Analysis of sustainable practices adopted within the supply chain under the sustainable development perspective

Abstract

The understanding that natural resources are finite is leading organizations to redefine their supply chain toward sustainability. In this way, the purpose of this article is to investigate if the sustainable practices applied within the supply chain are following all the dimensions proposed by the concept of sustainable development. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature was carried out within the CAPES journal base from 2004 to 2017. From this sample, sustainable practices were segmented into economic, social and environmental, orientated by the sustainability tripod. The result shows that the economic and environmental dimensions have significant relevance regarding the adoption of sustainable practices in the supply chain whereas no significant evidence was found within the social context. New studies will be needed to understand why companies are not including the social issue in their sustainable practices within the supply chain and what can be done to reverse this situation.