Problematizing socially sustainable global supply chains: Theoretical insights, contextual challenges, and the issue of modern slavery

Abstract

This study critically examines the literature on enablers of socially sustainable global supply chains, with a particular focus on the theoretical underpinnings that contribute to their establishment and maintenance. It also explores the contextual factors that perpetuate modern slavery within supply chains, evaluating the measures taken to address these issues. A comprehensive review of 265 publications from 2012 to 2024, identified through a keyword search in the Scopus database, forms the basis of this analysis. Key factors that enable labor abuse in global supply chains are identified, including business models that prioritize profit over ethics, socio-economic vulnerabilities of workers, commercial pressures, and insufficient regulatory oversight. By bridging gaps in the current literature, this study contributes to developing best practices for managing socially sustainable supply chains, with significant implications for theory, context, and policy.