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Sustainable food supply chains: Sustainable

food supply
overcoming key challenges through chains

digital technologies
Kamran Mahroof and Amizan Omar 981
School of Management, Bradford University, Bradford, UK, and
Received 29 December 2020
Berk Kucukaltan Revised 21 April 2021
Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey and 11 June 2021
Accepted 4 August 2021
School of Management, Bradford University, Bradford, UK

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a consolidative approach in exploring the potential
contribution of digital technologies in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) for the sustainable
performance of food supply chain business, through the circular economy concepts.
Design/methodology/approach – As a single case study, this qualitative, interpretivist research was based
on one of the largest food producers in the United Kingdom. The research utilises semi-structured interviews
and applies thematic analysis to offer rich insights into SSCM challenges and their relationship with the
business performance, through ten in-depth interviews.
Findings – Findings derived from thematic analysis of the interview transcripts suggest four main critical
success factors underpinning SSCM practices and businesses performance – i.e. business continuity, waste
reduction, performance measurement approach, and organisational learning, which could use the help of digital
technologies to improve. This led to seven propositions to be addressed in the future research.
Originality/value – This research offers real, practical insights into SSCM challenges, within the context of
food supply chain and explores the potential of digital technologies in overcoming them. Accordingly, the
primary contribution of this work is grounded in the identification of critical success factors in SSCM for food
supply chains (FSC). Hence, this work contributes further to the literature on SSCM, as well as circular
economy, by providing a study of a business in the context of the highly pertinent and valuable food industry.
Keywords Circular economy, Sustainable supply chain, Food supply chain, Digital technology
Paper type Research paper

1. Background and introduction

The concept of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) continues to gain interest
among the scholars especially since the conceptualisation of the Circular Economy (CE)
concepts in recent years. CE, which implicates the modern economic system and processes in
industry, intensely focus on optimising the full loop of economic cycle through the tenets of
reduce, reuse, and recycle, providing clearer moral underpinnings of a policy of sustainability
and its economic benefits. This approach places emphasis on the moral obligatory of what
must be sustained, and how, as well as its positive effect on sustainability of business
performance. Studies have shown that SSCM has benefitted businesses by developing their
competitive advantages, beyond just mitigating stakeholders’ pressures and expectation.
Hence, to enable the conversion of the competitive advantages to a sustainable business
performance (SBP), the ethos of ‘ethics’ and ‘sustainability’ must underpin the business
strategies rubric (Wolf, 2014). Although scholars have acknowledged the potential
contribution of SSCM to SBP, the existing conflicts between ethics, environmental and
business profitability makes this a timely and much needed discussion (Xiao et al., International Journal of
Productivity and Performance
2019). Working collaboratively and closely with the partners in supply chain network is said Management
to foster sustainable competitive advantages (Seuring and Gold, 2013). However, empirical Vol. 71 No. 3, 2022
pp. 981-1003
evidence demonstrating the negative effect of SSCM on SBP still persists (Paulraj et al., 2017). © Emerald Publishing Limited
1741-0401
Ni and Sun (2019) suggests that this negative complication is due to various reasons, DOI 10.1108/IJPPM-12-2020-0687
IJPPM including lack of rigorous methodology in research as well as the non-liner nature of the
71,3 relationship between the SSCM and SBP, which calls for further investigation.
This research advocates that the reason for such link between SSCM and SBP to appear
weak is the lack of holistic approach in rethinking the SSCM concept against the backdrop of
CE tenets and incorporating the seamless potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to it for SBP.
As opposed to conventional supply chain approach that focus merely on integrating the
upstream suppliers and downstream customers to gain competitive advantage, the SSCM
982 treats all entities in SC as independent players who deserves equal oversight (Ni and Sun,
2019). Due to this complex, intertwine nature, any actions performed by any of the players in
the supply chain will implicate the others and affect the demand (de Sousa Jabbour et al.,
2017). Therefore, a system that could warrant good governance practices becomes more
pertinent in ensuring the sustainable economic performance of the business through
optimisation of operational costs and maintenance of product integrity, while adhering to
environmental, social and moral conventions.
Despite the technological advancements of recent times, there remains a pressing need to
find innovative solutions to the challenges faced within SSCM. The one-third increase of
world’s population by 2050 and the current COVID-19 pandemic presents a pertinent and
concerning situation for global supply chains. For instance, prior to the pandemic, a study
highlighted that the food supply chain productivity need to increase by 70% to feed the 2050s
growing population (Vasconez et al., 2019). However, the pandemic has highlighted the
fragility of global food supply chains as well as shortage of manpower across the
downstream and upstream supply chain (de Preneuf, 2020). This asserts the importance of
having a sustainable approach to supply chain, demanding the re-evaluation of potential use
of digital technologies (DT) such as AI in enhancing the supply chain integrity.
There is a plethora of studies investigating the role of DT within SSCM and its
contribution to SBP. For instance, Tantalaki et al. (2019) who explore the potential of big data
in sustainable agriculture practices reveals the availability of real-time data helps to
automate and optimise activities, reducing operational costs and optimising the economic
performance of the business. Meanwhile, Young (2020) suggests the use of AI in surveillance
for agriculture can significantly reduce deforestation – an approach which is not just cost
efficient to the farming business, but also friendly to the environment. Equally, Jha et al.
(2019) confirm that the AI technology and big data has enhanced the safety of products,
workers and the environment, as the result of better control over pesticide use, which also
contribute to lowering down the capital expenditure.
Given these benefits of digital technologies within supply chains, the traditional barriers
to SSCM adoption which is rooted in CE concepts may be overcome. A lack of research
connecting the relationships between SBP, CE, and DT, against the landscape of COVID-19
pandemic related challenges neccessitates the need for this research. Hence, two-key
questions that will be explored are as follows:
(1) What are the key CE related challenges in establishing Sustainable Food Supply
Chain (SFSC)?
(2) What role can DT play in overcoming these challenges?
With an aim to establish a better understanding of the relationship between those concepts, the
research provides useful insights to both scholar and practitioners in this field. Hence, the paper
is structured as the following: Section 2 provides introduction to the key concepts – i.e. CE, SSC,
SFSC and DT. This is followed by the “Research methodology” in Section 3 that outlines the
research approaches, and then the “Finding and analysis in Section 4 that highlights the
empirical evidence and its synthesis. Lastly, the “Discussion and conclusion” in Section 5
provides the key findings, research contribution and avenue for future research on this topic.
2. Literature review Sustainable
2.1 Sustainable supply chain: the role of circular economy food supply
Sustainability has become a key priority in business to drive long-term success and value
creation. In the light of this, many businesses have developed strategies to nurture
chains
sustainability across various business activities. In implementing the strategy, Dev et al.
(2020) suggested organisations should focus on pursuing the aspect of economically doable
business solutions that compensate the cost incurred in the chase of operational excellence.
To attain this goal, businesses are urged to build a sustainable supply chain by addressing its 983
flexibility, collaborative capability and innovation (Mangla et al., 2020).
The current context of COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the reconfiguration of the
drivers behind the SSC, amid the pre-existing challenges of rising material costs and
preference over the greener supply chain. Businesses are forced to rethink of rebuilding the
supply chain resilience by re-evaluating the players and processes involved in their supply to
minimise the disruptions and shorten the chain. In the context of food supply chain, COVID-
19 has implicated the overall process from farmers to the consumer, highlighting concern
across various aspects – such as movement restrictions that halt the work on the fields,
factories and distribution centres, increase of demands from the consumers side that escalate
the need for speed in supply, as well as upsurge financial pressures in the company that
challenge the suppliers’ seamless operation (Aday and Aday, 2020).
Scholars argued that CE-based production system could enhance the supply chain
resilience, including in the food industry, through resources optimisation (Murray et al., 2017;
Ghisellini et al., 2016; Emamisaleh and Rahmani, 2017; Tukker, 2015) – which is the integral
input in supply chain, as well as creating a more profitable business model (Ghisellini et al.,
2016). These advantages have promoted the introduction of policies to facilitate the CE
adoption among their local businesses, by many governments across the globe (Winans
et al., 2017).
Albeit missing a common definition, CE is described as “system restorative and
regenerative by design” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2012) – a system that encourages the
optimum deployment and redeployment of resources and continuous search for value of the
finished products throughout their life-cycle. Because the transition from liner to CE is a
complex process, scholars agree that the process requires integrated support from all levels
and angles external and internal to the business environment (Bauwens et al., 2020). The
ReSOLVE framework introduced by McKinsey Center for Business and environment (2016)
helps to guide these actions.
However, a gap still exists between the concepts and the meaningful application of these
concepts. This transition forces businesses to rethink of the whole steps and activities in the
supply chain that underpins a sustainable production system – coined as the sustainable
supply chain management (SSCM). However, SSCM practices lays a stream of complex
challenges, on top of the existing challenges in the supply chain. Based on the systematic
review of 63 journals, Bressanelli et al. (2019) outlines 24 new challenges stemming from the
implementation of CE concepts in supply chain and the traditional challenges that persists
from the liner-economy concepts that are categorised into seven types. Four case studies were
conducted to discover if these challenges were encountered and identify the potential
solutions to overcome them. Findings were presented in a framework linking the challenges
to the potential solutions – revealing challenges (and solutions) that have been overlooked by
the literature (see Table 1). To ease understanding, challenges description was added to the
framework.
The supply chain management challenge in itself entails two further challenges – i.e.
reverse logistic related (ID 13, 14 and 18), and value chain configuration related (15, 16 and 17)
Table 2. The framework signposts barriers in understanding the consequences of CE supply
chain implementation, as some potential solutions are not suggested in the existing
IJPPM
71,3

