Sustainable Supply Chain Risk Management in a Climate-Changed World: Review of Extant Literature, Trend Analysis, and Guiding Framework for Future Research

Abstract

In the face of climate change (CC), “business as usual” is futile. The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods, droughts, and heatwaves) have hurt lives, displaced communities, destroyed logistics networks, disrupted the flow of goods and services, and caused delays, capacity failures, and immense costs. This study presents a strategic approach we term “Climate-Change Resilient, Sustainable Supply Chain Risk Management” (CCR-SSCRM) to address CC risks in supply chain management (SCM) pervading today’s business world. This approach ensures supply chain sustainability by balancing the quadruple bottom line pillars of economy, environment, society, and culture. A sustainable supply chain analytics perspective was employed to support these goals, along with a systematic literature network analysis of 699 publications (2003–2022) from the SCOPUS database. The analysis revealed a growing interest in CC and supply chain risk management, emphasizing the need for CCR-SSCRM as a theoretical guiding framework. The findings and recommendations may help to guide researchers, policymakers, and businesses. We provide insights on constructing and managing sustainable SCs that account for the accelerating impacts of CC, emphasizing the importance of a proactive and comprehensive approach to supply chain risk management in the face of CC. We then offer directions for future research on CCR-SSCRM and conclude by underlining the urgency of interdisciplinary collaboration and integration of climate considerations into SCM for enhanced resilience and sustainability.