Circular Economy Practices in Supply Chain Management and Their Effect on Waste Reduction in Nigerian Consumer Goods Companies

This study empirically investigates the effect of circular economy practices in supply chain management on waste reduction outcomes in Nigerian consumer goods companies. The circular economy paradigm, which prioritises resource recovery, product lifecycle extension, and closed-loop supply chain design, has gained significant traction in global industry. In Nigeria, rising raw material costs, increasing landfill pressure, and emerging regulatory attention to industrial waste management are creating conditions for circular supply chain adoption. Using a quantitative design, structured questionnaires were administered to 145 supply chain, sustainability, and operations managers in 30 consumer goods companies across Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. Circular economy supply chain practices are operationalised across five dimensions: sustainable sourcing, eco-design integration, take-back programme operation, material recovery from returns, and supplier circular economy requirements. Waste reduction is measured through production waste rate, packaging material recovered per cycle, and total disposal cost per unit produced. Multiple regression analysis and path analysis are employed. The study draws on circular economy theory, closed-loop supply chain frameworks, and industrial ecology literature. Findings are expected to demonstrate that take-back programmes and supplier circular economy requirements are the strongest predictors of waste reduction outcomes. The study provides an original empirical contribution on circular supply chains in a Nigerian consumer goods context that remains poorly represented in academic literature. Recommendations address corporate sustainability officers, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and packaging industry associations on scaling circular economy supply chain programmes. Keywords: circular economy, supply chain management, waste reduction, consumer goods, Nigeria.