Sustainability and the Digital Supply Chain

In the digital age, with growing awareness of sustainable development particularly in supply chains, there is need to provide insight on how the application of emerging information technologies may aid in actualizing supply chain sustainability. In this chapter, we discuss the relations between sustainability and the digital supply chain. The digital supply chain has the potential to improve sustainable practices and achieve sustainability goals. Specifically, we utilize the lens of the triple-bottom-line (TBL) approach, to illustrate how digital technologies can aid in supply chain sustainability improvements spanning economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Furthermore, using technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory, we emphasize that sustainability in digitally enriched supply chains can be facilitated by factors that relate to technological, organizational, and environmental contexts. We evaluate relevant constructs and implications for managers and decision-makers to further explore digital supply chains for sustainability implementation and improvements.