Circular supply chains are production and logistics loops designed to keep materials in use for as long as possible. Instead of a one-way path from raw material to waste, products are repaired, remanufactured, reused, or recycled and fed back into production. This reduces waste, lowers resource demand, and can make manufacturing less dependent on scarce inputs.
In cyber security, circular supply chains matter because they rely on dense digital coordination: supplier portals, tracking systems, warehouse software, IoT labels, and industrial control platforms. Each added partner or reuse step can create new attack surface for fraud, data tampering, counterfeit parts, or ransomware disruptions. If traceability records are altered, a company may misroute materials or accept unsafe components. Defenses focus on strong identity controls, integrity checks on inventory and provenance data, segmented access for suppliers, and monitoring of the systems that manage reuse and recovery.