A Simulation Approach for the Design of More Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chains in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Ana Carolina Silva (), Catarina Moreira Marques and Jorge Pinho de Sousa
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Ana Carolina Silva: INESC TEC—Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Catarina Moreira Marques: INESC TEC—Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Jorge Pinho de Sousa: INESC TEC—Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: In a world facing unprecedented challenges, such as climate changes and growing social problems, the pharmaceutical industry must ensure that its supply chains are environmentally sustainable and resilient, guaranteeing access to key medications even when faced with unanticipated disruptions or crises. The core goal of this work is to develop an innovative simulation-based approach to support more informed and effective decision making, while establishing reasonable trade-offs between supply chain robustness and resiliency, operational efficiency, and environmental and social concerns. Such a decision-support system will contribute to the development of more resilient and sustainable pharmaceutical supply chains, which are, in general, critical for maintaining access to essential medicines, especially during times of crises or relevant disruptions. The system will help companies to better manage and design their supply chains, providing a valuable tool to achieve higher levels of resilience and sustainability. The study we conducted has two primary contributions that are noteworthy. Firstly, we present a new advanced approach that integrates multiple simulation techniques, allowing for the modeling of highly complex environments. Secondly, we introduce a new conceptual framework that helps to comprehend the interplay between resiliency and sustainability in decision-making processes. These two contributions provide valuable insights into understanding complex systems and can aid in designing more resilient and sustainable systems.

Keywords: pharmaceutical supply chain; resiliency; sustainability; decision-support systems; simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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