Abstract
Blockchain technology is an inchoate technology whose current popularity is peaking. Some of the most pervasive blockchain technology use cases exist for supply chains. Sustainable, and especially green, supply chains can benefit from blockchain technology, but there are also caveats. The sustainability and environmental management research and academic literature is only starting to investigate this emergent field. This paper seeks to help advance the discussion and motivate additional practice and research related to green supply chains and blockchain technology. This viewpoint paper provides insight into some of the main dimensions of blockchain technology, an overview of the use cases and issues, and some general research areas for further investigation.
Highlights
Technological advancements have caused a revisiting of sustainability practices
We provide some insights into the various sustainability-oriented opportunities associated with blockchain technology use cases that occur across and within the supply chain
Since records on the blockchain are time-stamped and secure, data manipulation and fraud are detectable and traceable on the ledgers. This provides trust and reliability for supply chain partners [18]. Tracking technologies, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart devices link the physical product to the respective electronic records, creating inputs for blockchain technology that are maintained on transparent ledgers [19]
Summary
Technological advancements have caused a revisiting of sustainability practices. According to ecological modernization theory, technology can help decouple environmental degradation from economic growth [1]. Advances in technology are broad-based and include a variety of production, information, and social technologies These technologies include current and future developments in such disparate, but possibly interrelated, areas such as additive manufacturing, micro-factories, nanotechnology, Internet of Things (IoT), self-driving vehicles, sharing economies, and blockchain technology [2]. Each of these technologies has implications for the sustainability of organizations and especially their supply chains. We think this discussion furthers the need to carefully study how blockchain technology and disruptive technology in general, require more nuanced investigation in sustainable supply chain practice and research
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