IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dbj/trasus/v1y2025i1p43-62.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Developing a tailored sustainable supply chain framework for dairy SMEs in Lithuania using Best-Worst Method

Author

Listed:
  • Irena Krisciukaitiene

    (Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences)

  • Ahmad Bathaei

    (Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences)

Abstract

Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) plays a vital role in addressing environmental, economic, and social challenges within resource-intensive industries such as dairy production. Despite growing global interest in sustainability, the Baltic region—particularly Lithuania—remains underexplored in terms of localized SSCM frameworks. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying and prioritizing sustainability indicators relevant to Lithuanian dairy companies, using the Best-Worst Method (BWM), a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. A total of 15 experts from top-level management positions in the Lithuanian dairy sector were engaged to assess key indicators across three dimensions: environmental, economic, and social. The results reveal that GHG Emissions, Cost Efficiency, and Labor Rights & Fair Conditions are the most critical indicators in their respective dimensions, reflecting both global sustainability priorities and local industry needs. The model also emphasizes the importance of renewable energy, return on investment, and health and safety standards. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the BWM results by illustrating how small changes in the top-ranked indicators affect the prioritization of other factors. The study offers a practical decision-support tool for managers and policymakers, providing a clear framework for targeted sustainability strategies in the Lithuanian dairy sector. It also contributes to the academic literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of BWM in regional agri-food supply chains. Recommendations are provided for government support, and future research directions are suggested to expand stakeholder involvement and apply hybrid MCDM models.

