Applications of advances in operations research methods to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a supply chain management environment: review and future direction of research

Evidence of the impact of climate change has increased in recent years, forcing supply chain management (SCM) entities to promote sustainability in their operations. Meanwhile, global nations promote their sustainable development goals (SDGs) as one of the most important indicators to achieve sustainability regardless of application. SCM is a complex phenomenon of decision-making, which becomes even more complex when SDGs are adopted in SCM. Despite the central importance of the topic, only a small number of studies have reported on decision-making methods to improve the adoption of SDGs in SCM. To explore the state-of-the-art knowledge of operations research methods (ORMs) and models, we present this important Annals of Operations Research (ANOR) special issue. To introduce the special issue, we review the existing literature on models and methods to promote sustainability in SCM effectively and establish some associated future research directions. The findings of this editorial paper, as well as the articles in the special issue, can be used by both researchers and practitioners to consolidate recent advances and practices for establishing ORMs and models in SCM for effective decision-making to adopt SDGs. Additionally, this special issue paves the way for a solid foundation of advanced methods.