Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-025-00418-z

REVIEW

The Impact of Emerging Blockchain Trends on Supply Chain

Management

Kadim Lahcen Nadime1 · Jamal Benhra1 · Rajaa Benabbou1 ·

Salma Mouatassim1

Received: 11 March 2024 / Accepted: 13 January 2025

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025

Abstract
Blockchain technology has rapidly emerged as a focal point of academic research
over the past 5 years, with a surge in publications exploring its nascent yet vast
potential. This systematic literature review thoroughly investigates the practical
applications of blockchain technology across diverse areas of supply chain manage-
ment, emphasizing the inherent uncertainties associated with its deployment and
operational integration. The review examines the current state of blockchain tech-
nology’s real-world implementations in various supply chain elds, while identi-
fying prevailing trends and the challenges associated with its adoption. Using the
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework
and Kitchenham guidelines for comprehensive data collection, the analysis employs
advanced bibliometric tools like CiteSpace and the Bibliometrix package in RStu-
dio to meticulously analyze a dataset of 137 peer-reviewed articles from the Scopus
database. The outcomes oer a robust understanding of the present and prospective
future applications of blockchain technology in supply chain management. The nd-
ings reveal an increasing trend toward adopting blockchain for enhancing traceabil-
ity, transparency, and security—recognized as its most coveted benets. However,
several challenges must be addressed before widespread adoption, such as lack of
standardization, scalability, and regulatory issues. A multi-stage decision framework
is proposed to help practitioners address key hurdles related to data accuracy, con-
dentiality, and interoperability. The conclusions drawn from this study can guide
businesses and researchers in understanding the practical applications of block-
chain in supply chain management and in preparing for the potential barriers to its
implementation.

Keywords Supply chain management · Blockchain · Systematic literature review ·

Real-world blockchain applications · Decentralized supply chain solutions

Extended author information available on the last page of the article

Vol.:(0123456789)
 24 Page 2 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

1 Introduction

Blockchain technology has garnered signicant attention in recent years as a poten-

tial solution for various issues in supply chain management, such as traceability,
transparency, and security. However, despite the increasing interest in applying
blockchain technology in supply chain management, there is a limited understanding
of real-world implementations and the associated challenges [1]. The true potential
of blockchain technology can only be fully realized through practical applications
and the assessment of its impact on various supply chain processes, and while block-
chain technology oers many advantages, it also presents new challenges and com-
plexities in terms of integration and implementation. This highlights the importance
of considering factors such as technical compatibility, regulatory compliance, and
organizational readiness before implementing blockchain in a supply chain [2].
A systematic literature review is an appropriate methodology to provide a com-
prehensive and up-to-date overview of the current state of blockchain adoption. The
present systematic literature review aims to investigate the current trends and chal-
lenges of real-world implementations of blockchain technology in the dierent elds
of supply chain management. The study will utilize established data collection and
analysis methods, including the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for System-
atic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines [3] and Kitchenham [4] methods and
bibliometric analysis software Bibliometrix [5] and CiteSpace [6], to identify and
analyze relevant literature from the Scopus database. This review will contribute to
advancing knowledge on the current state of blockchain adoption in supply chain
management and inform future research on the potential of blockchain technology to
address the challenges facing supply chain management.
The novelty of this paper lies in the fact that it leverages advanced bibliometric
methods and analysis software, oering a more nuanced and data-driven under-
standing of blockchain technology’s applications in supply chain management to
present a comprehensive, systematic literature review, distinct from prior studies
that predominantly focused on theoretical or limited empirical evaluations. The
time frame considered to analyze the trend of scientic publications on block-
chain and supply chain management is from 2017 to 2022. This time frame was
selected as it covers the most recent years of research, providing an up-to-date
overview of the eld’s current state. 2017 marked the emergence of increased
interest and investment in blockchain technology, making it an appropriate start-
ing point for the research journey in this eld. By 2022, the eld has had enough
time to mature and produce a signicant number of publications, providing
a comprehensive representation of the research activity in this eld. Addition-
ally, 5 years could be considered a reasonable time frame to study the trend of a
specic eld, as it is long enough to show a trend but not too long to make the
data irrelevant. This 5-year period is the most recent available and, therefore, the
most relevant to study the current state of the eld, as it covers the most recent
and updated information. The results of this bibliometric study provide valua-
ble insight into the current state of blockchain adoption in dierent supply chain
elds and can inform future research and development eorts in this area.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 3 of 35 24

This article is organized as follows: Sect. 2 provides a summary of the relevant

literature and current state of the art. Section 3 outlines the methodology used for
the systematic literature review. Section 4 presents the results of the review. In
Sect. 5, we discuss the implications of the results, identify gaps in the research, and
introduce a multi-stage decision framework. Finally, Sect. 6 concludes the article by
providing an overview of the study’s ndings.

