Applications of Blockchain Technology in Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Review

Ahmad A. A. Khanfar, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Morteza Ghobakhloo, Madugoda Gunaratnege Senali and Masood Fathi
Additional contact information
Ahmad A. A. Khanfar: School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Mohammad Iranmanesh: School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Morteza Ghobakhloo: School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania
Madugoda Gunaratnege Senali: School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Masood Fathi: School of Engineering Science, University of Skovde, P.O. Box 408, 54128 Skovde, Sweden

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Developing sustainable products and processes is essential for the survival of manufacturers in the current competitive market and the industry 4.0 era. The activities of manufacturers and their supply chain partners should be aligned with sustainable development goals. Manufacturers have faced many barriers and challenges in implementing sustainable practices along the entire supply chain due to globalisation, outsourcing, and offshoring. Blockchain technology has the potential to address the challenges of sustainability. This study aims to explain the applications of blockchain technology to sustainable manufacturing. We conducted a systematic literature review and explained the potential contributions of blockchain technology to the economic, environmental, and social performances of manufacturers and their supply chains. The findings of the study extend our understanding of the blockchain applications in sustainable manufacturing and sustainable supply chains. Furthermore, the study explains how blockchain can influence the sustainable performance of manufacturers by creating transparency, traceability, real-time information sharing, and security of the data capabilities.

Keywords: blockchain technology; blockchain applications; sustainability practices; sustainable performance; sustainable manufacturing; smart contract; industry 4.0; supply chain management; digital transformation; systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7870/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7870/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7870-:d:594138

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().