Partnership/ collaboration

Asset remote monitoring

Supply chain integration
Contractual agreements
Access revenue model

skills and competence

Track back incentives

awareness generation
Alternative financing
Value added services

Communication and
Modular design

Upgradability

Lobbying
Category ID Challenges Description

984 Economic
and Financial
1 Time mismatch
between
Servitised Business Models
(BMs) usually decouple-in-
viability revenue and time the relation between
cost streams costs incurred from
manufacturing processes and
L;C C
revenue streams from
customers. This, in turn,
results in longer payback
time for the
manufacturer/supplier
2 Financial risk In traditional sales-oriented
BMs, the financial risk is
shifted to the user when the
product is sold. Conversely,
L;C C
in servitised BMs, this risk
remains with the supplier
even after the first
transaction
3 Operational In servitised BMs, also the
risk operational risk (i.e. costs of L;C L;C
product damages,
maintenance, repair, etc.)
remains with the supplier
Market and 4 Cannibalisation New ‘circular’ products (e.g.
competition products designed to last
longer) can cannibalise the
existing ones, affecting the
L
company revenue streams
from traditional products and
reducing the overall future
sales of the company
5 IP and know- Activities (e.g.
how access remanufacturing)
accomplished by a third
party (independent from a
manufacturer) may lead to a
loss of control by the
manufacturer of the
L;C
Intellectual Property (IP)
embedded in the products.
For the same reasons,
manufacturers may hinder an
easy access to spare parts,
repair manuals and tools for
third-party actors
6 Brand Image Activities (e.g. remanu-
Table 1. facturing) accomplished by a
The framework linking third-party (inde- pendent of
OEM), if not performed L;C
CE supply chain properly, will have a
redesign challenges negative impact on the OEM
with potential levers to brand image
overcome them (continued )
 Sustainable
Product 7 Fashion change Products designed-to-last are
characteristics unable to respond to fashion L;C L;C food supply
challenges
8 Product
changes
The proliferation of new
chains
complexity materials as well as the
growth of product
complexity (e.g. Bill-of- L
L;C ;
Material) increase the C
difficulties in managing
recovering and recycle 985
processes.
9 Product (mass) Mass customisation pushes
customisation towards personalised
L
products, which leads to a
L;C ;
higher complexity when C
products are disassembled
for remanufacturing
Standards and 10 Taxation and Existing taxation systems,
regulation incentives policies as well incentives,
C
challenges are not aligned with the
adoption of the CE paradigm
11 Measures, Existing indicators were built
metrics, around the concept of Lin-
indicators ear Economy, with the aim to
maximise throughput. CE
requires shifting the focus
from a purely volume- driven C L;C
economic perspective to a
more comprehensive one,
encompassing economic,
environ- mental and social
dimensions
12 Lack of Standards regarding CE
standards processes, activities,
C
materials, etc. are generally
missing
Supply-chain 13 ‘Return-flows Uncertainty about quantity,
uncertainty’ mix, quality, time and place
of returns of end-of-use
products decreases the
probability of achieving an
economic scale and creates
L;C L L;C L;C
difficulties in capacity
planning. Illegal forms of
disposal reduce the amount
of products collected and
treated at end-of-use, thus
increasing this uncertainty.
14 ‘Transportation Due to the installed base
and geographical dispersion, CE
infrastructure’ would drastically increase
transportation activities and
costs if all the products have L;C
to be sent back to producers
or specialised sites for
refurbishing,
remanufacturing,
15 Availability of Companies who decide to
suitable move towards CE often
supply chain experience difficulty in
partners finding appropriate supply L;C
chain partners, with
appropriate skills and a CE
approach

