IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v35y2026i3p4587-4605.html

A Natural Resource‐Based View of Circular Economy Practices in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Amna Farrukh
  • Muhammad Sohaib Sajjad

Abstract

Pharmaceutical industry is facing escalating environmental sustainability issues including gaseous emissions, waste generation, and excessive consumption of energy and non‐renewable materials. Nevertheless, the adoption of sustainable business models such as the circular economy (CE) is still in its infancy in this sector due to complex manufacturing and supply chain operations. Further, a scarcity of empirical research in this domain calls for an in‐depth investigation into CE implementation in the pharmaceutical industry. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the CE practices in the pharmaceutical industry for reducing hazardous waste, improving environmental protection, conserving resources, and ensuring responsible and safe disposal of medicines. Using a multiple case study approach, 18 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with senior executives and corporate managers in four large pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan. Drawing on the natural resource‐based view (NRBV), the findings revealed green procurement, sustainable production, reverse logistics, sustainable distribution, and digitalization as significant CE practices in the pharmaceutical supply chain management. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by developing a holistic model of CE enablers linking with the NRBV framework. The findings can guide practitioners in deploying CE practices in the complex supply chain operations of the pharmaceutical industry and improving sustainability which can strengthen their organization's pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development strategic capabilities. Further, the study findings can assist policymakers in developing stakeholder‐specific policies and frameworks to promote CE adoption in the pharmaceutical industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Amna Farrukh & Muhammad Sohaib Sajjad, 2026. "A Natural Resource‐Based View of Circular Economy Practices in the Pharmaceutical Industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 4587-4605, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:4587-4605
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70413
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70413
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70413?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Farida Saleem & Sofia Mateou & Muhammad Imran Malik, 2024. "How Green Transformational Leaders Trigger Environmental Performance? Unleashing the Missing Links Through Green Self-Efficacy, Green Empowerment, and Green Training of Employees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Yumei Luo & Kai Reimers & Lei Yang & Jinping Lin, 2021. "Household Drug Management Practices of Residents in a Second-Tier City in China: Opportunities for Reducing Drug Waste and Environmental Pollution," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Johan Brändström & Amer Jazairy & Erik Roos Lindgreen, 2024. "Barriers to adopting circular business models: A cross‐sectoral analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4331-4350, July.
    4. Muhammad Shoaib & Abdul Raziq & Qaiser Iqbal & Fahad Saleem & Sajjad Haider & Rabia Ishaq & Zaffar Iqbal & Mohammad Bashaar, 2022. "Disposal practices of unused and expired pharmaceuticals among the general public in Quetta city, Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(5), pages 1-13, May.
    5. Manish Shashi, 2023. "Sustainable Digitalization in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains Using Theory of Constraints: A Qualitative Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Nami, Nazanin & Pishchulov, Grigory & Quariguasi Frota Neto, Joao, 2025. "Circular economy application in pharmaceutical supply chains in the UK: a holistic evolutionary game approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 326(3), pages 451-466.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Singh, Angel & Ramtiyal, Bharti & Jain, Vipul & Vijayvargy, Lokesh & Khan, Surbhi B., 2026. "Examining circular economy principles to transform public sector pharmaceutical supply chains for flexibility: A multi-method approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    2. Chandrashekhar Vishnu Chaudhari & Vishwas Dohale & Vivek Khanzode & Rauf Iqbal, 2023. "Manifesting Competitiveness Through Theory of Constraints: A Case of Global Carpet Manufacturer," International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 66-76, December.
    3. Yan Dong & Sayed Fayaz Ahmad & Muhammad Irshad & Muna Al-Razgan & Yasser A. Ali & Emad Marous Awwad, 2023. "The Digitalization Paradigm: Impacts on Agri-Food Supply Chain Profitability and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-27, November.
    4. Tahir, Aliza & Siddiqui, Danish Ahmed, 2026. "How Green Strategic Leadership Capabilities affect Pro-Environmental and Green Innovative Behavior in Manufacturing firms of Pakistan: A Mediatory Role of Environment Knowledge Sharing, Green Rewards and Green Self-Efficacy complemented by Green Trai," EconStor Preprints 341019, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    5. Emidia Vagnoni & Caterina Cavicchi & Michela Borghesi & Edoardo Trincanato & Stefano Bonnini, 2025. "Greener Pathways, Strategy, and Economic Performance: A Cross‐National Study on European Service SMEs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 3194-3208, March.
    6. Annika Mies & Stefan Gold, 2025. "Transforming the Manufacturing Sector Towards Circular Economy—A Configurational Approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 10439-10456, December.
    7. Richard Asante & Aurora Dimache & Vicky O'Rourke & Graham Heaslip & Stefan Seuring & George Onofrei, 2025. "Implementing Circular Business Models for Sustainability Goals: A Systematic Literature Review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(7), pages 9169-9187, November.
    8. Shahbaz Khan & Abid Haleem & Zafar Husain & Daniel Samson, 2026. "From barriers to solutions: an ensemble ranking-based framework for circular economy adoption," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-27, March.
    9. repec:rbs:ijbess:v:7:y:2026:i:6:p:699-721 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Wesley Douglas Oliveira Silva & Danielle Costa Morais & Ketylen Gomes da Silva & Pedro Carmona Marques, 2023. "Exploring Influential Factors with Structural Equation Modeling–Artificial Neural Network to Involve Medicine Users in Home Medicine Waste Management and Preventing Pharmacopollution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:3:p:4587-4605. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.