Towards an Understanding of Hydrogen Supply Chains: A Structured Literature Review Regarding Sustainability Evaluation

Sebastian Fredershausen, Henrik Lechte, Mathias Willnat, Tobias Witt, Christine Harnischmacher, Tim-Benjamin Lembcke, Matthias Klumpp and Lutz Kolbe
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Sebastian Fredershausen: Chair of Production and Logistics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Henrik Lechte: Chair of Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Mathias Willnat: Chair of Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Tobias Witt: Chair of Production and Logistics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Christine Harnischmacher: Chair of Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Tim-Benjamin Lembcke: Chair of Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Matthias Klumpp: Chair of Production and Logistics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Lutz Kolbe: Chair of Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Hydrogen technologies have received increased attention in research and development to foster the shift towards carbon-neutral energy systems. Depending on the specific production techniques, transportation concepts, and application areas, hydrogen supply chains (HSCs) can be anything from part of the energy transition problem to part of the solution: Even more than battery-driven electric mobility, hydrogen is a polyvalent technology and can be used in very different contexts with specific positive or negative sustainability impacts. Thus, a detailed sustainability evaluation is crucial for decision making in the context of hydrogen technology and its diverse application fields. This article provides a comprehensive, structured literature review in the context of HSCs along the triple bottom line dimensions of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, analyzing a total of 288 research papers. As a result, we identify research gaps mostly regarding social sustainability and the supply chain stages of hydrogen distribution and usage. We suggest further research to concentrate on these gaps, thus strengthening our understanding of comprehensive sustainability evaluations for HSCs, especially in social sustainability evaluation. In addition, we provide an additional approach for discussion by adding literature review results from neighboring fields, highlighting the joint challenges and insights regarding sustainability evaluation.

Keywords: hydrogen supply chain; sustainability evaluation; 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 (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:11652-:d:661765

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