Green supply chain management in construction: A systematic review

The construction sector is particularly destructive of the natural world, in terms of resource and energy consumption and generation of waste. The industry itself, and construction research, are increasingly focusing on ways in which the construction process can become more environmentally sustainable. The concept of green supply chain management in construction (GSCMC) addresses the issue, following advances in green supply chain management in other sectors. However, a systematic review of scholarly work on GSCMC is unavailable and this paper aims to address the gap by providing a timely and thorough review of existing research. Applying the established method of Systematic Literature Review, an initial search yielded 207 papers, with a final set of 44 relevant peer-reviewed papers analysed in detail after systematic and transparent refinement. The field shows an increase in interest from 2012 and a more dramatic upturn in 2016 and 2017. Little attention has been paid to conceptual definitions or theoretical frameworks. The papers acknowledged different stakeholders but few considered how GSCMC may vary by role. An agenda for future research is proposed, including the need for end-to-end as well as detailed, subdomain studies, for different stakeholder perspectives and for addressing the challenges specific to fragmentation and potentially adversarial relationships in the industr