Sustainability in Supply Chains: A Review of Research Trends and Future Directions

Abstract

It has been discovered that there is a sense of increased awareness of sustainable supply chain (SSC) management in these expanding environmental, social, and economic viewpoints. Businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of integrating sustainability into supply chain operations. It is employed to promote environmental responsibility and increase long-term value and competitiveness. Thus, this study's goals are to identify certain significant research areas, highlight significant discoveries, assess research methodologies, and recommend future SSC research directions in general. Therefore, a thorough assessment of the literature for extensively cited studies identifies four categories of research: theoretical and review-based works, certain uses of analytical tools, holistic supply chain analyses, and interpersonal surveys between suppliers and buyers. The findings then demonstrate that theoretical and conceptual research predominates in SSC literature when it comes to analytical procedures, such as life cycle assessment, carbon footprint analysis, and multi-criteria decision-making techniques. In order to accomplish sustainability goals, partners must be organized. According to different research that focus on a complete supply chains and cooperative partnerships. Therefore, this study emphasizes the necessity for additional experiential research that corrects theory and practice in a range of industrial contexts. Therefore, future research should examine concepts related to the circular economy, certain standardized sustainability metrics, and cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, AI, and digital twins in general. As a result, this assessment provides managers and legislators with helpful information about how to maximize environmental performance, reduce costs, and enhance collaboration for sustainable supply chain excellence.