Green Practices for Global Supply Chains in Diverse Industrial, Geographical, and Technological Settings: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

Maria Giuffrida and Riccardo Mangiaracina
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Maria Giuffrida: Department of Management, Economics, and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
Riccardo Mangiaracina: Department of Management, Economics, and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: With the rise in global consumption and the consequent intensive demand for global resources, the attention of scholars and practitioners towards greener supply chains has grown over the years. In this context, this study has two main aims. The first is to offer an up-to-date literature review of the ways in which sustainability is pursued in diverse settings, based on the sector, the geographical area, and the level of adoption of digital technologies of a company. The second aim is to identify the research gaps in this field, and to suggest directions for future investigations. The results of the structured literature review reveal that, although developed and developing countries tend to focus on different types of sustainable interventions, three factors are consistently considered to be crucial for the success of a sustainable initiative in global supply chains. These factors are the collaboration along the supply chain, the commitment of the top management, and the presence of environmentally-oriented policies or regulations. These three factors complicate the decision-making process that is needed to implement sustainable practices. Therefore, we suggest ways in which to design future research that better capture the real challenges of making environmentally conscious decisions, leveraging on the concepts of the Intertwined Supply Network (ISN) and the cognitive frame.

Keywords: environmental sustainability; global supply chain; developing economies; developed economies; digital technology; literature review; decision making; industry; cognitive frame; intertwined supply network (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 (3)

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