Development Of Sustainable Supply Chain Research Articles

Evaluating and Prioritizing the Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Food Industry

The companies are now aiming to integrate the concept of Sustainability Supply Chain Management (SSCM) into their work to improve operational and financial performance. The current study seeks to present and define the concept of the Supply Chain (SC) importance. The problem of this research it’s to determine the importance of sustainability criteria is that most companies face. A fuzzy Analytic Hierarch Process (FAHP)was used to find the relative importance of the main and sub-criteria for sustainability by establishing a program on Microsoft office Excel (MSEXCEL) to find the results and determine the importance of the main and sub-criteria based on the binary comparison list that was done by the five experts in The General Company for Food Products and Al-Mamoun Factory affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals in Iraq. The main objective of this study is to arrange the importance of the main criteria the economic, environmental, and social, thirteen sub-criteria distributed main criteria. The study concluded that the economic criterion came at (73%), followed by the environmental criterion at (16.2%), and the social criterion in third place at (10.8%), and this shows the extent of priority followed by the company in economic matters. In addition, the sub-criterion net profit was (29%), and interest in purchasing friendly materials at (8%) was in the environmental dimension, while the sub-criterion of employee satisfaction received (4%) from the criteria of the social dimension which helps the decision-maker to take the appropriate decision and improve the development of sustainable supply chains and their applicability.

Introducing Gliricidia sepium as a Fuel Wood in Rubber Smallholdings of Sri Lanka: A Case Study in Kalutara District


 A pilot project has been initiated to introduce Gliricidia sepium with Hevea brasiliensis under three different spatial arrangements ((i.)8'×27', (ii.)8'×40, and (iii.)88'×60’) as a fuel wood to improve the income status of rubber smallholders in Kalutara District by Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka in 2018. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire survey and field observations. The financial analysis was done for one hectare of smallholding. Certain assumptions were made in the financial feasibility analysis as financial analysis was done for 30 years giving consideration to the 30 year life span of rubber. Costs and benefits were discounted at 10% discount rate as practiced by the Department of National Planning to obtain 2019 market prices. The farm gate prices of 1kg of rubber and Gliricidia were considered as LKR 280.00 and LKR 4.00. The cost for hired labour was considered LKR 1,500.00 per day. Period of intercropping of Gliricida under rubber in the 88'×40' and 88'×60' models was considered as 30 years and in the 88'×27' model, it was considered as eight years. Financial feasibility of models was tested using the indices of Net Present Value (NPV) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR). A qualitative SWOT was conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relevant to introduction of Gliricidia as an intercrop in rubber plantations based on a thorough documentation review and on the opinions of Rubber Extension Officers. From the three models introduced, the highest fuel wood value can be obtained by intercropping Gliricidia with rubber under the spacing of 88'×60'. NPV for growing gliricidia with rubber under three different spatial arrangements, (i.)88'×27', (ii.)88'×40' and (iii.)88'×60' would be LKR 0.74 million, LKR 5.47 million and LKR 5.89 million respectively. The values obtain for BCR for growing gliricidia with rubber under three different spatial arrangements, (i.)88'×27', (ii.)88'×40' and (iii.)88'×60' would be 1.37, 2.26 and 2.27, respectively. All fuel wood growing models indicated positive NPV and BC Ratios were greater than one, suggesting that these introduced models are economically viable. Although there are no established market channels available for fuel wood especially in the smallholder rubber sector of Sri Lanka, there is a demand for Gliricidia which is fulfilled through adhoc markets. Also, development of sustainable supply chains through setting up of Pilot Biomass Energy Terminals with the objective of collection and distribution of fuel wood under the Project of Promoting Sustainable Biomass Energy Production and Modern Bio-Energy Technologies has widened the opportunity of using Gliricidia as a promising fuel wood species Gliricidia with rubber has the potential to improve income generation of rubber smallholders substantially especially during the immature stage of rubber and provide a solution to overcome uncertainty in rubber prices and low productivity of rubber lands.
 
