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Resilient Supply Chains, Green Logistics, and Digital Transformation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 7054

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
2. School of MAE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: resilient supply chains; AI; big data; optimization; last mile logistics and green supply chains

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In response to dynamic shifts in the global landscape, MDPI’s Sustainability is delighted to announce a Special Issue dedicated to the exploration of "Resilient Supply Chains, Green Logistics, and Digital Transformation". This focused collection aims to delve into the intricate interplay between sustainability, resilience, and the integration of digital technologies within the realm of supply chain management and logistics.

We invite contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following pertinent topics:

  1. Resilient Supply Chains:
  • Supply Chain Disruptions: Investigating the impact of, and mitigation strategies for, various disruptions, including natural disasters, geopolitical events, and unforeseen challenges.
  • Adaptive Strategies: Examining adaptive strategies for building resilience, considering dynamic market conditions and unforeseen disruptions.
  • Responsiveness: Exploring operational decision making for a swift response to any disruption.
  • Modeling Supply Chain Resilience: Measuring supply chain resilience and risk.
  • Technological Innovations: Assessing the role of emerging technologies in fortifying supply chains against disruptions.
  1. Green Logistics and Sustainable Operations:
  • Circular Economy Practices: Analyzing the integration of circular economy principles into logistics operations and their contributions to sustainability.
  • Environmental Impact Assessments: Exploring methodologies for assessing and mitigating the environmental impact of logistics operations.
  • Renewable Energy Integration: Investigating the adoption of renewable energy sources into logistics for greener and sustainable practices.
  1. Digital Transformation in Supply Chains:
  • Industry 4.0/5.0: Examining the impact of Industry4.0/5.0 on supply chain processes, focusing on smart manufacturing, IoT, collaborative technologies, and human–machine interaction.
  • Blockchain and Security: Assessing the role of blockchain technology in ensuring the security and transparency of supply chain operations.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Exploring how data analytics and artificial intelligence contribute to more informed decision making in logistics.

Dr. Allan N. Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • supply chain resilience
  • manufacturing resilience
  • resilience modelling and assessment
  • green logistics
  • sustainability lifecycle management
  • circular economy
  • digital transformation and innovation
  • Industry 4.0/5.0

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1970 KiB  
Article
Improving Small Parcel Delivery Efficiency and Sustainability: A Study of Lithuanian Private Delivery Company
by Kristina Čižiūnienė, Greta Draugelytė, Edgar Sokolovskij and Jonas Matijošius
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1838; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051838 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 869
Abstract
The paper provides an in-depth investigation of techniques for improving small parcel delivery services in a private logistics company, addressing significant difficulties in customer logistics service, particularly in the growing e-commerce industry. The study addresses a gap in the existing literature by assessing [...] Read more.
The paper provides an in-depth investigation of techniques for improving small parcel delivery services in a private logistics company, addressing significant difficulties in customer logistics service, particularly in the growing e-commerce industry. The study addresses a gap in the existing literature by assessing 170 documented customer complaints, with an emphasis on recurring issues such as improper delivery, delays, and damaged parcels. The methodological approach uses statistical tools to determine the magnitude of delivery challenges, integrating a review of the scientific literature with real data analysis. There are 28% complaints about faulty delivery and 26% about delays, according to the statistics. It is clear that systemic improvements are urgently needed. One strategy to improve service reliability and efficiency is to use automation technologies, such as drones, smart route optimization systems, and constant human training programs. While ensuring operational sustainability, these strategies aim to address the underlying causes of consumer dissatisfaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilient Supply Chains, Green Logistics, and Digital Transformation)
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17 pages, 788 KiB  
Article
Leveraging Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Digital Transformation in Supply Chain Inventory Optimization
by Bo Zhang, Wen Jun Tan, Wentong Cai and Allan N. Zhang
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9996; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229996 - 16 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2682
Abstract
In today’s volatile supply chain (SC) environment, competition has shifted beyond individual companies to the entire SC ecosystem. Reducing overall SC costs is crucial for success and benefits all participants. One effective approach to achieve this is through digital transformation, enhancing SC coordination [...] Read more.
In today’s volatile supply chain (SC) environment, competition has shifted beyond individual companies to the entire SC ecosystem. Reducing overall SC costs is crucial for success and benefits all participants. One effective approach to achieve this is through digital transformation, enhancing SC coordination via information sharing, and establishing decision policies among entities. However, the risk of unauthorized leakage of sensitive information poses a significant challenge. We aim to propose a Privacy-preserving Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning (PMaRL) method to enhance SC visibility, coordination, and performance during inventory management while effectively mitigating the risk of information leakage by leveraging machine learning techniques. The SC inventory policies are optimized using multi-agent reinforcement learning with additional SC connectivity information to improve training performance. The simulation-based evaluation results illustrate that the PMaRL method surpasses traditional optimization methods in achieving cost performance comparable to full visibility methods, all while preserving privacy. This research addresses the dual objectives of information security and cost reduction in SC inventory management, aligning with the broader trend of digital transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilient Supply Chains, Green Logistics, and Digital Transformation)
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14 pages, 460 KiB  
Article
Sustainability as a Resilience Factor in the Agri-Food Supply Chain
by Núria Arimany-Serrat, Oriol Montanyà and Oriol Amat
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 7162; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167162 - 21 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2610
Abstract
What factors have a positive impact on the resilience of supply chains? This question has been raised in several academic research papers, particularly in recent years, coinciding with a series of disruptions (healthcare, political and climate) that have shaken the reliability of a [...] Read more.
What factors have a positive impact on the resilience of supply chains? This question has been raised in several academic research papers, particularly in recent years, coinciding with a series of disruptions (healthcare, political and climate) that have shaken the reliability of a global logistics gear that seemed infallible. In this context, the motivation of this article is to provide new knowledge that helps identify the key elements of business management that guarantee greater reliability and security in the supply of products. More specifically, this research focuses on studying the causal relationship that exists between resilience and sustainability in the management of agri-food chains to generate valuable knowledge for the leaders of companies that have to deal with these two transformations. Through a qualitative comparative analysis methodology, taking a sample of eight Spanish distribution companies, the results obtained indicate that the strength of supply chains has a strong link to strategies to improve environmental, social and governance sustainability. This is a conclusion that provides interesting value, reaffirming that it is possible to design and execute supply chains that make sustainability and resilience compatible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilient Supply Chains, Green Logistics, and Digital Transformation)
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