(continued ) Table 1.
IJPPM
71,3 16 ‘Coordination
and
CE requires a close
collaboration and
information information exchange among
sharing’ the different tiers of the
supply chain, which may not
be achieved especially within
global configurations. This L;C
can be due to several reasons
such as competition among
986 supply chain tiers,
information sensitivity, IT
system integration, poor
planning of activities, etc.
17 ‘Product Product traceability improves
traceability’ collection and renovation
processes, but often
information systems provide
an inadequate support.
Several information should
be available and easy
accessible to the relevant L;C
supply chain partners in
order to improve the
efficiency of return flows
and end-of-use activities, as
well as to improve the
capability to make accurate
forecasts
18 Cultural issues Internal resistance to change,
(linear especially given the
L;C
mind-set) prevailing linear mind-set
and structures in industries
(also referred to as the
‘Linear lock-in’), limited
awareness and commitment
(from both top management
and employees)
Technology 19 Eco-efficiency Renovation processes
of (especially recycling) may be
technological inefficient from a
processes technological perspective,
causing losses and cross-
contamination of materials.
Moreover, they can be very
expensive compared to the
linear production from raw
materials
20 Product Products designed to last
technology would be unable to
improvement participate in the continuous L;C
technology improvements
processes
21 Data privacy Concerns about privacy and
and security data security inhibit
Concerns collection of products when
they reach the end-of-use. L;C
Appropriate data-clear
activities must be
guaranteed.
Users’ 22 Ownership Servitised BMs offer access
behaviour value to product instead of
ownership. Consequently, L;C L
users may not perceive
intangible values such as
self-esteem, sense of control,
etc. This is particularly true
in the B2C sector

Table 1. (continued )
 Sustainable
23 Careless Servitised BMs may lead to
behaviour in careless behaviour in product food supply
product usage use and conservation by the
users, since they no longer
chains
feel responsible for the
L;C L;C
product correct conservation.
This may reduce the product
duration, or generate legal
issues between the supplier
and the user 987
24 Users' During the acquisition
willingness to process, users often only
pay consider product price as one
of the main factors
influencing their choice.
Circular products may be
characterised by high selling
price, due to enhanced
quality (durability) or
upgradability, thus L;C L;C L;C
constituting a barrier for the
customer. On the other side,
some customer segments
may not accept to buy
‘second hand’ (renovated or
refurbished) products, due to
status or fashion design
reasons, or since they have a
perception of lower
reliability. This reduces the
market size for ‘renovated’
products compared to new
ones.

Note(s): L=solutions identified in the literature; C= solutions identified in the case

Source(s): Bresanelli et al. 2019
Table 1.

Digital-technology-led 1. While “contractual agreements and alternative financial solutions” could overcome
the challenges of economic and financial viability, the internet of thing technology
could mitigate operational risk through remote monitoring
2. The supply chain management challenges could be superseded by establishing
closely knitted partnerships with the supply chain actors, using IoT for remote
monitoring of assets and products, promoting “take-back incentives”, changing to the
access revenue models, and generation of awareness
3. Enhancing product upgradability and introduction of value-added services are
useful in overcoming technology-related challenges
People-led 4. While cannibalisation could be overcome by adopting “access” revenue model that
monetises the increased life products, partnership with different suppliers across
supply chain tiers help to win “market and competition challenges”
5. The design stage should incorporate the modular design and upgradable strategy to
combat the issue of product characteristics. Workforce competency, however,
underpin the success of this strategy
6. In overcoming regulations barrier, lobbying has emerged to shape legislations to be
implemented at adequate standards, thus preparing the businesses in embracing them
7. Behaviour-related challenges may be overcome through value-added services and Table 2.
awareness building to increase willingness to pay a higher price for the product Key highlights of
Note(s): adopted from Brasenelli et al., 2019 Challenges in SSCM
IJPPM literatures. The research highlights seven key arguments that we have classified into two
71,3 dimensions – i.e. digital-technology-led, and people-led, as follows:
It can be argued that not all of these highlights are applicable to understand the challenge
of building a sustainable food supply chain (SFSC) due to contextual differences, as outlined
in the subsequent subsection.

988 2.2 Challenges in sustainable food supply chain and digital technologies
It is envisaged that the future food supply chain produces nutritious food grown in an ethical
way and safe environment, and seamlessly fulfil the needs of the exponentially increased
global population regardless of the resource scarcity, climate change, socio-economy crisis,
and consumer location – hence SFSC. This, of course, renders myriad of challenges, which
makes food supply chain (FSC) unique as compared to others. Comprehension on the FSC and
consumer demands is pivotal to understand these challenges. Prior to arriving to shelves,
food that was passed by the growers go through a long network of processers, producers, and
retailers. This complex network encapsulate various actors with different roles and location,
thus may be governed by different processes and regulations too – entailing the first
challenge. SFSC incorporates the “value-chain”, where different players at different stage (e.g.
growers, manufacturers, distributors, and sellers) from raw material production until the final
product reaches the consumers, play a significant role in shaping the value of such FSC. This
remains a concern as each player has their own business model-led objectives, which are
potentially at the tangent of other players’ objectives, where the resulting consequences of
these actions determine the overall value and performance of the FSC (Nostratabadi et al.,
2020; Higgins et al., 2010).
Second, unlike any other supply chain network, the FSC are highly sensitive to speed
where the produces or harvested products must be ensured to reach consumers before the
final due date (Zhong et al., 2017). Hence, where some of the FSC are horizontal, others are
highly vertical to facilitate instant movement of products despite being reliant on the greater
organisation network. The large amount of food items are globally sources, forming a greater
supply chain network. Thus, a single, vertically coordinated product will still become part of a
large, globally coordinated supply chain network. Because of this, the access to information
become complicated and stability of support functions is easily compromised. As the result of
this great challenge, a FSC network is highly susceptible to failure (Garnett et al., 2020).
Inefficient and ineffective FSC could resulted into various ramifications – one being food
waste. It was reported that a huge portion of the 1.3 billion tons of the wasted food worth US$1
trillion was contributed by the supply chain inefficiency (IFCO, 2020). Another setback of the
inefficient and ineffective supply chain is inadequate food supply. This is evident by the fact
that millions of people were reported at the rank of undernourished since 2015, and 690
million people went hungry in 2019 – an increase of 10 million from 2018; while the COVID-19
pandemic causes hundreds of millions more people in 2020 to be in the state of chronic hunger
(World health Organization, 2021). Besides, FSC are highly susceptible to the environmental

