Analysis of barriers to circularity for agricultural cooperatives in the digitalization era

Purpose: This study aims to propose a novel framework for barriers to circularity within cooperative supply chains. The barriers in the adoption and implementation of circular economy principles are examined within a framework. Design/methodology/approach: Fuzzy best-worst method is used to calculate the weights of barriers and identify the prioritization of barriers to circularity within cooperative supply chain. Findings: “Insufficient implementation of circular economy laws” was found as the most important barrier, followed by “Lack of information”, “Ineffective recycling policies”, “Lack of awareness for circular economy”, “Remanufacturing is a labor-intensive procedure”, “Inconsistent price policies in sources and products”, “Lack of environmental management system”, “Cost of implementation for green activities” and “Lack of R&D capability” barriers, respectively. Research limitations/implications: The number of participant professionals limits the conclusions of the study and reaching more general conclusions. A comprehensive research can be conducted by the participation of a greater number of professionals. Originality/value: Several studies analyzed the barriers to circularity; however, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no study has been taken an approach for barriers to circularity for cooperatives or cooperative supply chains.