Decarbonization and Sustainable Supply Chains: A Systematic Review of Supplier Engagement, Digital Traceability, and Carbon Governance

Abstract

Decarbonizing supply chains is becoming a coordinated effort for managing emissions beyond organisations' boundaries. This systematic literature review is aimed at analysing the role supplier engagement, digital traceability and carbon governance play in sustainable supply-chain decarbonization. The 25 peer-reviewed journal articles included in this study were selected and analysed based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines as used in Scopus and Web of Science from 2015 to 2026 using descriptive analysis and thematic synthesis. The results suggested that supplier collaboration, supplier development, carbon targets, incentives and knowledge sharing increased supplier involvement in emissions reduction. Digital traceability and technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, IoT, big data analytics and digital twins, improved carbon measurement, transparency and data sharing. Carbon governance enhanced accountability via reporting, standards, monitoring, disclosure and compliance mechanisms. However, financial costs, data-quality limitations, interoperability, supplier resistance, digital capability gaps, and regulatory differences constrained implementation. The review suggests a comprehensive solution that brings together supplier relations, electronic traceability and carbon management with emissions reductions and sustainable supply-chain decarbonization.

References

Ahmed, S., Zaidi, S. S. Z., & Zohaib, S. (2026). Maritime transport transformation and supply chain disruptions: A systematic literature review of challenges and carbon emission reduction strategies. Journal of Business and Management Research, 5(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18618204

Ahmed, S., Zaidi, S. S. Z., Zohaib, S., & Imran, M. (2026). Developing and validating a measurement scale for maritime transport changes, supply chain disruptions, challenges, and carbon emission reduction efforts. Scientific Journals Maritime University of Szczecin, Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Morskiej w Szczecinie, 86(158). https://doi.org/10.17402/687

Alotaibi, E. M., Khallaf, A., Abdallah, A. A., Zoubi, T., & Alnesafi, A. (2024). Blockchain-driven carbon accountability in supply chains. Sustainability, 16(24), 10872. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162410872

Bager, S. L., Singh, C., & Persson, U. M. (2022). Blockchain is not a silver bullet for agro-food supply chain sustainability: Insights from a coffee case study. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 100163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100163

Borchardt, M., Pereira, G., Milan, G., Pereira, E., Lima, L., Bianchi, R., & Carmo, A. S. D. (2025). Are sustainable supply chains managing Scope 3 emissions? A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 17(13), 6066. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136066

Butt, A. S., Alghababsheh, M., Sindhwani, R., & Gwalani, H. (2024). Role of supplier engagement to reduce Scope 3 emissions in circular supply chains. Business Strategy and the Environment, 34(1), 598–611. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3994

Bux, C., Lombardi, M., Rana, R. L., & Tricase, C. (2026). Decarbonization strategies in the wine supply chain: From environmental mitigation towards integrated sustainability management. Environments, 13(4), 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13040195

Cloutier, C., Oktaei, P., & Lehoux, N. (2019). Collaborative mechanisms for sustainability-oriented supply chain initiatives: State of the art, role assessment and research opportunities. International Journal of Production Research, 58(19), 5836–5850. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1660821

Dahlmann, F., & Roehrich, J. K. (2019). Sustainable supply chain management and partner engagement to manage climate change information. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(8), 1632–1647. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2392

Eckerman, J., Clémençon-Charles, E., & Brinton, S. (2023). Decarbonizing utility supply chains. Climate and Energy, 39(10), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/gas.22343

Ghosh, P., Jha, A., & Sharma, R. (2020). Managing carbon footprint for a sustainable supply chain: A systematic literature review. Modern Supply Chain Research and Applications, 2(3), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.1108/MSCRA-06-2020-0016

Govindan, K., Shaw, M., & Majumdar, A. (2020). Social sustainability tensions in multi-tier supply chain: A systematic literature review towards conceptual framework development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123075

Guo, L., Miller, S., Zhou, W., Wei, Z., Ren, J., Huang, X., Xing, X., White, H., & Yang, K. (2025). Critical appraisal of methodological quality and completeness of reporting in Chinese social science systematic reviews with meta-analysis: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 21(1), e70014. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.70014