Regenerate Share Optimise Loop Virtualise Exchange

Reinvigorate Preserve the Increase Maintain the Deliver Select

and revitalise low speed of efficiency and close loops virtually resources input
natural capital product cycle performance wisely
to enhance
product
Figure 1. utilisation
ReSOLVE framework
Source(s): Adapted from McKinsey Center for Business and Environment (2016)
catastrophes such as droughts and green-house effects, as they may dramatically decrease Sustainable
agricultural production yields (Zhong et al., 2017). food supply
On top of this, heavy reliance on a greater degree of temporal coordination with the
stakeholders is also another threat to a SCM within an FSC. This coordination which is based
chains
on the principle of “just in time” delivery (JiT) is often started by the electronic point of sales
(EPOS) generated algorithm before it is passed to the supplier. From this point forward, the
coordination process relies intensely on the human efficiency. For instance, the EPOS
generated algorithm in supermarket X in the UK placed an order for fresh fruit with the 989
headquarter before noon. This order is then relayed to the tier 3 supplier in Spain who then
instruct the sub-contractor to pick and pack the fruits before next day delivery to
supermarket X. This example shows that FSC network is temporally vulnerable, as the
business relies on the supply to be able to sell the product, and any impediment in the supply
chain network could jeopardise the product usability – which is against the CE principle of
maximising the product life cycle. Recent studies, reveals that these challenges are further
intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also has caused the emergence of new sets of
challenges in SSCM.
Prior to the business shutdown, many businesses believed that they have visibility and
understood their supply chain by knowing the first-tier suppliers. Later, it was discovered that
the granularity of the supply chain data understanding was extremely inadequate, which limits
the plan and action to overcome the depleting resources. Besides this, businesses faced
interruption in productions due to the “single-sourcing” strategy adopted. Although the lesson
tends to suggest the businesses to adopt multi-sourcing to reduce vulnerability, the single
sourcing fosters a solid relationships and mutual trust between the company and supplier,
encouraging long-run investment from the suppliers and allowing rather flexible contact
renegotiation as and when needed. Therefore, real-time oversight on supplier’s activity is
crucial in this sourcing type. In spite of its criticality, this capability is currently non-existence in
most businesses, thus amplified the magnitude of risk in the supply chain. Study suggest that
this situation entailed the decelerated of digital transformation in business operations.
Notwithstanding the richness of data held by different departments, most of these
departments work in silos. Thus, the flow of data within the business organisation has been
limited, hampering the effectiveness of decision making. In relation to the shortfall of slowed
digital transformation, there are businesses who persistently relied on traditional inventory
strategy. This strategy, which counted on the past performance to plan the supply disregard
the current needs and disentangled from reality, resulting into stock mismatch. The adoption
of the traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) that is built on the historical
transaction rather than prescriptive analytics provides narrow inputs for forward-planning,
which again, hinders the accuracy of decision – thus compromise the integrity of supply chain
management.
All of these challenges warrant a rethinking of the current activities and processes in FSC,
urging CE-led business model innovations. Furthermore, Bresanelli et al. (2019) framework
has highlighted that DT is central in providing solutions to build a CE led SSC. Research
suggest that DT offer vast potential in facilitating the adoption of CE concepts in FSC (Rajput
and Singh, 2019; Saberi et al., 2019; Yadav et al., 2020). The DT-led circular concept utilisation
include the integration of the reverse logistics to optimise material life-cycle and use
facilitated by AI (Yadav et al., 2020; Bibby and Dehe, 2018). Another example of material
optimisation led by DT is the use of remote sensing technology in detecting plant disease to
enable just right amount of pesticide application – which also reduces unnecessary material
cost in supply chain and enhances quality of the product and its safety as it is not overly
infested (Fatorachian and Kazemi, 2021; Moeuf et al., 2018). In addition, Dev et al. (2020) has
confirmed the relationship between DT and CE in the context of a reverse logistics system
within the background of operation management, in support of the research agenda
IJPPM suggested by Lopes De Sousa Jabbour et al. (2018). Earlier, Lopes De Sousa Jabbour et al.
71,3 (2018) suggested the exploitation of “sharing of information” concept underpinning CE using
DT towards SSC, which is also advocated by Mangla et al. (2019). Interestingly, this signposts
the potential usefulness of DT in overcoming the challenges to build a SFSC. Nonetheless
studies on the potential of DT in overcoming the traditional, as well as the COVID-19 related
challenges towards implementing SFSC remain scarce. Furthermore, none of the four cases
used in Bresanelli et al. (2019) are from the food industry. This signposts a research need in
990 this area, which this study aims to achieve.

