Linkages between big data analytics, circular economy, sustainable supply chain flexibility, and sustainable performance in manufacturing firms

The digital supply chains enabled by Big Data Analytics (BDA) capabilities have become a business significance to develop a competitive and sustainable supply chain. The implementation of BDA for sustainable supply chains introduces various organisational challenges for the manufacturing firms demanding complementary capabilities. This study presents an investigation of the linkages between BDA capabilities, circular economy (CE) practices, and sustainable supply chain (SSC) flexibility on the SSC performance. Based on a survey of 320 manufacturing organisations, the study presents very interesting results. It is revealed that the BDA does not have a direct effect on sustainable performance. The CE practices and SSC flexibility are significant mediating variables between the BDA capabilities and SSC performance. The BDA is found to drive the implementation of CE practices. Further, CE practices are found to develop SSC flexibility with the BDA complementing these flexibilities.