Resumo

In this article, we identify the scientific production that addresses the uncertainties in remanufacturing from the perspective of the Circular Economy (CE). In the circular economy, remanufacturing is essential because it contributes to bringing environmental, social and economic benefits by extending the life cycle of products, whether at the end of their life or in use.

The remanufacturing is the primary means of retaining the value of products in order to encourage a CE. However, as far as we are concerned, no academic research has reviewed the literature with a focus on remanufacturing uncertainties in the context of a CE. Therefore, the purpose of this review article is to answer the following research question: How is the scientific production of uncertainty in remanufacturing from Circular Economy perspective characterized?

Milliken (1987) defines uncertainty as an individual's perceived inability to accurately predict something. This individual is subject to uncertainty because it is possible to observe that he does not have enough information to make reasoned decisions. In a study on selectionism and learning, Sommer & Loch (2004) discussed that companies that are innovating in dynamic environments face unforeseeable uncertainty.

A search was made in Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. In both databases, the following search terms were used: “uncertain*” AND “circular economy” AND (“remanufact*” OR “refurbish*”). We identify the scientific production on uncertainties in circular economy and remanufacturing using bibliometric analysis. The metadata of the final sample was analyzed using the software Rstudio, Bibliometrix and VOSviewer.

We identified that market uncertainty is related to the acceptance of remanufactured products by the consumer and the uncertainty of the resources is present in closed-loop supply chains. In addition, the implementation of remanufacturing presents technical uncertainties, especially in the disassembly phase of products and organizational uncertainties, as remanufacturing requires a well-structured supply chain.

In this paper, we carry out a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production on uncertainties in remanufacturing in the context of circular economy. We also discuss the main uncertainties identified in the remanufacturing scenario: market the uncertainty and resource uncertainty. This research aims to contribute to theory in identifying uncertainties present in the remanufacturing scenario in the context of a circular economy. However, this research has limitations, one of which refers to the use of only two databases considering documents written solely in English.

Milliken, F. J. (1987). Three Types of Perceived Uncertainty About the Environment: State, Effect, and Response Uncertainty. Academy of Management Review, 12(1), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1987.4306502 Sommer, S. C., & Loch, C. H. (2004). Selectionism and learning in projects with complexity and unforeseeable uncertainty. Management Science, 50(10), 1334–1347. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0274