2.3 The significance of sustainable supply chain management for business performance
Carter and Rogers (2008) conceptualise SSCM as an achievement of a strategic and
transparent integration of the social, environmental and economic objectives of a business, in
the context of coordinated business process that enhance the long-term socio-economic and
environmental performance of a business and its supply chains. This idea can be attained by
developing capabilities that improve the business mechanisms (Wolf, 2014). SSCM is critical
for many, especially for businesses that are vulnerable to stakeholder groups pressure, where
they are held accountable for actions across all stages of product cycle – from resourcing to
consumption (Parmigiani et al., 2011). Paulraj et al. (2017) posits that there are two factors
underpinning the SSCM: (1) the resources – i.e. anything valuable to the business and (2) the
business dependency on others for resources access – suggesting the resource owner has
control over the resources needed by others. Therefore, to ensure availability of resources
needed for the business operation in the long run, businesses are encouraged to develop
strategies to reduce this dependency by harnessing and optimising the resources within their
control (Koh et al., 2017), which is instrumental in warranting sustainable business
performance.
Sustainability of supply chain is attributed by synchronous performance across the three
indicators of economic, environmental, and social (Roy et al., 2018). Yet, in the pursuit of
performance, some businesses often trade-offs between these indicators, depending on the
business goals (Hahn et al., 2010; Van der Byl and Slawinski, 2015). Hence, most often, a
business is said to have achieved SSCM when it has successfully performed economically (Liu
et al., 2012). Further exploration into this later rebuts this argument by claiming that SSCM
that conditions business performance is underpinned by a successful performance in all three
indicators and this can be observed when customers are willing to pay more for
environmentally friendly or social responsible products or services (Ni and Sun, 2019).
Although this has confirmed the link between SSCM and business performance, its
relationship is yet to be explored in this research.
The influence of stakeholders’ pressure on the adoption of SSCM is undeniable. However,
the motivation of attaining SBP also is also one of the key factors motivating businesses to
adopt SSCM as practices (Wolf, 2014). This particularly well-documented, within the food
industry. In 1990s, Wal-Mart had decided to only buy fish from suppliers certified by Marine
Stewardship Council as a strategy to ensure ‘sustainability’ of fish (resources) in the long run
– as those suppliers abide the conducts of sustainable fishing practices (Sampson et al., 2015).
Therefore, SSCM is also characterised by the successful coordination between partners,
which is often a challenging process due to factors such as complexity of communication,
high administration costs, and demand for a specific skillset (Seuring and M€ uller, 2008).
Amidst this situation, businesses are prone into making a limited effort to integrate all
players in the supply chain, especially the customers (de Souza et al., 2014; de Sousa Jabbour
et al., 2017), thus impeding SSCM. Many recent studies suggest that the integration issue in
supply chain management could potentially being addressed through the use of DT such as
blockchain (Saberi et al., 2019; Nica, 2019) and Internet of things (Manavalan and Jayakrishna,
2019; Rose and Chilvers, 2018), which this research seeks to evidence to support SSCM Sustainable
and SBP. food supply
chains
3. Research Methodology
This research aims to explore the perceptions and challenges faced by Supply chain
professionals and warehouse managers, within food production industry, as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic situation. While a growing number of studies are exploring COVID-19- 991
related supply chain disruptions, there is need to understand the experiences of key workers,
such as retailer and food producers, during this situation, and the potential role of technology
in overcoming their challenges. Accordingly, semi-structured interviews are utilised, given
its role in offering insights into human behaviour and perceptions of actors, and this
approaches ability in extracting people’s interpretations of technologies and their actions
around them (Orlikowski and Gash, 1994).
In line with scarce, yet a growing numbering of qualitative Supply Chain studies
(Mahroof, 2019; Sachan and Datta, 2005; Varoutsa and Scapens, 2015; Wagner and Sutter,
2012), this research takes a qualitative approach to explore the attitudes of supply chain
professionals and their attitudes surrounding technology, this approach can be regarded as
appropriate, allowing for in-depth insights.
In order to gain a holistic, yet in-depth insight into COVID-19 related challenges, the sample
size of this research is 10 semi-structured interviews, with operational staff in a variety of roles
and seniority, as highlighted in Table 3. An exponential non-discriminative snowball sampling
approach was taken (Etikan et al., 2016) to recruit the participants, whereby the initial research
participant, who was recruited through the professional connections of the researcher, then
assisted in recruiting further participants for this research.
The interviews questions were made up of exploratory questions, framed through the
extant literature, namely, SSCM, DT, and performance management literature. As the
interview questions were semi-structured and open-ended, further themes were also
discussed, in accordance with the participant responses.
Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the data, with the intention of
exploring the research questions, at the same time as allowing for unanticipated insights to
also surface from the data (Klein and Myers, 1999). The analysis process consisted of
transcribing the data, coding and analysing the data, which assisted in identifying broader
themes from the data. The research participants were interviewed in line with social
distancing guidance, formally in the warehouse offices, on a one-to-one basis. Ethical
approval was granted by the University of Bradford, School of Management. In upholding
anonymisation, the participants’ names were replaced with their initials in the study.

Participant initials Role Operational experience (Years)

S.C Shift operational manager 15

R.H Supply chain specialist (head office) 15
M.P Team manager 17
M.T Team manager 7
A.H Shift operational manager 8
R.B Shift operational manager 4
T.C Implementation manager 8
A.A Project manager 3 Table 3.
K.S Improvement coach 4 Research participant
A.M Team manager 11 profile
IJPPM 4. Findings and analysis
71,3 This research set out to understand the role of SSCM, CE, and DT, and its applicability and
relevance within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation to sustain the business performance.
As such, the research uncovered a plethora of key issues, mainly centred on “Business
continuity”, “Data-driven performance management”, “Minimising waste and operational
losses”, “Portfolio Management” and “Contingency planning”. These key themes were derived
during the thematic analysis process, as highlighted in Table 4. On top of these, some challenges
992 from Bresanelli et al.’s (2019) research also persists. Table 4: Qualitative thematic analysis
summary.

