Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Future Challenges and Challenging Futures

The present Special Issue (SI) aims at exploring the new challenges and emerging trends in logistics and supply chain management that were generated as a response to the requirements imposed by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the international energy crisis that hit significant parts of the world starting from the second half of 2022. Supply chain management can be defined as the optimization of supply chain operations and coordination of all its components to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness (Liao and Widowati, 2021). This concept is often strictly connected to logistics, which is the planning, implementation, and control of the flows of goods and services, referring mainly to transportation management, inventory management, and warehousing (Jayarathna et al., 2021). In this context, the topic of disruptions began to appear in late 1990, firstly by focusing on the so-called millennium bug (see for example Mcgaughey and Gunasekaran, 1999), and then shifting to other possible sources of disruptions, such as the Second Gulf War and the SARS epidemic in Southeast Asia and, more recently, on Brexit (Solari et al., 2024). In the last five years, the attention of researchers has certainly shifted toward the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic, in fact, alongside with the subsequent restrictions that several governments of the world imposed on citizens, has radically changed consumer behaviours, resulting in a significant change in both average values and variability of consumption on products and services. This fact also reflected on logistics and production systems, which were also hit by much less predictable and stable demand values. Furthermore, the energy crisis that affected Europe starting from the last months of 2022, partly due to consequences of the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the growing attention that citizens, companies, and governments directed towards climate change, are also factors that substantially affected the market, resulting in a trend that suggested opportunities for a progressive deglobalization. Also, other trends that emerged, or accelerated, on a global level comprehend new sourcing strategies, an ever-growing increase in online purchasing and home delivery services, greater digital awareness, and an always greater need for digitisation in different areas, ranging from services to logistics and manufacturing. All these aspects generated significant disruptions on logistics and supply chain management at a global level. The SI that we proposed aimed at providing a forum for scientific contributions and a discussion of the above-mentioned issues, in line with the scope of the journal, that is promoting scientific contributions related to sustainability and sustainable development. A total of 11 articles was published, comprehending two reviews of the literature and nine original research manuscripts. In line with the work of Romagnoli et al. (2023), we could discriminate the articles of this SI in terms of both their (i) research methods, and their (ii) industrial sector of application. As it concerns the former, the contributions to our SI employed (Borrego, Douglas and Amelink, 2009; Nallaperumal, 2014): • Quantitative research methods: these methods involve the systematic collection and analysis of numerical data to quantify variables and identify patterns, relationships, and trends. They aim to test hypotheses, measure outcomes, and provide statistical evidence. In detail, the quantitative research methods used by the contributions of the present special issue comprehend: o Meta-analysis (quantitative structured literature review). This method involves statistical analysis of numerical data from multiple studies. It aims to quantify the effects or relationships between variables with the goal of providing a more objective and measurable understanding of the topic o Simulation, an approach that involves the construction of an artificial environment within which relevant information and data can be generated, and thus it permits an observation of the dynamic behaviour of a (sub-)system under controlled conditions. o Standardised procedure for environmental impact assessment through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). LCA might use various quantitative techniques, such as descriptive statistics, factor analysis, multivariate correlation and regression analysis, to systematically assess and interpret environmental data. o Survey, a method used to collect data from a predefined group of respondents to gain information and insights on opinions, attitudes, or trends that often relies on descriptive statistics. o Theoretical representations, which is the creation of an abstract representation of the objective system, often based on mathematical formulations of physical quantities. We note that these representations can also be combined with experimental validation. • Qualitative research methods: they focus on understanding phenomena through the collection and analysis of (mostly) non-numerical data, such as interviews, observations, and textual analysis. These methods aim to explore complex issues, understand underlying reasons, and provide insights into the context and meaning of the subject matter. More precisely, possible subcategories for qualitative research methods can be listed as: o Case study analysis, which is the in-depth examination of one or a few cases, aiming more at the criterium of providing an analytic validity, rather than a statistical one o Literature Review: This approach involves synthesizing and interpreting non-numerical data, such as theories, concepts, and qualitative studies. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic by identifying patterns, themes, and insights from the existing literature. Also, the articles of the SI were applied in different industrial sectors, namely: • Biomass energy. • Finance. • Food & beverage. • Healthcare. • Logistics (both external and internal). Table 1 reports a synthesis of the main information, research methods, and industrial sectors of application of the contributions to this SI. Afterwards, Section 2 will report a summary of the contributions listed in Table 1, and Section 3 will draw conclusions.