Sustainable Supply Chains: A Catalyst for Global Development

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, businesses are being pressured by different stakeholders (customers, supply chains partners, governmental institutions, NGOs) to adopt sustainable initiatives. A common challenge to several firms is to extend the requirements related to the implementation of sustainable practices to their supply chain partners. The extension of these sustainability concerns to suppliers is assured by effective sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) [1], which is an approach to improve the sustainable performance of supply chains [2]. SSCM is defined by Seuring and Muller as “the management of material, information and capital flows as well as cooperation among companies along the supply chain while taking goals from all three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e., economic, environmental and social, into account which are derived from customer and stakeholder requirements” [3].

Previous studies have identified some of the challenges and barriers to SSCM implementation. Ghadimi et al. [4] found some gaps and challenges to sustainable supply chain analysis such as a predominance of environmental and economic sustainability over social sustainability, a negleted focus on SMEs, and the need to perform industry-specific research. Barbosa-Povoa et al. [5] corroborates this view by stating that sustainability has mainly been tackled by evaluating economic and environmental characteristics, ultimately neglecting social indicators. In an SSCM context, firms need to develop collaborative relationships to achieve sustainable outcomes [6] and improve the sustainable performance of supply chains [7,8]. The lack of trust and the barriers to sharing information, processes, and resources can also prevent companies from engaging in collaboration. The lack of a sustainable management of supply chains will also hamper the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); this is particulary relevant regarding SDG number 17, which is focused on the development of partnerships to support sustainable development, especially in developing countries.

This Special Issue is concerned with innovative research that investigates the antecedents and the effects of SSCM in order to support global development. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Circular and closed-loop supply chains;
• Drivers and barries to sustainable supply chain management;
• Sustainable supply chains and digital technologies;
• Sustainable supply chains and resilience;
• Sustainable supply chains and firm performance;
• Sustainable supply chains and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• Sustainable supply chains and Environmental, Social, and Corporate governance (ESG);
• Institutional pressures and sustainable supply chain management;
• Sustainable supply chains in industry-specific contexts.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

1. Sancha, C.; Gimenez, C.; Sierra, V. Achieving a Socially Responsible Supply Chain through Assessment and Collaboration. J. Clean. Prod. 2016, 112, 1934–1947, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.04.137.
2. Koberg, E.; Longoni, A. A Systematic Review of Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Global Supply Chains. J. Clean. Prod. 2019, 207, 1084–1098, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.033.
3. Seuring, S.; Müller, M. From a Literature Review to a Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Supply Chain Management. J. Clean. Prod. 2008, 16, 1699–1710, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.04.020.
4. Ghadimi, P.; Wang, C.; Lim, M.K. Sustainable Supply Chain Modeling and Analysis: Past Debate, Present Problems and Future Challenges. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 2019, 140, 72–84, doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.09.005.
5. Barbosa-Póvoa, A.P.; da Silva, C.; Carvalho, A. Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainable Supply Chain: An Operations Research Perspective. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 2018, 268, 399–431, doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2017.10.036.
6. Kamble, S.S.; Gunasekaran, A.; Gawankar, S.A. Achieving Sustainable Performance in a Data-Driven Agriculture Supply Chain: A Review for Research and Applications. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2020, 219, 179–194, doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.05.022.
7. Seuring, S.; Aman, S.; Hettiarachchi, B.D.; de Lima, F.A.; Schilling, L.; Sudusinghe, J.I. Reflecting on Theory Development in Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Clean. Logist. Supply Chain 2022, 3, 100016, doi:10.1016/j.clscn.2021.100016.
8. Barbosa, M.W.; Ladeira, M.B.; de Oliveira, M.P.V.; de Oliveira, V.M.; de Sousa, P.R. The Effects of Internationalization Orientation in the Sustainable Performance of the Agri-Food Industry through Environmental Collaboration: An Emerging Economy Perspective. Sustain. Prod. Consum. 2022, 31, 407–418, doi:10.1016/j.spc.2022.03.013.

Dr. Marcelo Werneck Barbosa
Prof. Dr. Marcelo Bronzo
Guest Editors

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sustainable supply chain management;

closed-loop supply chains;

sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

sustainable performance;

green logistics;

supply chain collaboration