 Keywords: Fuel wood growing models, Rubber farming

Sustainable Supply Chain Development and Risk Management: Case Study of Huawei’s Strategies During the Epidemic

This study examines the general trend of sustainable development for modern businesses, focusing on the four development strategies adopted by Huawei during the epidemic: digital inclusion, security and trustworthiness, greenness, and harmonious ecology. This study explores the risk to corporate sustainability and how supply chain risks can be effectively managed. Through a case study of Huawei’s three-year sustainability report and related data, it offers practical advice that will be valuable to other companies. The study calls on companies to develop sustainable supply chains while paying attention to social responsibility, incorporating environmental protection concepts, actively adopting digital communication technologies to cope with unknown risks, and enhancing their image to achieve long-term stable development. In the face of increasing global carbon emissions and sustainable development challenges, enterprises should strengthen their risk response capabilities, comprehensively consider the impacts of their supply chains, and practice the concept of sustainable development.

Beyond Subsistence: Linking Citrus Smallholders to High-Value Markets for Sustainable Supply Chain Development in Pakistan

Recent evidence suggests that Modern Supply Chains (MSC) in the agrifood industry have the potential to improve production efficiency and scale. However, the inclusion of smallholders for Sustainable Supply Chain Development (SSCD) is a growing concern for policymakers aiming to increase the profitability of farming communities. This study investigates the efficiency and inclusiveness of farmers in the citrus supply chain at the upstream level and factors responsible for SSCD using survey data from the Punjab province of Pakistan. The study employs endogenous treatment effect and principal component analysis apart from the descriptive analysis to explore study objectives. Results indicate that large farmers with abundant resources tend to participate in MSC, whereas smallholders are more likely to be inclined to Traditional Supply Chain (TSC) networks. The study also finds that participating in MSC has a positive impact on farmers' efficiency, and factors such as off-farm income, orchard size, education level, and access to extension services significantly affect profitability. The results of the principal component analysis revealed that for SSCD, six sets of factors, such as performance and quality, risk and climate, economics and market exploitation, knowledge and information, geographic and transportation, and innovation capability, are addressable. Therefore, these results suggest that policymakers should provide training programs, agriculture extension services, improved infrastructure, and educational facilities in rural areas to help smallholders alleviate poverty by creating sustainability in the agri-food industry.

Research on the Influencing Factors of Sustainable Supply Chain Development of Agri-Food Products Based on Cross-Border Live-Streaming E-Commerce in China.

The organization and coordination of cross-border e-commerce platforms in agricultural product trading are continuously increasing, and the involvement of digital platforms has driven the integration and development of cross-border agricultural product supply chains with live-streaming e-commerce, effectively facilitating the comprehensive development of producers, sellers, and professional service providers within the ecosystem. However, despite the growing importance of this integration model in the market, there are still numerous unresolved issues from a supply chain perspective, and existing research provides relatively limited guidance on the effective operation of this integrated supply chain model. To address this gap in theoretical research, this study first delves into the essence and fundamental characteristics of sustainable cross-border agricultural product supply chains in the context of live streaming. Secondly, employing grounded theory as the primary research method and combining platform theory and ecosystem theory, an influencing factor system and an impact model for the development of sustainable cross-border agricultural product supply chains in the context of live streaming are constructed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of this integrated supply chain model. Finally, from the perspectives of government agencies and practitioners, development pathways for sustainable cross-border agricultural product supply chains in the context of live-streaming e-commerce are proposed, aiming to enhance existing research and provide decision-making support for relevant stakeholders in formulating development strategies. The findings of this study contribute to expanding the research perspective on the ecosystem of live-streaming e-commerce and sustainable cross-border agricultural product supply chains, providing theoretical support for the establishment and operation of sustainable cross-border agricultural product supply chains in the context of live streaming. Additionally, it offers important references for promoting the sustainable development of live-streaming e-commerce and cross-border agricultural product supply chains, facilitating industry upgrading, global agricultural trade, and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Criteria system construction for sustainable supplier selection: A product-category-oriented intelligent model

