Meta-synthesis of the components of the green supply chain in industry

In the present era, real competition exists among companies’ supply chains rather than among the companies themselves; therefore, supply chain management and performance play a vital role for firms. Companies with traditional supply chains incur considerable production costs. A sustainable supply chain plays an effective role in achieving better organizational performance. One of the major gaps addressed and the key contribution of the present article is that many existing studies in this field have examined each component of the green supply chain only in a partial and isolated manner (such as green sourcing, sustainable transportation, waste management, and renewable energy), while studies that investigate the interaction and synergy among these components in an integrated and systematic way remain limited. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of examining the dimensions and components of the green supply chain. To achieve this objective, a qualitative research approach and the meta-synthesis method were employed. The research data were collected through qualitative analysis of the documents under study. Data analysis led to the identification of the indicators and components of the green supply chain, including social sub-criteria, employee health and safety, green supplier evaluation, self-regulatory mechanisms in the green supply chain, development of green technologies in the supply chain, supply chain compliance with environmental laws and regulations, and product life-cycle and end-of-life management.