Big data-Industry 4.0 readiness factors for sustainable supply chain management: Towards circularity

Abstract

Big data-Industry 4.0 interaction is expected to revolutionize the existing supply chains in recent years. While increased operational efficiency and enhanced decision-making are the primary advantages studied widely, the sustainable aspects of digital supply chain in the circular economy era have received limited attention. The previous literature rarely explores the industry readiness for a digital supply chain. Thus, the present study objectives to explore Big data-Industry 4.0 readiness factors for sustainable supply chain management. A detailed literature analysis was performed to identify a total of seventeen readiness factors for sustainable supply chain management. A team of six experts were consulted to perform the pairwise comparison for the identified potential readiness factors. This study adopts a fuzzy best-worst method to prioritize the readiness factors according to their degree of influence. The results from the study reflect that “readiness towards information system infrastructure”, “Internet stability for developing I4.0 infrastructure”, and “circular process and awareness” are the most significant readiness factors. The potential recommendation of this study includes the increased attention from sustainable supply chain stakeholders on developing infrastructure, including knowledge building exercise and training process focused on circular economy process. The findings from the study will assist sustainable supply chain stakeholders to frame strategies and action plans during the digitalization of supply chains.