Supply Chain Management and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

This paper explored the relationships between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) and social sustainability in supply chain management (SCM). Sustainable development is a philosophy that seeks to achieve human development goals while protecting the ability of natural systems to provide natural resources and ecosystems for all economies and societies. The desired state of society is where living conditions and resources meet human needs while preserving the integrity and stability of the natural systems. Most of the work on sustainability in SCM is on economic and environmental sustainability. Only eight papers were found that reflected social sustainability. Nevertheless, social sustainability significantly impacts supply chain management, such as employee engagement, which leads to a decrease in waste, and a shorter lead time from manufacturing locations to markets. The study is based on an analysis of bibliometric data published in the Scopus database between 1991 and 2020. This study will help researchers get new perspectives on sustainable supply chains. Societal well-being is the goal of the UN SDGs. Organizations and countries can address them by recognizing the connections between UNSDGs and SCM. This is the first study to explore the literature available on UNSDG and its relationship with supply chain management.