Themes and sub- Frequency of

themes Brief description of themes and sub-themes reference

Business continuity This was a dominant theme identified from the data, which was
predominately concerned with maintaining service to stores and
eliminating any supply chain bottlenecks as well as maintaining
staffing levels
a) Servicing stores This sub-theme linked to business continuity referred to 21
ensuring stock and food produce arrived at stores, thus placing
emphasis on the movement of good, from each aspect of the
supply chain
b) Maintaining In order to ensure business continuity, there was the need to 15
staffing maintain staffing levels, to support with picking orders and
stock in distribution centres, ready for transportation to stores
Minimising waste and With all the challenges and pressures, resulting from panic
loss buying, the participants placed emphasis on the need to
minimise waste and food loss resulting from poor temp control
and spillages during warehouse transportation
a) Congested During peak festive periods, or during times of high volume 11
warehouses picking, it was identified that the warehouse aisle would get
congested, leading to lack of productivity and spillages
Data driven KPI’s The research findings highlighted the pandemic situation
Performance highlighted the need for more data-driven, performance
measurement management, for better management of new, agency staff, for
existing colleagues as well as for fast-moving lines and products
a) New starters The need to understand shorter term recruitment cycles, 13
performance approaches and performance of new starters
b) Colleague It was evident that managers placed emphasis on individual 10
performance performances of colleagues, in order to deliver the picking
targets. Thus, they felt more data points and creative ways in
bringing the data together was key
c) Portfolio The findings highlighted the increased focus on changing 16
management product lines and choices, from variety to volume and the role of
data in identifying the trending and in-demand products
Organisational This theme referred to the need to learn from the experiences
learning and to take more proactive steps in overcoming such “black
swan” events in the future
a) Contingency The participants revealed, they were not prepared for this 8
planning situation, therefore strongly highlighted the need for proactive
rather than reactive planning
b) Maintaining The overall performance of the supply chain was underpinned 5
relationships by the relationships between key stakeholders across the supply
Table 4. network, therefore ensuring collegiate, transparent and positive
Qualitative thematic relationships was essential for favourable and agile service level
analysis summary agreements
4.1 Business continuity – “the priority is bringing about as much normality as possible Sustainable
during such times” food supply
A dominant theme identified from the literature was that of “Business Continuity”, it was
evident that the participants placed emphasis on maintaining their operations, be it
chains
supplying stores with goods or maintaining staffing levels. This was highlighted when M.P
mentioned “We have put all our efforts into servicing our stores and having maximum
output”, further to this, R.B stated: “I went from being in my office, onto the shop floor, picking
stock and getting stuck in”. Further emphasis was placed on the movement of goods and the 993
importance of those who facilitate during this process. Here, A.M states: “Logistics can be
complicated, it’s not just about receiving stock, it is also about making sure you are picking it and
moving it just as efficiently”. Therefore, identifying ways in which business operations could
resume, was a key priority for majority of the research participants.

4.2 Minimising waste and loss – “waste is bad, but exceptionally bad during peak demand”
Despite there being some form of consensus between the participants regarding the
importance of minimising waste, it seemed that many of the managers were of the view that
on occasions, waste was unavoidable, particularly during peak time, demand such as that
seen during the pandemic situation. Much of this was attributed by the managers, to the
warehouse and to congested lines, which not only impacted productivity, through delays and
extended warehouse travel time, but also due to damaged stock and items. This was
emphasised further when K.S, stated: “to be fair, minimising waste is probably the least of
worries for those picking in the warehouse, as they would naturally focus on maximising their
pick number, and on many occasions, at the expense of how pallets were stacked” therefore it
was evident through the data, that CE principles in general and optimisation of the product
life cycle in specific, may be disregarded, due to performance targets and pick rates.
This was further emphasised by S.C, who outlined “if you are looking at reducing waste,
you have to ask yourself what the root cause of wastage within the warehouse would be. You
quickly realise, it is more often than not attributed to the individuals, rather than any processes.
For example, orders are not stacked correctly or safely, they may not be correctly dropped at the
loading bay, when in transit, they may even topple over, due to poor stacking and weight
distribution of pallets, all these issues lead to waste and are directly attributed to actions of
individuals, rather than any particular process”. It is evident here that although, commitment
towards minimising waste was evident amongst managers, it was often seen as being
unavoidable in busy, fast-paced environments.

4.3 Data-driven performance management – “if you cannot measure it, you cannot manage
it – seems to be more crucial now than ever before”
Due to the pandemic situation, there was an urgent need to recruit agency staff and new
starters, for shorter contracts and more frequently. Reliance on new agency staff,
accompanies its own unique challenges, centred on uncertainty, lower productivity, high
staff turnover amongst many others. Despite the uncertainty, participants highlighted the
pivotal role the short-term contracts had, M.T posits: “Agency staff played a pivotal role in
helping with demand, however, usually we held contracts for longer periods of time,
unfortunately, as demand fluctuated, the contracts were shorter and more frequent”. This
further emphasised by A.H., “in hindsight, if we were able to use weasel techniques to better
predict both the demand and subsequent staff turnover this would have allowed for better
utilisation or should short-term contracts. As new colleagues would require training, given
moving and handling and other hazardous aspects in the warehouse operations, managers
felt contract allocation, training and utilisation of agency staff could have been better applied.
Moreover, in addition to having better predictive power when it comes to short-term staff
IJPPM retention and turnover, managers also face been here to manage the performance of
71,3 colleagues would have allowed for a better understanding of performance.
The need for more accurate and reliable data was not only internal facing for staff, but was
also externally, in terms of predicting and forecasting product demand. R.H posits “we really
changed our operations and when from variety to volumes” but having more detailed
intelligence around panic buying and consumer behaviour insight would been helpful’. It is
evident that the senior manager knows the importance of responding to customer needs.
994 Supporting this further, T.C. mentions “we prioritised household supplies and other high-
demand products, having to significantly put other product lines on hold”. Despite this, there
is still the need to procure, replenish and distribute the products to customers, hence having
real-time, live data would add real value from a supply chain context.

