sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Decision Making in Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Recent Research Advances in the Context of Industry 4.0

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 5805

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, 26504 Rio, Greece
Interests: decision making; supply chain management; biomass-to-biofuel value chain; operations research; mathematical programming; multicriteria decision analysis; energy and industrial systems modeling; sustainability optimization; decision support systems; corporate sustainability and responsibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digitization, automation, and sustainability are already shaping a new era for supply chains, resulting in structural changes in their design and operation as well as in the organizational mindset and architecture of the firms involved, while creating new business models. The introduction and integration of Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, the analysis of big data, the Internet of Things, cloud services, cyber-physical systems, etc., develops a new wider ecosystem, named Supply Chain 4.0, which constitutes of a more diversified and multidirectional group of suppliers, customers, and firms with the intense participation of Industry 4.0 solutions providers. This new context facilitates the interrelation and cooperation of all parties and enables the faster, more flexible, and more efficient material, information, and financial flow. Simultaneously, the increasing needs of, interest in, and commitments to environmental and social issues (climate crisis, energy security, energy poverty, environmental justice, social responsibility, etc.), as well as the promotion of renewable energy, prescribe new requirements for designing sustainable supply chain systems. Thus, Supply Chain 4.0 becomes a highly complicated and multifaceted superstructure in which each actor has to preserve and claim a better position in a globalized and increasingly competitive market in which customer demand volatility and granularity is a rather common situation. Developing and incorporating a robust and reliable decision-making process is the condition sine qua non to effectively manage a supply chain system and boost business profitability and sustainability, create a distinctive value, and achieve a competitive advantage under a multiplicity of continuously evolving technological, economic, legislative, environmental, and social conditions.

The objective of this Special Issue is to host papers which present and analyze new methods and state-of-the-art applications concerning decision-making in supply chain management in the inter-relating contexts of Industry 4.0 and sustainability. To this end, we invite studies concerning the integration process of new technologies and the implementation of the life cycle analysis concept on developing supply chains for goods, energy, the agricultural sector, etc.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and case studies are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Supply chain management in the era of digital transformation;
  • Green supply chain management;
  • Renewable energy value chains;
  • Circular supply chain management;
  • Big data and predictive analytics to support supply chains;
  • Internet of Things applications;
  • Simulation and digital twins in supply chains;
  • Single- and multi-objective optimization techniques and applications;
  • Multi-criteria decision-making in supply chain management;
  • Risk management in supply chains;
  • Innovative decision support systems for supply chain management.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

References:

  1. Hofmann, E., Sternberg, H., Chen, H., Pflaum, A. and Prockl, G. (2019). Supply chain management and Industry 4.0: conducting research in the digital age, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 49(10): 945-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-11-2019-399.
  2. Ketchen, D.J., Jr., Crook, T.R. and Craighead, C.W. (2014). From Supply Chains to Supply Ecosystems: Implications for Strategic Sourcing Research and Practice. Journal of Business Logistics, 35: 165-171. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12057.
  3. Rosin, F., Forget, P., Lamouri, S. and Pellerin, R. (2022). Enhancing the Decision-Making Process through Industry 4.0 Technologies, Sustainability, 14(1): 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010461.
  4. Alicke, K., Rachor, J. and Seyfert, A., (2016), Supply Chain 4.0 – the next-generation digital supply chain, McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/supply-chain-40--the-next-generation-digital-supply-chain.
  5. Tjahjono, B., Esplugues, C., Ares, E. and Pelaez G. (2017). What does Industry 4.0 mean to Supply Chain?, Procedia Manufacturing, 13: 1175-1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2017.09.191.

Dr. Paraskevas Georgiou
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 management
  • green supply chain management
  • energy value chains
  • renewable energy value chain
  • ecofriendly supply chains
  • decision making
  • decision support systems
  • big data
  • Industry 4.0
  • supply chain 4.0
  • logistics
  • digital transformation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 1515 KiB  
Article
Challenges and Solutions in Working with Green Suppliers: Perspective from a Manufacturing Industry
by Johan Krisnanto Runtuk, Poh Kiat Ng and Shih Yin Ooi
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8744; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208744 - 10 Oct 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5021
Abstract
This study explores the challenges and solutions faced by manufacturing companies in one industry when integrating green suppliers into their supply chains. The FGD transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 12 Pro for coding and thematic analysis, which helped identify key challenges and solutions. [...] Read more.
This study explores the challenges and solutions faced by manufacturing companies in one industry when integrating green suppliers into their supply chains. The FGD transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 12 Pro for coding and thematic analysis, which helped identify key challenges and solutions. The key challenges identified included higher procurement costs, limited availability of green materials, quality assurance issues, and difficulties in verifying green practices. Strategic solutions involve establishing partnership strategies, conducting supply chain audits, and developing clear evaluation criteria. The content analysis shows that higher procurement costs can be mitigated through strategic partnerships offering better terms and pricing stability. Diversifying the supplier base and investing in supplier development programs address the limited availability of green materials. Quality assurance is maintained through stringent controls and regular audits, while verification challenges are managed with third-party certifications and robust audits to prevent greenwashing. The SWOT analysis highlights strengths such as strategic partnerships and regular audits, opportunities like developing evaluation criteria and technological advancements, and acknowledges weaknesses and threats. This comprehensive analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the practical challenges and solutions in green supply chain management, offering a strategic framework for manufacturing companies to enhance sustainability and achieve competitive advantage. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop