Digital Leadership and Circular Economy Performance in Sustainable Supply Chains

The Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as a critical paradigm for promoting sustainability through resource efficiency, waste reduction, and closed-loop supply chain practices. While technological advancements and operational strategies for CE implementation have received significant attention, the role of leadership particularly digital leadership in enabling and scaling circular practices remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates how digital leadership influences the adoption and performance of Circular Economy initiatives within sustainable supply chains. Drawing on Circular Economy principles and digital leadership theory, the study employs qualitative content analysis of secondary data obtained from sustainability and digital transformation reports of multinational organizations. The analysis maps digital leadership behaviors to key circular practices, including digital traceability, resource optimization, closed-loop systems, and data-driven decision-making. The findings are expected to reveal a strong linkage between digitally enabled leadership capabilities and enhanced circular performance outcomes. By proposing a conceptual Digital Leadership Circular Economy framework, this study contributes to the growing body of sustainability and supply chain literature and offers practical guidance for organizational leaders seeking to leverage digital transformation to achieve long-term circular and sustainable supply chain performance.