In recent years, awareness of environmental protection and social responsibility has increased, making sustainable supply chain development and the selection of sustainable suppliers more important. The construction of a criteria system is the premise of sustainable supplier selection (SSS), which determines the final decision. Recognizing the limitations of existing research works, including subjectively determined evaluation criteria based only on the literature and personal experience, and neglecting the characteristics of different product categories and the combination effect of different criteria, this research designs a product-category-oriented intelligent SSS criteria system construction model by applying the random forest algorithm and the recursive feature elimination cross-validation method. The novelties and contributions of this paper include, first, a systematic SSS criteria system construction model from a new perspective of product category is designed to help buyers construct a comprehensive, reliable, and efficient SSS criteria system. Second, the appropriate integration of human experience and machine learning fully exploits the advantages of both subjective judgement and objective analysis. Third, the ideas and methods of group decision making are introduced for the first time into the SSS criteria system construction process, and the relative importance of different decision-makers are taken into account. Finally, the proposed model can construct the optimal SSS criteria system while considering the combination effect of the whole criteria system. The model was validated in a Chinese forklift company, helping the company to construct a criteria system containing nine criteria with 86.68% accuracy rate. The results of comparative and sensitivity analyses show that the accuracy of the proposed model can achieve an 8.11% improvement compared with other existing methods.

A polycentric network strategy for regional diversification of agriculture: theory and implementation

Widespread and substantial diversification of current agroecosystems appears fundamental to meeting many grand challenges in agriculture. Despite urgent calls for diversification on regional scales, particularly in regions dominated by industrialized, low-diversity agriculture, strategies for diversification on such scales are in early stages of development, conceptually and practically. We outline such a strategy, and its implementation by the Forever Green Partnership, a public-private-NGO coalition in support of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Midwest region. Our strategy supports introduction and scaling of multiple novel crops in a region, which requires development of many interdependent supporting elements, including supportive markets, infrastructure, policy, finance, and R&D. The core of our strategy is development of sustainable supply chains (SSCs) for a set of novel crops. We define SSCs as rudimentary systems of these supporting elements for novel crops, linking on-farm crop production to end-use markets while advancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria that are demanded by stakeholders. SSCs provide a scaffold upon which fully-developed support systems for multiple novel crops can be constructed, thus driving regional diversification. SSCs cannot be “built in a day”; rather they must evolve as production of novel crops expands over time and space, and as new challenges and opportunities emerge. Therefore, regional diversification requires a system to sustain this evolutionary process across time and multiple novel crops. We posit that an effective system can be built from two crucial elements: a process of conscious and concerted cultural evolution, and a polycentric network that organizes and supports that process. We outline this system and its conceptual basis, and its implementation by the Forever Green Partnership, and associated challenges and accomplishments. Three years after its inception, the Partnership has attracted substantial resources, developed a polycentric network, and some elements of the cultural-evolution process are in place. However, node development is uneven across the network, hindering its operation. In addition to advancing strategies for regional-scale diversification, the Partnership is seeking to advance conceptual and practical understanding of sustainability transitions in agriculture, and to explore the potential value of conscious cultural evolution in such transitions.

Designing a sustainable fish closed-loop supply chain network under uncertainty.

There is increasing attention to the sustainable development of supply chain (SC) and reverse logistics (RL) in the contemporary competitive economy, notably in the food sector, by scholars and stakeholders. This study investigates a sustainable closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) for fish due to its high value in the family food basket, its perishability, and the importance of waste product recycling. A multi-objective mathematical model is developed under uncertainty and sustainability criteria to optimize production rates with the aim of better distribution among different demand markets, total costs, social issues, and negative environmental effects (e.g., CO2 emissions and unused/waste products). A combination of exact, meta-heuristic, and hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms are used to solve the suggested model. Then, the optimal solutions are found using the Taguchi method by evaluating the best initial replies. The solutions are evaluated based on various performance metrics. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the "filtering/displaced ideal solution" methods determine the best solution approach. Moreover, a case study with a trout CLSC in Northern Iran is examined. In addition, the Lingo software utilizes the ε-constraint method to evaluate and check the performance of the algorithms under different levels of uncertainty. Finally, sensitivity analyses are carried out to confirm the efficacy of the proposed algorithms. The findings demonstrate the proposed network's outstanding consistency with the algorithms used and its application and efficiency.

