Sustainable supply chains – Designing a requisite holistic model

Our study explored the relationships between supply chain (SC) members and their local and global stakeholders in achieving sustainability goals based on requisite holistic analysis and system dynamics modeling, which goes beyond the previous attempts to improve SC sustainability. In this research, we first developed a model that addresses the basic holistic treatment of SC sustainability; in a second model of sustainable SC (SSC), we then considered requisite holistic interactions among its stakeholders. We used the theory-based viable system model to diagnose the proposed holistic model of SSC. The results show that especially the low-tier SC members require supporting frameworks to develop and maintain the capacity for sustainable interactions with nature and society. These supportive frameworks should be provided by the regulatory bodies, society, and nature representatives to surpass the limited SC profit-oriented incentives and structures. The implications of the proposed models are aimed at developing supportive SC sustainable policies and improving the capacities of SC members to coexist with local social and natural environments. Regulators, society, and the natural environment representatives can apply the proposed models to establish new policies for sustainable interactions between SC members and other societal stakeholders.