An integrated FBWM-FCM-DEMATEL model to assess and manage the sustainability in the supply chain: A three-stage model based on the consumers’ point of view

Abstract

While sustainability is recognized as a crucial aspect of supply chain (SC) management, its implementation within a SC is often fraught with challenges. These challenges encompass possible causal relationships and trade-offs among sustainable SC (SSC) practices, spanning all three dimensions of sustainability. Furthermore, the increasing importance of consumers’ point of view in the rapid and widespread communication era highlights the imperative to integrate this view into the SC’s sustainability efforts. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for assessing and managing the implementation of sustainability in the SC while effectively tackling these challenges and requirements. Specifically, across three distinct stages, the model enables (1) identifying the SSC practices from the consumers’ point of view and ranking them based on their contribution to the overall sustainability; (2) determining the causal relationships among the practices and assessing the sustainability status of the SC; and (3) prioritizing the practices and developing improvement scenarios to improve the overall sustainability of the SC. To support its objectives, the proposed model employs social media analysis and scenario planning, along with three key techniques, including the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method (FBWM) for ranking the practices, Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) for determining the possible causal relationships among the practices and assessing the sustainability status, and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) for segmenting the practices based on their cause-and-effect relationships. Finally, the paper presents an empirical study in which the proposed model is applied to a mobile phone and smartphone (MPSP) SC, representing one of the most commonly consumed products in contemporary human life.