Green and sustainable supply chain management models in agri-food supply chains: a literature review

Framework of the research: The escalating interest in addressing the challenges presented by supply chains in terms of environmental and social impact, as reflected in international standards and agendas, calls for a systematic organization of research in this domain which focuses on the models used and the industries investigated. Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this study is to explore and review the wide and interdisciplinary literature published on Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management models from 2010 to 2023, with a major focus on agri-food supply chains. This paper discusses the evolution of both models and identifies avenues for further research. Methodology: Papers were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases and subjected to a longitudinal analysis based on descriptive characteristics (i.e. methodologies, TBL pillars addressed, geographical context in which the studies were developed, etc.), and a bibliometric thematic mapping analysis. Findings: The study offers a comprehensive investigation of extant studies on Sustainable SCM and the Green SCM approach, and sheds light on their implementation in agri-food. Firstly, a comparison is made between the agri-food sector and other industries according to the descriptive characteristics identified. Secondly, current motor, niche and emerging themes in agri-food are identified and discussed. Finally, major issues characterizing sustainable supply chain research in agri-food are addressed, with a focus on social sustainability.Practical implications: The study identifies future research directions that may be beneficial for encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices in this industry. Research limits: The main limitation of the study may concern the selection criteria at the basis of the literature review which determined the analyzed corpus.Originality of the paper: The paper combines a content analysis approach with bibliometric techniques to analyze the link between sustainability and food supply chain management, comparing the adoption of Green and Sustainable models and discussing peculiarities unique to the agri-food industry.