A scoping review and bibliometric analysis of sustainable and resilient supply chain network design

Abstract

Designing sustainable and resilient supply chain networks (SRSCND) has become a strategic priority amid intensifying environmental pressures, market volatility, pandemic disruptions, and geopolitical uncertainties such as trade wars, resource nationalism, and regional conflicts. This study employs a hybrid bibliometric–scoping review (ScoRBA) combined with the PAGER framework to systematically map and synthesize 528 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025. The analysis identifies five thematic clusters: (1) digitalization for sustainable decision-making, (2) energy and environmental priorities in low-carbon supply chains, (3) resilience and strategic planning under uncertainty, (4) value-oriented and data-driven reverse supply chains, and (5) heuristic optimization in green and closed-loop systems. Cross-cluster insights highlight that the most innovative solutions emerge at the intersections of these themes—for example, integrating digital decision-support systems with adaptive heuristic optimization for real-time network reconfiguration; coupling circular economy strategies with resilience planning to create low-carbon yet disruption-ready systems; and combining traceability infrastructures with value-recovery optimization in closed-loop networks. Although conceptual maturity is well established, operational maturity remains limited: most studies rely on theoretical modeling, simulation, or isolated case studies, with few sector-specific real-world applications. Social and behavioral dimensions, governance integration, and multi-sector disruption modeling remain underexplored. Future research should prioritize scaling pilot projects into multi-sector industrial implementations, embedding social, cultural, and behavioral factors into quantitative models, and developing adaptive real-time decision systems that integrate environmental, economic, and social objectives. Strengthening industry–academia collaboration, improving open-data access, and leveraging digital twin technologies will be critical to accelerate the transition from theoretical advances to scalable, practice-oriented solutions for building sustainable and resilient supply chains in an era of complex global risks.