Exploring circular shipbuilding: A systematic review on circular economy business models and supporting technologies

Nowadays sustainability is receiving increasing attention, and particularly circular economy (CE) principles' applications within industrial sectors. However, a comprehensive exploration of CE-oriented applications - i.e., circular business models (CBMs) and circular supply chains (CSCs), - in the shipbuilding sector is actually missing, differently from other engineering-to-order industries, such as constructions. Considering the relevance of the sector, this study proposes a first step in filling up this gap through the systematic analysis of recent engineering and management literature on CE strategies within shipbuilding. As main result, we present applicable CE-oriented strategies and related supporting technologies, mainly referable to circular design, end-oflife, operations and inventory management oriented to product-life extension through effective disassembling. In addition, sustainability-oriented resource management represent essential activities in supporting the transition by focusing on eco-materials and waste reduction. Lastly, we highlight that the CE application is facilitated by dedicated supporting technologies, underscoring the importance of sustainability-oriented digitalization for the creation of social, environmental, and economic value for this strategic sector. The proposed solutions might orient shipbuilding companies in activating the transition towards circularity, even though predominantly focused on economic and environmental sustainability/circularity than social aspects. The presence of limited examples of applied circular solutions reduce the exploration of all possible solutions related to shipbuilding, asking for more applied studies and on-field exploration of the topic.