Theoretical perspectives on sustainable supply chain management: A review of the literature

This paper intends to present work-in-progress on theoretical perspectives in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). SSCM has recently emerged as a critical field of study for both academics and practitioners and this paper aims at mapping the use of theories in the field as a first step towards understanding how theories in SSCM are developing and how SSCM has been conceptualised. The analysis suggests that SSCM is characterised by an intrinsic multidisciplinarity with a diversity of approaches underpinning the process of knowledge creation. Furthermore, it is argued that theory building efforts in the literature remain scarce but that there exist potential for theoretical contributions to emerge from original methodologies. This paper draws on the analysis to propose an overarching theoretical map for SSCM