Mathematical models for sustainable supply chains and operations : decision-making under multiple and conflicting objectives and wider uncertainties
(2026) In IMA Journal of Management Mathematics 37(2). p.375-382- Abstract
As competition has shifted from individual firms to entire networks, supply chain management has become central to operations research. The extensive body of related work has advanced both supply chain practice and management mathematics theory. Yet, sustainable supply chain management has not received the same depth of treatment. In this editorial, we argue that sustainability cannot simply be added to existing models through small modifications. It requires developing a brand-new perspective on model-based research. We propose four key features that models for sustainable supply chains must incorporate. First, they need to handle trade-offs across different dimensions of sustainability. Second, they must look beyond single companies... (More)
As competition has shifted from individual firms to entire networks, supply chain management has become central to operations research. The extensive body of related work has advanced both supply chain practice and management mathematics theory. Yet, sustainable supply chain management has not received the same depth of treatment. In this editorial, we argue that sustainability cannot simply be added to existing models through small modifications. It requires developing a brand-new perspective on model-based research. We propose four key features that models for sustainable supply chains must incorporate. First, they need to handle trade-offs across different dimensions of sustainability. Second, they must look beyond single companies to examine whole supply chains. Third, they should account for the wider uncertainties involved in measuring environmental and social impacts. Fourth, they need to embrace circular economy principles. The four articles in this special issue show how new mathematical methods can address these challenges. We conclude by discussing future research directions that would help incorporate the inherent complexity and uncertainty of sustainability problems.
(Less)
- author
- Bouchery, Yann ; Marklund, Johan LU ; Transchel, Sandra and Udenio, Maximiliano
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-04
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- model-based research, sustainable operations, sustainable supply chains
- in
- IMA Journal of Management Mathematics
- volume
- 37
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 8 pages
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105039432665
- ISSN
- 1471-678X
- DOI
- 10.1093/imaman/dpag011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
- id
- 5940dd1b-094e-421d-9daf-6323b2977b11
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-17 13:50:25
- date last changed
- 2026-07-17 13:51:15
@misc{5940dd1b-094e-421d-9daf-6323b2977b11,
abstract = {{<p>As competition has shifted from individual firms to entire networks, supply chain management has become central to operations research. The extensive body of related work has advanced both supply chain practice and management mathematics theory. Yet, sustainable supply chain management has not received the same depth of treatment. In this editorial, we argue that sustainability cannot simply be added to existing models through small modifications. It requires developing a brand-new perspective on model-based research. We propose four key features that models for sustainable supply chains must incorporate. First, they need to handle trade-offs across different dimensions of sustainability. Second, they must look beyond single companies to examine whole supply chains. Third, they should account for the wider uncertainties involved in measuring environmental and social impacts. Fourth, they need to embrace circular economy principles. The four articles in this special issue show how new mathematical methods can address these challenges. We conclude by discussing future research directions that would help incorporate the inherent complexity and uncertainty of sustainability problems.</p>}},
author = {{Bouchery, Yann and Marklund, Johan and Transchel, Sandra and Udenio, Maximiliano}},
issn = {{1471-678X}},
keywords = {{model-based research; sustainable operations; sustainable supply chains}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{375--382}},
publisher = {{Oxford University Press}},
series = {{IMA Journal of Management Mathematics}},
title = {{Mathematical models for sustainable supply chains and operations : decision-making under multiple and conflicting objectives and wider uncertainties}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/imaman/dpag011}},
doi = {{10.1093/imaman/dpag011}},
volume = {{37}},
year = {{2026}},
}