An integrated model for selecting suppliers on the basis of sustainability innovation

Abstract

In today’s competitive business environment, corporations attempt to achieve sustainability through innovation. Innovation is considered by researchers and scholars to be a key driver for achieving sustainability. One of the key parts in any sustainable supply chains is sustainable supplier evaluation and selection. However, few sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) studies have focused on sustainable supplier evaluation and selection, particularly in the context of sustainable innovation management. Thus, supplier evaluation and selection studies that consider overall sustainability (social, environmental, and economic) innovation criteria are nearly non-existent. To deal with this issue, this paper proposes a decision framework to assess sustainable innovative suppliers. A combination of best worst method (BWM) and modified Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE) is employed as an integrated model in the analysis. The BWM is initially applied to identify the sustainable innovation criteria weights, and then the modified PROMETHEE is used to analyze the suppliers’ performance. A manufacturing case example is employed to verify the utility and applicability of the proposed methodology. This paper can assist industrial managers, researchers, and decision-makers in understanding and focusing on sustainable innovation, particularly when selecting suppliers, and enhancing their supply chains’ sustainability to make progress toward sustainable development.