5. Discussion
A number of interesting insights were gleaned from the interview data, and despite there
being a plethora of possible solutions to some of the challenges highlighted by the managers,
the identified challenges can be overturned through technological and innovative solutions,
which may be worthy of exploration in future research.
Business continuity was highlighted as a key priority for the research participants, with
emphasis placed specifically on increased volumes, continuation of service for stores, whilst
also retaining resource to deliver these outputs. Given the uncertain and rather disruptive
nature of the pandemic, whereby large portions of the workforce were either furloughed or
self-isolating, one can look towards the role of automation and automated order picking
systems as a potential solution and enabler for business continuity. For instance, Mahroof
(2019) highlights AI automation has potential to significantly improves, as well as
standardise processes and operations across different shifts, therefore supporting and
driving business continuation. Moreover, Caputo and Pelagagge (2006) also highlight
automation can drive productivity and set reorder levels and maximum picking quantities for
specific items, thus significantly assisting logistic managers. Accordingly, the following
research proposition is put forward:
P1. The application of AI driven automation will drive business continuity during a
pandemic situation and will allow for distribution centres to service stores and
ultimately, their customers.
The exponential rise in logistics businesses and the increasing requirements for larger
warehouses, has led to discussions around the design of warehouses, and the need for a
balance between flexibility, layout configuration, storage density and throughput capacity
(Lerher et al., 2010). The present research findings allude to the general “reverse logistics
challenge” as highlighted by Bressanelli et al. (2019), or warehouse congestion and “product
traceability” challenges specifically, which in turn lead to reduced productivity and
efficiency, as well as increase of unintended waste.
Digital twin solutions and simulation techniques may help overcome these challenges. For
instance, Baruffaldi et al. (2019) propose a decision-support tool, which exploits optimisation
and simulation techniques acts and acts a digital twin of the warehouse management system,
aimed at supporting logistics managers with warehouse customisation and fulfilling required
service levels. Similarly, Petkovic et al. (2019) also propose virtual reality digital warehouse
twins, as a means to realistically simulate worker behaviour, thus allowing warehouse
managers to plan ahead and put appropriate contingencies in place. A further example of
simulation modelling for contingency planning purposes is put forward by Kogler and Rauch
(2020), who propose a contingency planning toolbox involving an event simulation model
setup to examine outcomes of decisions prior to real, costly, and more permanent changes are
made. Accordingly, the following research propositions are put forward:
 P2. Digital twin and simulation techniques can reduce warehouse waste and expenses. Sustainable
P3. Digital twin and simulation techniques can prepare warehouse managers for food supply
contingency planning. chains
There is increasing hype around the use of data analytics within HR settings. This is
unsurprising, given the large quantity of HR data which can be captured within HR
environments through appraisals, performance metrics, training and development data,
capability and disciplinary data as well as participation schemes and staff attitudes surveys 995
(Angrave et al., 2016) However, much of this data has been collated and utilised disparately
(Parry and Tyson, 2011), but triangulating and bringing this data together has potential of
unlocking previously untapped value. For instance, Kim et al. (2021) highlight how big data
analytics can minimise bias HR decision-making and offer more objective and accurate
decisions for HR professionals. The research participants highlighted the need for more
objective and measurable metrics, when it came to recruitment of new starters, as well as
when it came to analysing the performance of current staff. Thus, through applying HR
analytics, organisations may be able to identify idea candidates, recognise top performers, as
well as single out individuals at the risk of leaving the job. Accordingly, the following
research proposition is put forward:
P4. Utilising HR Analytics will drive better performance KPIs and allow managers to
manage the recruitment of new starters and existing staff more efficiently
It was evident from the research participants that a more proactive, rather than reactive
approach to meeting customer expectations was imperative, especially during a pandemic
situation whereby panic buying and disruptions were being experienced across the supply
network. Watson and Zinkhan (1997) highlight the potential of Web 2.0 applications, in
organisational responsiveness during online interactions, thus allowing businesses to obtain
stakeholder responses immediately and to respond accordingly. Moreover, Sivarajah et al.
(2020), highlight sentiment analysis enables one to understand what people feel about a
certain topic, through sentiment detection, polarity classification, target identification and
collection and aggregation processes and can significantly help drive sustainability.
Similarly, Chen et al. (2017), highlight how textual sentiment analysis generates a better
summary of customer opinions, which is utilised within periods of panic buying, will allow
organisations and food producers alike, to offer products, which are most sought after and in
high demand rather than stock piling other inventories, which implicate the cashflow of the
business and its performance in general. Therefore, through the use of sentimental analysis,
organisations may be able to gauge what is needed and instantly adjust product variations
accordingly. Thus, the following proposition is put forward:
P5. Portfolio management and/or product line selection can be driven directly by
customers, through the application of Sentiment analysis approaches
It is also evident that some of the challenges linked to reverse logistic and value chain
configuration as discussed in Bressanelli et al. (2019) persists, which is not surprising. John et al.
(2018) and Moghaddam et al. (2019) underlined the key strategic challenge of SSC is the design or
reengineering of the supply chain network while managing the flow of materials with minimum
costs. From this point forth, organisations and researchers strive for closing the loop in the
supply chain network by means of reverse logistics activities in order to achieve the desired
SSCM environment. With this being the case, the importance of logistics efficiency for the
competitiveness of organisations becomes clearer (Kumar et al., 2020) and, thus, the critical role
of RL in SSCM, more particularly in the food supply chain context, come to the forefront.
Generally, supply chains are interconnected systems where multiple stakeholders are
interrelated to each other. In this complex structure, RL activities in particular especially
IJPPM gaining more importance in recent years due to economic and environmental concerns in the
71,3 circular economy (Kazancoglu et al., 2021), in which the environmental aspect remains as the
focal point. Conceptually, RL incorporates a series of activities in common with the CE
concept, such as recovery, repairing, and recycling. Yet, although RL plays a vital role in
reducing environmental pollution and increasing economic and social benefits, particularly in
the food SC domain, through these activities (Wei et al., 2018), the environmental impact of RL
activities were largely neglected in the extant literature and this has also caused vagueness in
996 business practices with regard to food waste and food loss operations (Kazancoglu et al.,
2021). In order to address this lacunae in the food value chain, as Kumar et al. (2020) noted, it is
crucial to maintain traceability, transparency, and coordination through modern information
and communication technologies used in logistics. Indeed, since the latest exponential
development of technology has accelerated the digital transformation (Kucukaltan et al.,
2020), digitalisation-based Industry 4.0 initiatives offer a great potential to meet circular
economy and sustainability needs (Cezarino et al., 2019; Rossi et al., 2020). More specifically,
since logistics undertakes an intermediary role among different stakeholders in the supply
chain network, it remains as a key field to examine Industry 4.0 implementations. Thus, by
implementing digitalisation to logistics operations, especially to RL activities to prevent food
loss and waste, information and material flow carried out by logistics companies can be
meaningfully and effectively disseminated to the entire supply chain network, which, in turn,
can positively affect the food value chain.
P6. Simulation can help to overcome challenges in Reverse logistics.
P7. Artificial Intelligence can improve value chain configuration
Table 5 outlines the framework linking sustainable food supply chain challenges with
potential digital technologies solutions key challenges identified and maps them across DT
enablers, worthy of exploration for future research. Challenges that are identified in the case
are marked with NEW. Based on the suggested propositions, these challenges and their
potential solutions are worth exploring in the future.
It would also be useful to explore how digital technologies can influence the reverse
logistic and value chain configuration aspects of supply chain, and their impact on the food
supply chain in more details.

