Analysis of sustainable supply chain and industry 4.0 enablers: a step towards decarbonization of supply chains

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to be on the rise in our atmosphere, the urge to combat the same has become the need of the hour. This need continues to be advocated by organizations globally, with initiatives such as the Paris Agreement undertaken by many countries that have been enforced to save the environment. As the world's focus shifts on minimizing the damage caused, an emphasis on decarbonizing the supply chain and using greener technologies for the same has been established. The main aim of this study is to identify and analyze the enablers and criteria that can help in implementing supply chain decarbonization in Industry 4.0. A novel integrated methodology was used to determine the enablers and criteria's importance relative to its demand for decarbonizing the supply chain and for ranking the same based on its level of use and significance. The finding indicates that sustainability is the most important criteria. At the same time, cloud computing, government regulations, circular economy implementation, and blockchain technology capability are the most crucial enablers for implementing supply chain decarbonization in the industry. The study discusses the implications of supply chain decarbonization from a theoretical and practical perspective, proposes four recommendations for the industry to implement for a smooth transition to engage in supply chain decarbonization and highlights the future research directions for supply chain and Industry 4.0.