Sustainable supply chain management in Industry 4.0: A review, research gaps, and conceptual framework

Attia Hussien Gomaa; Attia Hussien Gomaa

doi:10.3934/ctr.2026007

Clean Technologies and Recycling

2026, Volume 6, Issue 2: 139-160. doi: 10.3934/ctr.2026007

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Review article

Sustainable supply chain management in Industry 4.0: A review, research gaps, and conceptual framework

Attia Hussien Gomaa ^,

Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Shubra, Benha University, Cairo 13511, Egypt

Received: 26 September 2025 Revised: 27 February 2026 Accepted: 24 April 2026 Published: 18 May 2026

Global supply chains are undergoing systemic transformation driven by escalating environmental pressures, rising stakeholder expectations, stricter regulatory requirements, and rapid technological advancement, positioning sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) as a key paradigm for integrating environmental, social, and economic performance with resilience and long-term competitiveness. In parallel, Industry 4.0 technologies—including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, robotics, and digital twins—are reshaping supply chain operations by enabling real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and enhanced decision-support capabilities, thereby improving transparency, traceability, and sustainability across multi-tier networks. However, despite substantial technological progress, a persistent gap remains between Industry 4.0 adoption and sustainability and circular economy objectives, reflecting fragmented theoretical development and limited practical integration. To address this gap, this study conducts a literature review of SSCM in the Industry 4.0 context, synthesizing existing research, identifying emerging themes, and examining key technological, organizational, and governance-related barriers. Building on this synthesis, a novel integrative SSCM framework is developed by combining Industry 4.0 technologies, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and sustainability principles to enable adaptive, data-driven, and continuously improving supply chain systems. The framework is structured around five interrelated dimensions—digital integration and connectivity, intelligent decision-making, transparency and traceability, sustainability and circularity, and resilience and agility—supported by strategic alignment, end-to-end process integration, digital infrastructure, and human-centric capabilities. Furthermore, the DMAIC methodology is embedded as a structured continuous improvement mechanism for process optimization, waste reduction, and sustainability performance enhancement.
- Sustainable supply chain management,
- Industry 4.0,
- digital transformation,
- circular economy,
- lean six sigma,
- supply chain resilience,
- sustainability performance
Citation: Attia Hussien Gomaa. Sustainable supply chain management in Industry 4.0: A review, research gaps, and conceptual framework[J]. Clean Technologies and Recycling, 2026, 6(2): 139-160. doi: 10.3934/ctr.2026007

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Abstract

Global supply chains are undergoing systemic transformation driven by escalating environmental pressures, rising stakeholder expectations, stricter regulatory requirements, and rapid technological advancement, positioning sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) as a key paradigm for integrating environmental, social, and economic performance with resilience and long-term competitiveness. In parallel, Industry 4.0 technologies—including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, robotics, and digital twins—are reshaping supply chain operations by enabling real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and enhanced decision-support capabilities, thereby improving transparency, traceability, and sustainability across multi-tier networks. However, despite substantial technological progress, a persistent gap remains between Industry 4.0 adoption and sustainability and circular economy objectives, reflecting fragmented theoretical development and limited practical integration. To address this gap, this study conducts a literature review of SSCM in the Industry 4.0 context, synthesizing existing research, identifying emerging themes, and examining key technological, organizational, and governance-related barriers. Building on this synthesis, a novel integrative SSCM framework is developed by combining Industry 4.0 technologies, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and sustainability principles to enable adaptive, data-driven, and continuously improving supply chain systems. The framework is structured around five interrelated dimensions—digital integration and connectivity, intelligent decision-making, transparency and traceability, sustainability and circularity, and resilience and agility—supported by strategic alignment, end-to-end process integration, digital infrastructure, and human-centric capabilities. Furthermore, the DMAIC methodology is embedded as a structured continuous improvement mechanism for process optimization, waste reduction, and sustainability performance enhancement.

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