Clean hydrogen supply chain risks based on circular economy principles: A comparative decision-making framework with fuzzy information

The hydrogen Supply Chain (SC) greatly affects society, the environment, and the economy, making effective management crucial for sustainability. It can lower emissions, enhance energy security, and boost economic growth. Addressing risks and adopting Circular Economy (CE) principles can improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This study contributes by integrating CE principles into the hydrogen SC and provides a comparative fuzzy decision framework for identifying and prioritizing risks of hydrogen SC. To accurately analyze risks under uncertainty, a hybrid decision-making approach including the Fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (F-SWARA) and the Fuzzy Weighted Aggregates Sum-Product ASsessment (F-WASPAS) methods is developed. The sensitivity of different scenarios is also investigated, as is comparative analysis using various techniques for decision-making. The weighting results indicate a strong preference for access to financial resources (0.227), adoption of reverse SC procedures (0.154), and consideration of the rate of return on investment (0.148). The results of the prioritization revealed that the most important risks include long-term financial uncertainty, high investment in hydrogen process technology, and fluctuations in the cost of renewable electricity. Suggested solutions include government support frameworks, banking facilities, new financing tools, local equipment production, and support for knowledge-based companies.