Hettler, M., & Graf-Vlachy, L. (2023). Corporate Scope 3 carbon emission reporting as an enabler of supply chain decarbonization: A systematic review and comprehensive research agenda. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(2), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3486

Iannizzi, C., Akl, E. A., Anslinger, E., Weibel, S., Kahale, L. A., Aminat, A. M., Piechotta, V., & Skoetz, N. (2023). Methods and guidance on conducting, reporting, publishing, and appraising living systematic reviews: A scoping review. Systematic Reviews, 12(1), 238. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-023-02396-x

Jia, F., Zuluaga-Cardona, L., Bailey, A., & Rueda, X. (2018). Sustainable supply chain management in developing countries: An analysis of the literature. Journal of Cleaner Production, 189, 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.248

Karlsson, I., Rootzén, J., & Johnsson, F. (2019). Reaching net-zero carbon emissions in construction supply chains: Analysis of a Swedish road construction project. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 120, 109651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109651

Lee, C., Miller, D., Jefferies, M., Xu, Y., Chong, H., Tsang, W. C., Rowlinson, S., & Skitmore, M. (2026). Governance and digital technologies for carbon data quality: A systematic review of procurement-driven decarbonization in construction supply chains. Sustainability, 18(10), 4921. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104921

Liew, M., & Cao, J. (2024). Green supply chain management for carbon accountability. Energy Economics, 138, 107840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2024.107840

Lindsay, C., Blancquaert, I., & Rousseau, F. (2025). Tools used to appraise the quality of studies included in systematic reviews and meta-analyses in human genetics: A systematic review. European Journal of Human Genetics, 33(11), 1392–1401. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-025-01861-6

Lintukangas, K., Arminen, H., Kähkönen, A., & Karttunen, E. (2022). Determinants of supply chain engagement in carbon management. Journal of Business Ethics, 186(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05199-7

Liu, J., Yeoh, W., Qu, Y., & Gao, L. (2022). Blockchain-based digital twin for supply chain management: State-of-the-art review and future research directions. arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.03966. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4113933

Mathur, U., & Bansal, S. (2024). Quantifying Scope 3 supply chain emissions using IoT devices. International Journal of Science and Research, 13(6), 1221–1228. https://doi.org/10.21275/SR24619063500

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 134, 178–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.001

Palaniappan, U., Jain, N., & Subramanian, N. (2026). Supply chain climate policies and focal firms' effort in reducing Scope 3 emissions: A longitudinal analysis of Indian firms. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.71150

Raynor, M. E., & Gopalakrishnan, S. (2025). Scope 3 decarbonization through environmental attribute certificates. Carbon Management, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17583004.2025.2486624

Shaheen, N., Shaheen, A., Ramadan, A., Hefnawy, M. T., Ramadan, A., Ibrahim, I. A., Hassanein, M. E., Ashour, M. E., & Flouty, O. (2023). Appraising systematic reviews: A comprehensive guide to ensuring validity and reliability. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 8, 1268045. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2023.1268045

Shi, Y., Tang, C. S., & Wu, J. (2025). Are firms voluntarily disclosing emissions greener? Production and Operations Management, 34(8), 2363–2377. https://doi.org/10.1177/10591478251318917

Stenzel, A., & Waichman, I. (2023). Supply-chain data sharing for Scope 3 emissions. npj Climate Action, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-023-00032-x

Ströher, T., Körner, M., Paetzold, F., & Strüker, J. (2025). Bridging carbon data's organizational boundaries: Toward automated data sharing in sustainable supply chains. Electronic Markets, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00779-7

Tidy, M., Wang, X., & Hall, M. (2015). The role of supplier relationship management in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food supply chains: Supplier engagement in the UK supermarket sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 3294–3305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.065

Villena, V. H., & Dhanorkar, S. (2020). How institutional pressures and managerial incentives elicit carbon transparency in global supply chains. Journal of Operations Management, 66(6), 697–734. https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1088

Zhang, C., Xu, Y., & Zheng, Y. (2024). Blockchain traceability adoption in low-carbon supply chains: An evolutionary game analysis. Sustainability, 16(5), 1817. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051817