Prospection of sustainable agrifood systems based on discourse analysis of Curraleiro Pé-Duro cattle breeders in Brazil

ABSTRACT Developing countries face great challenges to couple agricultural intensification and sustainable supply chain development. This paper explores the opportunities for innovation in the conservation of the locally adapted Curraleiro Pé-Duro (CPD) cattle. The CPD is a historical Brazilian breed, related to regional culture, which exhibits remarkable adaptability in tropical biomes. The research method consisted of interviewing and analyzing the discourse of CPD breeders in Tocantins, Brazil. The systematization of the data resulted in four categories and eleven subcategories, which were defined a posteriori. Our findings reveal motivational aspects, potentialities, and prospects for valuation, besides the needs and perceived challenges faced by CPD farmers. A better understanding of the current situation may guide public policies, encourage stakeholders, benefit farmers, and lead to sustainable agri-food initiatives. The empirical contributions of our diagnosis are discussed, and we show how they bring forward and provide valuable lessons to prospect innovations in the conservation of CPD cattle. These findings may support scholars and people who are also interested in accessing and supporting the conservation of indigenous livestock. In general, the study supports the definition of strategies, planning, and investments for the value chain, including the participation of upstream and downstream segments of the farms.

Data-Intensive Inventory Forecasting with Artificial Intelligence Models for Cross-Border E-Commerce Service Automation

Building an adaptative, flexible, resilient, and reliable inventory management system provides a reliable supply of cross-border e-commerce commodities, enhances supply chain members with a flow of products, fulfills ever-changing customer requirements, and enables e-commerce service automation. This study uses an e-commerce company as a case study to collect intensive inventory data. The key process of the AI approach for an intensive data forecasting framework is constructed. The study shows that the AI model’s optimization process needs to be combined with the problems of specific companies and information for analysis and optimization. The study provides optimization suggestions and highlights the key processes of the AI-predicting inventory model. The XGBoost method demonstrates the best performance in terms of accuracy (RMSE = 46.64%) and reasonable computation time (9 min 13 s). This research can be generalized and used as a useful basis for further implementing algorithms in other e-commerce enterprises. In doing so, this study highlights the current trend of logistics 4.0 solutions via the adoption of robust data-intensive inventory forecasting with artificial intelligence models for cross-border e-commerce service automation. As expected, the research findings improve the alleviation of the bullwhip impact and sustainable supply chain development. E-commerce enterprises may provide a better plan for their inventory management so as to minimize excess inventory or stock-outs, and improve their sales strategies and promotional and marketing activities.

Integrated Land Suitability Assessment for Depots Siting in a Sustainable Biomass Supply Chain.

A sustainable biomass supply chain would require not only an effective and fluid transportation system with a reduced carbon footprint and costs, but also good soil characteristics ensuring durable biomass feedstock presence. Unlike existing approaches that fail to account for ecological factors, this work integrates ecological as well as economic factors for developing sustainable supply chain development. For feedstock to be sustainably supplied, it necessitates adequate environmental conditions, which need to be captured in supply chain analysis. Using geospatial data and heuristics, we present an integrated framework that models biomass production suitability, capturing the economic aspect via transportation network analysis and the environmental aspect via ecological indicators. Production suitability is estimated using scores, considering both ecological factors and road transportation networks. These factors include land cover/crop rotation, slope, soil properties (productivity, soil texture, and erodibility factor) and water availability. This scoring determines the spatial distribution of depots with priority to fields scoring the highest. Two methods for depot selection are presented using graph theory and a clustering algorithm to benefit from contextualized insights from both and potentially gain a more comprehensive understanding of biomass supply chain designs. Graph theory, via the clustering coefficient, helps determine dense areas in the network and indicate the most appropriate location for a depot. Clustering algorithm, via K-means, helps form clusters and determine the depot location at the center of these clusters. An application of this innovative concept is performed on a case study in the US South Atlantic, in the Piedmont region, determining distance traveled and depot locations, with implications on supply chain design. The findings from this study show that a more decentralized depot-based supply chain design with 3depots, obtained using the graph theory method, can be more economical and environmentally friendly compared to a design obtained from the clustering algorithm method with 2 depots. In the former, the distance from fields to depots totals 801,031,476 miles, while in the latter, it adds up to 1,037,606,072 miles, which represents about 30% more distance covered for feedstock transportation.