5.1 Implications for theory

Implications for management science are desirable and must be aligned with research
objectives and aims. In our case, while the theory and debates around the circular
economy principles, sustainable supply chain management, performance management,
and usability of digital technologies in all areas of life are growing steadily, their
integration remain scarce. The real-life evidence on SSCM challenges within the context
of food supply chain and the potentials of digital technologies in overcoming them are
even more rarely debated. Consequently, the primary contribution of this work is a
pioneering approach to understanding the critical success factors in SSCM for
sustainable business performance by exploring the case of one of the giant food
retailers in the UK. Hence, this work adds to the literature on the SSCM and SBP, as well
as CE by providing a study of a business in the context of food industry. Thus far, this
type of study has been infrequently presented in the literature, moreover against the
backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.
Another major contribution is that this work develops five research propositions for
future study, derived from the empirical evidence and state of the art literature review in the
topics discussed. Many of the main works on the SSCM neither discuss nor address such
propositions.
 Sustainable
Digital Technologies Solutions Non-technology solution (Bresanelli et al 2019)
food supply

Partnership/ collaboration

Asset remote monitoring

Supply chain integration
Ripple effect modelling

Contractual agreements
chains

Digital twin warehouse

Blockchain technology

Access revenue model

skills and competence

Track back incentives

awareness generation
Alternative financing
Value added services

Communication and
Sentiment analysis
Theme ID Challenge

Modular design
AI Automation

Upgradability
HR Analytics

Simulation

Lobbying
RFID
Economic and
1 Time mismatch
between revenue and C C 997
cost streams C C C
Financial 2 Financial risk
viability C C C C
3 Operational risk C C C C C C
4 Cannibalisation

Market and 5 IP and know-how

competition access
6 Brand Image
C
7 Fashion change
Product
8 Product complexity
characteristics
challenges 9 Product (mass)
customisation
10 Taxation and
Standards and incentives
regulation 11 Measures, metrics,
challenges indicators
12 Lack of standards
‘Return-flows L;
13 C C L L;C L L;C
uncertainty’ C
Supply Chain: ‘Transportation and
14 C C C L;C
Reverse logistics infrastructure’
Cultural issues
18 C
(linear mind-set)
Availability of
15 suitable supply chain L L;C
Supply Chain: partners
Value chain ‘Coordination and
configuration 16 L L L;C
information sharing’
17 ‘Product traceability’ L L L;C
19 Eco-efficiency of
technological
processes
20 Product technology
Technology
improvement
21 Data privacy and
security
Concerns
22 Ownership value
23 Careless behaviour
Users’ behaviour in product usage
24 Users' willingness to
pay
25 Servicing Stores L
NEW: Business
Continuity C,
26 Maintaining Staffing
L
NEW:
Congested
Minimising 27 C L L
warehouses
waste
New Starters
28 L
NEW: Data
driven KPIs
performance
Colleague
Table 5.
29
Performance
L The framework linking
30
Portfolio Product
management
L sustainable food
NEW: 31
Contingency
L L L
supply chain
Planning
Organisational
Stakeholders C, C,
challenges with
learning 32
coordination L L potential digital
Note(s): L: Solutions identified in literature; C: Solutions identified in case technologies solutions

Propositions 1, 2, 3 and 5 potentially adds to the literature, suggesting the use of digital
technologies could efficiently address the issue of integration of all players in the supply
chain and having an oversight of their activities to boost business performance. This implies
that DT could be the backbone of the ReSOLVE framework application in businesses,
especially the ones in food supply chain as time is the essence in mitigating the complexities
and challenges. Meanwhile, proposition 4 suggest DT could effectively manage human
performance, which is no doubt key to all aspects.
IJPPM 5.2 Practical implications
71,3 This research aimed to minimise the gap between theory and practice, by reporting and
providing an in-depth insight into some of the real challenges faced on the ground by supply
chain professionals within the food sector. As highlighted in great detail within Sections 4
and 5 of this paper, the findings and critical perspectives shared by the experienced research
participants may hold much relevance for a diverse set of stakeholders, including supply
chain professionals, warehouse managers, technology specialists, senior managers and talent
998 management.
The findings not only touched upon operational issues but also discussed the potential of
DT for various stakeholders within organisations. For instance, the findings and particularly
Table 4, in which the DT enablers outlined, maybe of interest to human resources, given the
emphasis placed on data driven management and the role of data analytics in potentially
supporting with the recruitment activities for new staff, in particular third-party agency staff.
Moreover, business process specialists and improvement managers may also find insights
from this research useful, given discussions around ways in which waste can be reduced, and
the role of DT, such as digital twin warehousing in supporting this.
This research went beyond just highlighting challenges resulting from COVID-19, which are
widely reported in academic literature, consultancy reports and mainstream media, rather this
research also offers potential, innovative solutions, to these challenges, in line with the extant
literature. Therefore, in addition to practitioners and professionals, research consultants and
researchers can also benefit from the numerous research avenues on offer for exploration as a
result of this research.

6. Conclusion
The practices of sustainable supply chain management have emerged in the last decades to
integrate Circular economy principles advocating optimisation of resources use to conserve
the environment and reduce negative societal implications of production and consumption
processes. In support of environmental sustainability, CE emphasise the idea of running
processes in a business in such a way that there are harmonious relationships between
ecological systems and economic growth. The transition to CE-based supply chain has
offered businesses myriad of challenges, which further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic,
which this research set out to identify, and explore how the concepts of CE and DT can assist
and allow the businesses to achieve sustainable performance.
Accordingly, the contribution of this study is twofold. Firstly, it brings together the
concepts of SSCM, CE and DT, against the landscape of COVID-19 pandemic related
challenge, thus allowing for in-depth, real supply chain issues to come to the forefront.
Secondly, the research provides a number of future research agendas, through the lenses of
DT, namely developed in line with the extant literature and generated as research
propositions. Despite the practical insights resulting from this research, it is also worth
noting that this research also has some limitations. Firstly, the research was based on 10 in-
depth interviews, thus it is proposed that further research in this area should utilise a larger
sample size, which will help enhance our knowledge in this area. Furthermore, one must also
acknowledge that the present research is grounded in a single case study setting, therefore
fails to offer broader generalisation. The approach taken in this research has helped offer an
in-depth perspective of SSCM, CE, and DT, however this research can be taken forward and
explored in more detail, through the generated propositions.

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Kamran Mahroof can be contacted at: [email protected]

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