The COVID-19 pandemic as a window of opportunity for more sustainable and circular supply chains

The COVID-19 pandemic is a microcosm for future challenges and crises. The greatest of these challenges is the climate crisis and the potential collapse of our Earth system. However, crises may also provide an opportunity to transition to a more sustainable and resilient future. In our study, we qualitatively analyze statements of a heterogeneous group of 46 experts from academia, industry, government, and organized civil society to explore inasmuch experts perceived the pandemic as a window of opportunity for more sustainable SCs and what they consider opportunities, challenges, and necessary actions for more sustainable circular SCs. Our study contributes to current and future studies on the opportunities in times of crisis and the actions needed to overcome SC vulnerabilities and increase the resiliency, circularity, and sustainability of SCs.