ICT Adoption for Sustainable Logistics Development in the HoReCa and Wholesale Sectors

Applying Information and communication technologies (ICT) tools is crucial for businesses to stay competitive and sustainable. The aim of this study is to investigate the attitudes of the Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering sector (HoReCa) and wholesale companies towards using ICT tools to improve B2B communication and drive sustainable development. Through in-depth interviews with representatives from twenty HoReCa firms and seven wholesale suppliers, the ICT tool was found to be well received and could potentially improve the efficiency and sustainability of their cooperation. The hypothesis states that these sectors have significant potential to adopt novel tools to improve communication channels and make their logistics operations more sustainable. As part of the Incubator of Innovation 4.0 project grant at Gdynia Maritime University, a mobile application was developed to support the development of sustainable supply chains that minimize environmental impact, support long-term economic viability, and improve warehouse management and distribution channels for services and goods. This tool could facilitate the streamlining of processes and enable stakeholders to adapt to dynamic changes in the socio-economic environment, ultimately leading to more efficient and flexible operations.

Роль зеленої логістики в розвитку сталого ланцюга поставок

The article presents the results of research in the field of sustainable development and responsible consumption, analyzes global logistics trends, and updates the essence of the concept of "green logistics". The main factors of the formation of a sustainable supply chain at the current stage of development of macro-logistics systems are characterized, the role of green logistics in these business processes is described. It is substantiated that in a sustainable supply chain, all processes are organized and interconnected in such a way that they create special value for the customer who demonstrates responsible consumption. Among the best business practices in the field of green logistics within the framework of a sustainable supply chain, the following can be distinguished: reduction of energy consumption; reduction of packaging/containers; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; waste reduction; effectiveness of sales channels; compliance with environmental requirements; risk management; differentiated services; selling expenses. The research focuses on the fact that the future of green logistics is connected with the development of new technologies. The use of blockchain technology is also considered relevant, because one of the most effective ways to achieve the goals of green logistics is the digitalization of transport processes. Shifting to more sustainable practices is important on a global scale to reduce the negative environmental impact of logistics infrastructure. At the same time, the creation and development of sustainable supply chains will provide synergistic effects and provide benefits for all business partners. It has been proven that green logistics is becoming an integral part of sustainable business practices and can help organizations save money while protecting humanity from global environmental catastrophe. In the future, it is logical to study the problems associated with the implementation of green logistics by Ukrainian enterprises, in particular in the context of overcoming crisis phenomena and post-war reconstruction.

Two-echelon fresh product supply chain with different transportation modes.

The fresh product supply chain suffers from the quantity loss and quality loss due to its perishability in long-distance transportation, which affect the health of customers and the sustainable development of supply chain. Using low-cost normal temperature transportation or high-cost cold chain transportation has become a problem for transportation enterprises. This paper aims to investigate the impact of different transportation modes on the supply chain performance. The operation strategies of the supply chain are analyzed under three situations: no coordination contract, wholesale price contract, and revenue-sharing contract. Taking Zhanhua winter jujube as an example, the correctness of theoretical analysis is verified. The main findings are as follows. Supply chain participants, including consumers, can benefit from cold chain transportation. That the cost of cold chain transportation is below the threshold is the basic condition to use cold chain transportation. The retailer has the incentive to encourage the supplier to use cold chain transportation by increasing the wholesale price, but the wholesale price should be set within a certain range. The supplier has the incentive to use cold chain transportation under the revenue-sharing contract, but the revenue-sharing proportion needs to be within a certain range to ensure the retailer's profit. The revenue-sharing contract is superior to the wholesale price contract, and wholesale price contract is superior to no coordination contract.

