Blockchains in Sustainable Supply Chains – A Conceptual Framework Based on Triple Bottom Line Approach

Abstract

 Supply chain sustainability has become a topic of interest for researchers in the last few years. The COVID 19 pandemic has shone the spotlight on the need to inculcate sustainability in supply chains. Blockchain is a new technology that allows each player in a supply chain to communicate authenticated data without the need for a trusted central entity to act as a middleman. Blockchain can bring significant benefits to sustainable supply chains such as traceability and tracking, reducing stages and transaction times, disintermediation, better control over outsourced manufacturing and better supply chain visibility. However, very few studies have been done to analyze if the benefits of blockchain in supply chain do indeed outweigh the challenges in implementation .The present study conducts a thorough review of the available literature on the topic and proposes a conceptual framework of blockchain in supply chains, detailing the impact of this technology on social, economic and environmental performance and sustainability, otherwise known as the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).The study reveals that research into blockchains are showing an increasing trend and blockchains have significant impact on social, economic and environmental performance