Fuseini, Mutala, Pullman, Madeleine, Kumar, Maneesh  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2469-1382, Sanchez Rodrigues, Vasco ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3375-3079 and Purvis, Laura ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1425-5894
2026.
Beyond the supply chain: Digital ecosystem orchestration to advance circular strategies for food waste.
Supply Chain Management
10.1108/SCM-12-2025-1270
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Abstract
Purpose - This study examines how digital platforms enable orchestration across circular food supply network ecosystems to support food waste reduction. Focusing on ecosystem-level coordination rather than individual firms or dyadic relationships, the study explores how digital platforms facilitate the orchestration of actors, resources and circular practices across interconnected organisations. Design/methodology/approach - An embedded single-case study of a UK food supply network ecosystem was studied. The ecosystem comprised six embedded sub-cases involving twenty-seven organisations across hospitality and food service, food technology, food supply, food charities, food upcycling and recycling and policy influencers. Semi-structured interviews and secondary data were analysed. Findings - The study highlights how digital platforms enable circular food waste reduction through orchestration across supply network ecosystem partners. The findings reveal three interconnected mechanisms of digital platform orchestration: digital coordination, capability redistribution and legitimacy alignment, which collectively enable actors to synchronise actions, share capabilities, and institutionalise circular practices across the ecosystem. Originality/value - This empirical study enriches the supply chain literature by extending the focus on circular food waste reduction from a firm-level capability perspective to an ecosystem-level orchestration process. The findings reveal three recursive mechanisms of digital platform orchestration - digital coordination, capability redistribution, and legitimacy alignment - that explain how interconnected actors collectively enable and institutionalise circular practices across food supply network ecosystems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | In Press |
| Schools: | Schools > Business (Including Economics) |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications |
| Additional Information: | RRS applied |
| Publisher: | Emerald |
| ISSN: | 1359-8546 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 31 July 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 9 July 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Aug 2026 09:30 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188636 |
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