Energy-related performance measures employed in sustainable supply chains: A bibliometric analysis

• An inventory of energy-related metrics used in green and sustainable supply chains.
• Analysis of the core themes addressed by the identified energy-related metrics.
• A set of standardized absolute-based energy metrics for sustainable supply chains.
• A set of standardized context-based energy metrics for sustainable supply chains.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the metrics that have been used to address energy-related issues in green supply chain management (GSCM) and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). The metrics were identified based on a structured content analysis of 115 peer-reviewed articles published in the Scopus database. A total of 113 unique energy-related metrics were identified. Only three metrics were used more than 10 times: “energy use” (24 times), “energy consumption” (21), and “energy efficiency” (11). The majority of the metrics were used only once (73 metrics) or twice (29). The results highlight a lack of agreement on how energy-related issues should be measured in GSCM and SSCM. To better understand the use of energy-related metrics in GSCM and SSCM highlighted in the literature, the metrics were analyzed using 13 key characteristics of SSCM. Approximately, two-thirds (65%) of the metrics focused exclusively on the environmental focus of SSCM. Thirty-nine (35%) metrics simultaneously addressed two or more key characteristics of SSCM. This paper presents an original contribution through one of the first in-depth analyses of metrics used to measure energy-related issues in the GSCM and SSCM areas. The analysis provides the basis for several recommendations on measuring energy-related issues, including sets of original standardized metrics, in supply chains going forward.

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