Designing a Sustainable Supply Chain Management Model in the Circular Economy of the Petrochemical Industry Using the Fuzzy Cognitive Map Approach

Given the pollutant nature of the petrochemical industry, sustainable supply chain management within a circular economy framework is of great importance. It aims to reduce resource consumption through recycling, recovery, and reuse of materials and products in order to achieve economic, environmental, and social performance, as well as to gain competitive advantage. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to design a sustainable supply chain management model in the circular economy of the petrochemical industry using the Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) approach. The participants included 16 senior and middle managers of the petrochemical industry, selected through a purposive non-probability sampling method. The data of this study were analyzed in both qualitative and quantitative sections. In the qualitative section, the model’s indicators were identified using a multi-content analysis approach and categorized through coding. In the quantitative section, the identified indicators were validated using the fuzzy Delphi method, and then causal relationships were analyzed with the Fuzzy Cognitive Map approach. The findings revealed that the indicators of "sales," "green production process planning," and "reverse logistics," due to their highest interconnections with other indicators, hold the greatest importance in the circular economy. This finding indicates that managers, through collaboration and participation across the identified critical sectors, can enhance sustainable supply chain management.