Sustainable supply chain management: evolution and future directions

TLDR

The paper systematically reviews SSCM literature from leading logistics and supply chain journals over a 20‑year period. The authors employ a systematic literature review with rigorous coding and high inter‑coder reliability to ensure unbiased, reliable, and replicable findings. The review traces SSCM’s evolution from isolated social and environmental studies to a triple‑bottom‑line framework, noting increased theoretical depth and methodological rigor while highlighting gaps and managerial implications for future research.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) literature in the principal logistics and supply chain management journals, across a 20‐year time frame. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a systematic literature review methodology. This methodology allows for the minimization of researcher bias and the maximization of reliability and replicability. The study's empirical validity is further enhanced by demonstrating high levels of inter‐coder reliability across families of codes. Findings The field of SSCM has evolved from a perspective and investigation of standalone research in social and environmental areas; through a corporate social responsibility perspective; to the beginnings of the convergence of perspectives of sustainability as the triple bottom line and the emergence of SSCM as a theoretical framework. While the SSCM research has become more theoretically rich and methodologically rigorous, there are numerous opportunities for further advancing theory, methodology, and the managerial relevance of future inquiries. Research limitations/implications The trends and gaps identified through our analysis allow us to develop a cogent agenda to guide future SSCM research. Practical implications The current perspectives of SSCM hold important implications for managers, by directing limited resources toward projects which intersect environmental and/or social performance, and economic performance. Originality/value The paper provides a systematic, rigorous, and methodologically valid review of the evolution of empirical SSCM research across a 20‐year time period.