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Leveraging Digital Approaches for Transparency in Sustainable Supply Chains: A Conceptual Paper

Frank Ebinger and Bramwel Omondi
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Frank Ebinger: Department of Sustainability-oriented Innovations and Transformation Management, Nuremberg Campus of Technology (NCT), 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
Bramwel Omondi: Department of Sustainability-oriented Innovations and Transformation Management, Nuremberg Campus of Technology (NCT), 90429 Nürnberg, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: With the growing global interdependence of companies, their scope of responsibility for the environmental, social, and human rights impacts associated with their activities is also growing. In this context, companies are increasingly held accountable for social and ecological issues that lie within the sphere of action of their suppliers and sub-suppliers. They are thus faced with the challenge of meeting these demands for transparency, traceability, and compliance with standards in their Supply Chains (SCs). Based on the theoretical framework of Sustainable Supply Chain Transparency (SSCT) in Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), this conceptual article aims at initiating the discussion on digitalization in SSCM. Therefore, a heuristical research framework, based on relevant fields in the management of sustainability oriented transparency (governance, cooperation and partner selection, traceability/tracking, and strategic and operational risk assessment) is developed. In relation to these fields, consequently, data-driven digital approaches are identified to which potentials for SSCT and control can be attributed. This initial analysis of existing digital approaches already shows that the market is developing dynamically, but is driven more by individual initiatives. In many cases, the approaches used so far are still in the trial phase or offer only limited solutions. Therefore, this paper contributes by giving an overview of the current application of the digitalization approaches in SSCM pinning our discussion on SSCT dimensions.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain management; data-driven technologies; sustainable supply chain transparency; blockchain technology; artificial intelligence; cloud-computing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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