquisition Management
• Demanufacturing
• Design for Reuse/Remanufacturing/Refurbishing
• Disassembly Operations Management
• Ecodesign of Products and Services
• Ecological and Responsible Consumption
• Environmental Policies and Regulations
• Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing
• Extended Production Responsibility
• Inventory Control in Reverse Logistics
• Inverse Manufacturing
• Hybrid Production-Remanufacturing Systems
• Lifecycle Assessment
• Lot-Sizing with Returns Options
• Multi-Criteria Decision-Making methods and processes in the Circular Economy
• Product Recovery and Lifecycle Management
• Production Planning in Reverse Logistics
• Remanufacturing Operations
• Reverse Engineering
• Reverse Logistics Systems
• Reverse Supply Chain Network Design
• Scheduling Problems with Returns Options
• Sustainable Operations Management
• Sustainable Production Planning
• Sustainable Engineering
• Technological Approaches for Enhancing Sustainability

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