Risk management in sustainable supply chain: a knowledge map towards intellectual structure, logic diagram, and conceptual model

The global spread of COVID-19, international trade protectionism, geopolitical conflicts, and climate change presents challenges and risks to sustainable supply chains (SSCs). In recent years, scholarly interest in sustainable supply chain risk management (SSCRM) has continued to rise. A helpful literature review is necessary to enable supply chain practitioners to apply empirical findings from academic research or conceptual frameworks to their operations to maintain the stability and competitiveness of sustainable supply chains. The knowledge map of SSCRM is explored in this study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A total of 793 articles were retrieved to reveal the knowledge map of SSCRM. Scientometric and context analysis are combined in quantitative analysis to identify the intellectual structure of risk management research related to SSC. Then, a critical review is conducted in qualitative analysis to summarize and analyze the motivations, strategies, approaches, and tools of SSCRM. Combining the quantitative and qualitative analysis results, a conceptual model is constructed for SSCRM from three aspects: (1) risk identification, (2) risk assessment, and (3) risk mitigating and responding. Finally, future research directions are suggested based on the conceptual model for guiding the theories and practice of SSCRM. This study can work as a roadmap for providing appropriate risk management policies and toolkits to SSC, which could advance theoretical thinking on how to mitigate SSC risks.