Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Evolution, Practices, Governance and Future

Abstract

Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has moved a long way from scattered, compliance-driven efforts toward a unified strategy that binds environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic performance across entire organizational networks. Over roughly the last two decades, both academics and practitioners have come to treat sustainability not as an add-on but as a design principle for how supply chains are governed and run on a day-to-day basis (Carter & Easton, 2011). This paper offers a structured review of the literature to trace how SSCM has developed, where the field currently stands, which practices and governance arrangements underpin effective implementation and what challenges and opportunities are likely to shape its trajectory going forward. Drawing on this review, the paper organizes SSCM practice into six connected areas - organizational and strategic management, sustainability standards and reporting, social and environmental initiatives, sustainable procurement, supplier collaboration and network-level partnerships -and argues that integrating these areas cuts down on trade-offs while building durable value. It also examines the forces that push firms toward SSCM and the barriers that hold them back, including regulatory and market pressure, climate-related disruption, digital technology and organizational readiness. Special emphasis falls on the social pillar of sustainability, which remains comparatively neglected, on the continued dominance of firm-level thinking and on the corresponding need for network-and macro-level perspectives. The paper closes with a forward-looking agenda centered on circular economy models, digital traceability, resilience and climate-related governance. In doing so, it contributes a governance-oriented framework that speaks to both theory and practice, positioning SSCM as a means of building supply chains that are responsible, resilient and competitive amid climate volatility, geopolitical strain and closer stakeholder scrutiny.