How Does Supply Chain Resilience Affect Supply Chain Performance? The Mediating Effect of Sustainability

In recent years, interruption or failure events have occurred due to frequent natural disasters, the outbreak of COVID-19, policy environment turbulence, an increasingly complex business environment, and the increasingly fragile global supply chain. This has reduced the efficiency of supply chains and customer service quality and increased operating costs, creating new requirements for supply chain flexibility and sustainability. When investigating 21 companies based on 200 questionnaires and a structural equation model analysis, the results showed that the elasticity of the supply chain for supply chain sustainability, economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environment sustainability has an obvious positive effect: supply chain sustainability has an obvious positive effect on supply chain performance. Supply chain resilience has no direct positive effect on supply chain performance, but it has a strong indirect effect on supply chain performance under the mediating effect of supply chain sustainability. In view of this, in order to create sustainable supply chain development and improve the performances of supply chains, it is necessary to establish the awareness of risk prevention, root the risk culture in supply chain network organization, and improve supply chain resilience in multiple dimensions. Enterprises in the supply chain should continue to build their resilience and establish effective strategies to integrate supply chains. The intermediary role of sustainability in supply chains and of supply chain flexibility in supply chain performance shows the influence of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable angles, such as the implementation of supply chain management, the maximization of the interests of the whole supply chain, improving the ability of supply chain enterprises to innovate and develop, establishing customer awareness, and enhancing humanistic ideas. Dynamic selection of supply chain partners while focusing on their green performance promotes the green development of supply chain enterprises.

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in Mangrove-Dependent Communities of Manoka Island, Littoral Region of Cameroon.

This study was conducted on Manoka Island (Littoral Region of Cameroon) with the aim of analyzing climate change vulnerability and local adaptation strategies based on the local community's perceptions and biophysical evidence. We used household surveys, focus group discussions, field observation, GIS, and remote sensing to collect data on variables of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Historical changes in rainfall and temperature, mangrove cover, and the occurrence of extreme climatic events were used as indicators of exposure. Property losses and income structure were used as indicators of sensitivity, while human, natural, social, financial, and physical assets represented adaptive capacity. 89 households were interviewed in the nine settlements of the island. Results show that Manoka Island is experiencing irregular rainfall patterns (with average annual values deviating from the mean by −1.9 to +1.8 mm) and increasing temperature (with annual values deviating from the mean by −1.2 to +3.12). The dynamics of the coastline between 1975 and 2017 using EPR show average setbacks of more than ±3 m/year, with erosion levels varying depending on the period and location. The number of households perceiving extreme climatic events like seasonal variability, flood, and rain storm was higher. From respondents' perception, housing and health are the sectors most affected by climate change. The reported high dependence of households on fishing for income, their overall low livelihood diversification, and their poor access to climate information reported by 65% of respondents portray their poor adaptive capacity. Local response initiatives are ineffective and include among others constructing buildings on stilts and using car wheels to counter the advancement of seawater inland. The study concludes that households on Manoka Island are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Income diversification, mangrove reforestation, the development of sustainable supply chains for wood fuel, and sustainable fish smoking devices are the main pathways for adaptation planning in this area.

Role of project management on Sustainable Supply Chain development through Industry 4.0 technologies and Circular Economy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multiple case study of Thai metals industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has widely disrupted manufacturing industries. This research focuses on how project management, Industry 4.0 technologies, and the Circular Economy contribute to Sustainable Supply Chain development during the pandemic. A multiple case study focusing on three companies in the metals industry, covering small-, medium-, and large-size companies from Thailand, is adopted to investigate the impact of the pandemic on companies using the dimensions of demand, production, and distribution disruptions. The result shows that project management supports Industry 4.0 technologies and Circular Economy adoption. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic also expedites Industry 4.0 technologies adoption. Product customization is one of the key focuses of the companies to differentiate from the competitors and create long-term competitive advantages. Industry 4.0 technologies and the Circular Economy have a positive influence on Sustainable Supply Chain development.

Industry 4.0 enabling sustainable supply chain development in the renewable energy sector: A multi-criteria intelligent approach

The aim of this paper is to provide a multi-criteria decision-making intelligent approach based on Industry 4.0 and Triple Bottom Line principles for sustainable supply chain development in the renewable energy sector. In particular, the solar photovoltaic energy supply chain is used as a case study, encompassing the entire energy production process, from supply to disposal. An exhaustive literature review is conducted to identify the main criteria affecting social, economic and environmental sustainability in the photovoltaic energy supply chain, and to explore the potential impact of Industry 4.0 on sustainability. Subsequently, three Fuzzy Inference Systems combining quantitative and qualitative data are built to calculate the supply chain's social, economic and environmental sustainability. Experts' opinions are used to identify the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the three pillars of sustainability for each supply chain stage. Finally, a novel sustainability index, Sustainability Index 4.0, is formulated to compute the overall sustainability of the photovoltaic energy supply chain in seven countries. The results show the applicability and usefulness of the proposed holistic model in helping policy makers, stakeholders and users to make informed decisions for the development of sustainable renewable energy supply chains, taking into account the impact of Industry 4.0 and digital technologies.

Effects of Carbon Policy on Carbon Emission Reduction in Supply Chain under Uncertain Demand

Although there are many articles on carbon emission reduction of sustainable supply chain, most of them study the carbon emission reduction efficiency of supply chain in the case of single carbon policy or demand determination. Based on previous studies, this paper considered a supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer in an uncertain demand market. The effects of demand randomness and different carbon policies on carbon emission reduction level and optimal decision in supply chain were studied by constructing mean-variance utility function and Stackelberg game. Due to the difficulty of data acquisition, this paper verified the equalization results by numerical simulation. The results show that: (1) cap-and-trade policy, government subsidy policy and carbon tax policy can promote the carbon emission reduction investment of supply chain, while carbon tax policy will lead to the decline of the overall profit of supply chain; (2) For the manufacturer and the retailer, adopting a strategy with a low degree of risk avoidance will increase its own profits; (3) For the supply chain as a whole, it is more advantageous for manufacturers to adopt higher risk avoidance strategies, while retailers to adopt lower risk avoidance strategies. In addition, in the conclusion, this paper puts forward management implications related to stakeholders, thus providing help for the development of sustainable supply chain.

Theoretical Perspectives on Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Digital Transformation: A Literature Review and a Conceptual Framework

In an era where environmental and social pressures on companies are increasing, sustainable supply chain management is essential for the efficient operation and survivability of the organizations (members of the chain). Digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies could support the development of sustainable strategies, as they support supply chain processes, decrease operational costs, enable control and monitoring of operations and support green practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sustainable supply chain management and digital transformation through the adoption of specific technologies (Blockchain technology, big data analytics, internet of things). It aims at theory building and the development of a conceptual framework, enabling the explanation of under which circumstances the above combination could lead to the development of sustainable performances. It also aims to examine how companies can increase their competitive advantage and/or increase their business performance, contributing both to academics and practitioners. After conducting a literature review analysis, a significant gap was detected. There are a few studies providing theoretical approaches to examining all three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time analyzing the impact of big data analytics, internet of things and blockchain technology on the development of sustainable supply chains. Aiming to address this gap, this paper primarily conducts a literature review, identifies definitions and theories used to explain the different pillars of flexibility, and examines the effect of different technologies. It then develops a theoretical conceptual framework, which could enable both academics and practitioners to examine the impact of the adoption of different technologies on sustainable supply chain management. The findings of this research reveal that digital transformation plays an important role to companies, as the combination of different technologies may lead to the development of significant capabilities, increasing sustainable performances and enabling the development of sustainable strategies, which can improve companies’ position in the market.