In an era where environmental and social pressures on companies are increasing, sustainable supply chain management is essential for the efficient operation and survivability of the organizations (members of the chain). Digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies could support the development of sustainable strategies, as they support supply chain processes, decrease operational costs, enable control and monitoring of operations and support green practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sustainable supply chain management and digital transformation through the adoption of specific technologies (Blockchain technology, big data analytics, internet of things). It aims at theory building and the development of a conceptual framework, enabling the explanation of under which circumstances the above combination could lead to the development of sustainable performances. It also aims to examine how companies can increase their competitive advantage and/or increase their business performance, contributing both to academics and practitioners. After conducting a literature review analysis, a significant gap was detected. There are a few studies providing theoretical approaches to examining all three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time analyzing the impact of big data analytics, internet of things and blockchain technology on the development of sustainable supply chains. Aiming to address this gap, this paper primarily conducts a literature review, identifies definitions and theories used to explain the different pillars of flexibility, and examines the effect of different technologies. It then develops a theoretical conceptual framework, which could enable both academics and practitioners to examine the impact of the adoption of different technologies on sustainable supply chain management. The findings of this research reveal that digital transformation plays an important role to companies, as the combination of different technologies may lead to the development of significant capabilities, increasing sustainable performances and enabling the development of sustainable strategies, which can improve companies’ position in the market.

This study investigates the critical role of information systems and digital transformation in advancing sustainable supply chain management. Companies are increasingly adopting sustainable policies to protect the environment, enhance societal wellbeing, and drive economic development. By digitalizing their processes, they achieve significant operational improvements and boost business performance. Information systems are now integral to supply chains, supporting diverse processes and facilitating excellence in digital transformation and sustainable development. However, research in this area has been limited, focusing primarily on the environmental pillar. This study aims to explore the relationship between supply chain digitalization and the adoption of comprehensive sustainability practices. The research employs a qualitative methodology, including a comparative case study analysis of a modern 3PL company, a retailer, and a producer of construction materials. The findings reveal that the strategic integration of digital transformation and sustainable policies within organizational contexts is vital for enhancing business performance and achieving operational excellence. Effective use of information systems and resources enables companies to amplify their economic, social, and environmental impact, fostering an environmentally friendly image, strengthening societal relationships, and increasing market share. This study underscores the importance of a holistic approach to sustainability, driven by information systems and Industry 4.0 technologies, positioning companies as leaders in sustainable supply chain management.

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To deal with environmental uncertainty, organizations need resilience to respond to disruptions, such as changing market conditions or variations in demand or supply, while avoiding large scale adjustments. The concept of resilience is ambiguous, often explained as the capability of an organization or a supply chain to recover its original state, within an appropriate time frame, after being disrupted. Resilient supply chains have event handling capabilities, can provide efficient responses, and can return to their normal operating performance, after the disruptive event. To increase their resilience, companies often make changes or adjustments to their internal IT infrastructure, which may temporarily disrupt their smooth operation. As a result, contemporary IT infrastructures are mixed and include varied systems or technologies. Although new technologies, including blockchain, IoT and cloud-based solutions, may facilitate the handling of changes by providing secure, low cost and scalable solutions, more traditional systems may hinder such changes. Therefore, the relationship between IT and supply chain resilience is still unclear. The paper intends to examine the above issues by adopting a socio-technical approach to explain the concept of supply chain resilience and investigate the role of IT. More specifically, based on previous literature and on the appreciative systems thinking theoretical perspective, the paper develops a theoretical framework to analyse the organisational and/or supply chain resilience. It then uses this framework to examine and explain the impact of IT, by identifying important characteristics of an IT infrastructure and examining whether they may support or hinder business resilience.

The fast changing business environment and the intensive market competition forces firms to adjust and remodel their business strategy continuously. As a solution, firms seek flexibility, not only internally but also at the level of their supply chain. To accomplish this, companies invest in information technology (IT), aiming to improve their business processes and collaboration with trading partners. As previous research supports, the use of IT combined with agile supply chain management improves business performance and offers sustainable competitive advantage. However, the extent to which IT enables and supports supply chain flexibility is still debatable and warrants investigation. Although contemporary Internet-based systems (web-based platforms and cloud-based solutions) seem to overcome the rigidity and inflexibility of traditional interorganisational systems (IOS), they are still associated with issues of interoperability and incompatibility. Although they facilitate supply chain collaboration, by providing access to all stakeholders and enabling information-sharing, they may often lead to closed networks of collaboration. To examine these issues, this paper primarily aims to clarify the notion of flexibility at the level of the supply chain. It also aims to contribute to the process by which organisations effectively evaluate and prioritise competing IT investments. Taking into consideration the multidimensional nature of flexibility, this paper proposes a conceptual framework of supply chain flexibility, distinguishing between the operational, structural, and strategic levels of flexibility. It then uses this framework to explain the impact of IT infrastructures (specifically comprising traditional IOS, web-based collaboration platforms and cloud-based solutions) on the various levels of flexibility. Based on previous research, it identifies specific IT characteristics and provides an approach through which practitioners and researchers can compare different technologies and analyse their benefits and limitations, in terms of supply chain flexibility.

Sustainability, information systems (IS), and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) are the main research areas of this study. In an era where environmental and social responsibility is becoming increasingly more important, SSCM is very significant for the survivability and competitiveness of organizations. Information systems may facilitate sustainable practices, as they support supply chain processes, decrease costs, and enable the control and monitoring of operations. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between information systems and SSCM and explain under what circumstances they could lead to competitive advantage or increase internal business performance. To analyze the above, the methodology comprises a literature review enabling the understanding and conceptualization of the main research constructs and revealing the gaps of previous research. It also comprises qualitative research based on a single-case study allowing an in-depth examination of the subject of study. The findings reveal that the use of information systems, combined with strong interorganizational relationships and collaboration, can support SSCM practices. They can bring important business advantages, such as improved business performance and increased customer loyalty, but not necessarily competitive advantage. The results of this research show that SSCM is a promising field of study, with prospects for future research.