Suggested Citation

  • Irena Krisciukaitiene & Ahmad Bathaei, 2025. "Developing a tailored sustainable supply chain framework for dairy SMEs in Lithuania using Best-Worst Method," Transformations and Sustainability, Centre for Productivity and Sustainability Analysis, vol. 1(1), pages 43-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:dbj:trasus:v:1:y:2025:i:1:p:43-62
    DOI: 10.63775/sv982x31
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://cpsa.lt/ts/article/view/4/12
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://cpsa.lt/ts/article/view/4
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.63775/sv982x31?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katarzyna Mazur-Włodarczyk & Agnieszka Gruszecka-Kosowska, 2024. "Sustainable Consumption and Production of Edible Plants in the Context of Reaching the EU Climate Neutrality by 2050: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-35, December.
    2. Daniel Puente-Rodríguez & Harmen van Laar & Maayke Veraart, 2022. "A Circularity Evaluation of New Feed Categories in The Netherlands—Squaring the Circle: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-27, February.
    3. Noah Kaiser & Christina K. Barstow, 2022. "Rural Transportation Infrastructure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of Impacts, Implications, and Interventions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-48, February.
    4. Irum Gul & Naveed R. Khan & Arsalan Mujahid Ghouri, 2023. "Blockchain-Driven Supply Chain Management and Open Innovation," Management for Professionals, in: Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik & Muhammad Shahbaz (ed.), Blockchain Driven Supply Chain Management, pages 135-154, Springer.
    5. Caetano Luiz Beber & Greta Langer & Johannes Meyer, 2021. "Strategic Actions for a Sustainable Internationalization of Agri-Food Supply Chains: The Case of the Dairy Industries from Brazil and Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2023. "Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture: Review of Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, September.
    7. Bwambale, Erion & Abagale, Felix K. & Anornu, Geophrey K., 2022. "Smart irrigation monitoring and control strategies for improving water use efficiency in precision agriculture: A review," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Viet Hoang & An Nguyen & Carmen Hubbard & Khanh-Duy Nguyen, 2021. "Exploring the Governance and Fairness in the Milk Value Chain: A Case Study in Vietnam," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, September.
    9. Gregory D. Miller & Mitch Kanter & Laurence Rycken & Kevin B. Comerford & Nicholas M. Gardner & Katie A. Brown, 2021. "Food Systems Transformation for Child Health and Well-Being: The Essential Role of Dairy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, October.
    10. Mohammad Shamsuddoha & Tasnuba Nasir & Niamat Ullah Ibne Hossain, 2023. "A Sustainable Supply Chain Framework for Dairy Farming Operations: A System Dynamics Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-14, May.
    11. Rezaei, Jafar, 2015. "Best-worst multi-criteria decision-making method," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 49-57.
    12. Andréa Castelo Branco Brasileiro-Assing & Jini Kades & Paulo Antônio de Almeida Sinisgalli & Joshua Farley & Abdon Schmitt-Filho, 2022. "Performance Analysis of Dairy Farms Transitioning to Environmentally Friendly Grazing Practices: The Case Study of Santa Catarina, Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, February.
    13. Justas Streimikis & Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2024. "Sustainability assessment of the agriculture sector using best worst method: Case study of Baltic states," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5611-5626, October.
    14. Anabela Gonçalves & Carla Silva, 2021. "Looking for Sustainability Scoring in Apparel: A Review on Environmental Footprint, Social Impacts and Transparency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-33, May.
    15. Simona Naspetti & Serena Mandolesi & Jeroen Buysse & Terhi Latvala & Phillipa Nicholas & Susanne Padel & Ellen J. Loo & Raffaele Zanoli, 2021. "Consumer perception of sustainable practices in dairy production," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-26, December.
    16. Dalia Štreimikienė & Ahmad Bathaei & Justas Streimikis, 2024. "MCDM Approaches for Supplier Selection in Sustainable Supply Chain Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-15, November.
    17. Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2023. "A Systematic Review of Agricultural Sustainability Indicators," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    18. Mariana Ferdeș & Bianca Ștefania Zăbavă & Gigel Paraschiv & Mariana Ionescu & Mirela Nicoleta Dincă & Georgiana Moiceanu, 2022. "Food Waste Management for Biogas Production in the Context of Sustainable Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-27, August.
    19. Annika Carlsson Kanyama & Björn Hedin & Cecilia Katzeff, 2021. "Differences in Environmental Impact between Plant-Based Alternatives to Dairy and Dairy Products: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-16, November.
    20. Aistė Galnaitytė & Irena Kriščiukaitienė & Virginia Namiotko & Vida Dabkienė, 2023. "Assessment of the Lithuanian Pig Farming Sector via Prospective Farm Size," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Justas Streimikis & Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2024. "Sustainability assessment of the agriculture sector using best worst method: Case study of Baltic states," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5611-5626, October.
    2. Alptekin Ulutaş & Ayşe Topal & Dragan Pamučar & Željko Stević & Darjan Karabašević & Gabrijela Popović, 2022. "A New Integrated Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model for Sustainable Supplier Selection Based on a Novel Grey WISP and Grey BWM Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-20, December.
    3. James J. H. Liou & Perry C. Y. Liu & Huai-Wei Lo, 2020. "A Failure Mode Assessment Model Based on Neutrosophic Logic for Switched-Mode Power Supply Risk Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Halil Ibrahim Cicekdagi & Ertugrul Ayyildiz & Mehmet Cabir Akkoyunlu, 2023. "Enhancing search and rescue team performance: investigating factors behind social loafing," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 119(3), pages 1315-1340, December.
    5. Junnan Wu & Xin Liu & Dianqi Pan & Yichen Zhang & Jiquan Zhang & Kai Ke, 2023. "Research on Safety Evaluation of Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant Based on Improved Best-Worst Method and Fuzzy Comprehensive Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Feng, Jianghong & Guo, Ping & Xu, Guangyi & Xu, Gangyan & Ning, Yu, 2024. "An integrated decision framework for resilient sustainable waste electric vehicle battery recycling transfer station site selection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 373(C).
    7. Chia-Nan Wang & Yu-Chi Chung & Fajar Dwi Wibowo & Thanh-Tuan Dang & Ngoc-Ai-Thy Nguyen, 2023. "Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery Solution Evaluation in the Context of a Developing Country: A Novel OPA–Fuzzy MARCOS Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-25, August.
    8. Zarei, Esmaeil & Khan, Faisal & Abbassi, Rouzbeh, 2021. "Importance of human reliability in process operation: A critical analysis," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    9. Sarfaraz Hashemkhani Zolfani & Ramin Bazrafshan & Fatih Ecer & Çağlar Karamaşa, 2022. "The Suitability-Feasibility-Acceptability Strategy Integrated with Bayesian BWM-MARCOS Methods to Determine the Optimal Lithium Battery Plant Located in South America," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(14), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Paul, Ananna & Shukla, Nagesh & Trianni, Andrea, 2023. "Modelling supply chain sustainability challenges in the food processing sector amid the COVID-19 outbreak," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    11. Liang, Fuqi & Brunelli, Matteo & Rezaei, Jafar, 2020. "Consistency issues in the best worst method: Measurements and thresholds," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    12. Pushparenu Bhattacharjee & Syed Abou Iltaf Hussain & V. Dey & U. K. Mandal, 2023. "Failure mode and effects analysis for submersible pump component using proportionate risk assessment model: a case study in the power plant of Agartala," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 14(5), pages 1778-1798, October.
    13. Shefali Srivastava & Vernika Agarwal & Ashish Dwivedi & Anchal Patil & Surajit Bag & Cyril R. H. Foropon, 2025. "Contributing Factors for Building a Flexible Supply Chain in the Digital Age: Studying Their Impact on SDGs," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 26(1), pages 141-161, March.
    14. Ayla Amamou & Safa Chabouh & Lilia Sidhom & Alaeddine Zouari & Abdelkader Mami, 2025. "Agri-Food Supply Chain Sustainability Indicators from a Multi-Capital Perspective: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-34, May.
    15. Dilupa Nakandala & Yung Po Tsang & Henry Lau & Carman Ka Man Lee, 2022. "An Industrial Blockchain-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Framework for Global Freight Management in Agricultural Supply Chains," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(19), pages 1-23, September.
    16. Martín-García, Jaime & Gómez-Limón, José A. & Arriaza, Manuel, 2024. "Conversion to organic farming: Does it change the economic and environmental performance of fruit farms?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    17. Juuso Pajasmaa & Kaisa Miettinen & Johanna Silvennoinen, 2025. "Group Decision Making in Multiobjective Optimization: A Systematic Literature Review," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 329-371, April.
    18. Zeng, Shouzhen & Zhou, Jiamin & Zhang, Chonghui & Merigó, José M., 2022. "Intuitionistic fuzzy social network hybrid MCDM model for an assessment of digital reforms of manufacturing industry in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    19. Salimi, Negin & Rezaei, Jafar, 2018. "Evaluating firms’ R&D performance using best worst method," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 147-155.
    20. Željko Stević & Irena Đalić & Dragan Pamučar & Zdravko Nunić & Slavko Vesković & Marko Vasiljević & Ilija Tanackov, 2019. "A new hybrid model for quality assessment of scientific conferences based on Rough BWM and SERVQUAL," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(1), pages 1-30, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dbj:trasus:v:1:y:2025:i:1:p:43-62. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tomas Balezentis (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://cpsa.lt/ts/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.