Nature inspired supply chain solutions: definitions, analogies, and future research directions

Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, and many companies and researchers are looking to nature for finding solutions. In this paper, we provide a narrative synthesis and systematic review to explore state-of-the-art, and identify key areas for exploration of nature inspired solutions in the supply chain area. We consider strategic, tactical, and operational decisions within supply chains and identify analogies between biological systems and supply chains to create a new research agenda. Our findings show that the majority of the research in nature inspired supply chains from the systemic perspective focuses on closed loop supply chains. In contrast, similar systemic solutions such as industrial symbiosis, circular economy, and industrial ecology have not been explored as frequently. Reducing production waste (industrial symbiosis) in addition to end-of-life product waste (closed loop supply chains), optimising raw material use and extending the life of used resources (circular economy), investigating the interactions between biosphere and technosphere (industrial ecology), and seeking solutions to industrial problems from nature (biomimicry) are all possible paths for reaching a zero-waste economy. These systemic solutions have a considerable impact on the supply chains at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels, which need to be explored to identify efficient and effective solutions.