2 Literature Review

Blockchain technology has existed for over a decade and a half; however, its wide-
spread adoption remains limited. This suggests the presence of barriers to adoption
that hinder the integration of blockchain into various industries. These barriers have
been examined by several studies throughout the years [7–10]. These barriers can
encompass technical, legal, social, and economic factors, but technological barriers
are the most critical [11]. Ensuring data reliability and security of blockchain sys-
tems and addressing security vulnerabilities in communication protocols should also
be investigated [12]. These barriers make it challenging for organizations to embrace
and integrate blockchain technology into their operations. A thorough understanding
of the interrelationships between the barriers to adopting blockchain technology can
facilitate the development of more eective strategies to overcome them [13].
Implementing blockchain technology in various supply chains can increase trace-
ability by creating a secure and transparent decentralized database. Reference [14]
illustrates how it can be done through a comprehensive review of the application
of blockchain technology in food traceability systems, which identies blockchain-
based solutions for addressing traceability concerns. Similarly, [15] classies the
available literature based on the various domains of blockchain-enabled SC trace-
ability systems. However, implementing blockchain technology within supply chain
management can also prove challenging, and assessing the likelihood of adoption
within a particular industry can be very useful. Reference [16] developed a predic-
tion model to help inform decision-making processes regarding blockchain adop-
tion in supply chain organizations. The decision to integrate the technology into the
supply chain can vary, with considerations such as cost-eectiveness and demand
volatility playing a signicant role in determining whether all parties or just one
party should undertake the integration [17]. It is imperative to assess these factors to
arrive at a strategic and optimal integration approach.
Nevertheless, multiple practitioners and academics are actively trying to achieve
real-world blockchain adoption in dierent industries [18–21]. Reference [22] ana-
lyzed real-world blockchain implementation in the Thai sh industry. They found
that blockchain promoted stakeholder collaboration, resulting in more resources
directed toward priority areas and eliminating environmentally harmful, illegal, or
unethical products from the food market, all while increasing consumers’ trust. Ref-
erence [23] combines Internet-of-Things and blockchain to build a prototype on the
Solana ecosystem to digitize information in a generic supply chain so that it can be
easily adapted to various specic supply chains. Another Ethereum-based prototype
aimed at improving the traceability and eciency of end-of-life vehicle processing
 24 Page 4 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

in the automotive industry was proposed by [24], built on circular economy princi-
ples, blockchain technology, and smart contracts. Eliminating third parties from the
agri-food supply chain is another area tackled by [25], designing and developing
a prototype using Hyperledger Fabric to provide transparency, traceability, quality,
and integrity throughout the entire supply chain process. The e-commerce indus-
try represents another domain where blockchain and smart contracts can drive sig-
nicant improvements. Reference [26] introduced a novel approach by presenting a
decentralized crowdsourced delivery application on the Ethereum blockchain. Their
solution leverages smart contracts for optimizing delivery processes, enhancing
transparency and trust, and managing veriable proofs of delivery and return, oer-
ing a transformative perspective on e-commerce logistics.
Additionally, blockchain technology has emerged as a particularly potent tool for
addressing the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises [27], espe-
cially in emerging countries [28]. Blockchain technology has been shown to sig-
nicantly enhance supply chain eciency in small and medium-sized enterprises,
leading to improved product delivery, increased transparency, and customer satisfac-
tion, while also reducing operational costs [29]. This technology equips SMEs with
greater adaptability and resilience, particularly important in evolving market dynam-
ics and regulatory environments.
Thus, it becomes clear that while blockchain presents a promising avenue for
operational improvement in SMEs, its integration demands a nuanced understand-
ing of its current state of adoption and the trends that facilitate this integration. This
research aims to provide this understanding by analyzing the patterns, challenges,
and opportunities of blockchain technology in supply chain management. By ana-
lyzing a diverse range of peer-reviewed articles and employing bibliometric analy-
sis, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of blockchain adoption,
elucidating the specic demands and contexts that shape its eective integration.
There is also a need for further development and testing of real-life solutions,
taking into account feasibility and cost considerations. This study also conducts
a thorough research of the most relevant solutions, identies valuable trends, and
evaluates each solution’s technical feasibility and potential impact. These solutions
were identied through pilot projects, proofs-of-concept (PoC), experiments, and
real-world testing, which will provide valuable insights and help identify any chal-
lenges or limitations that may arise. By considering these factors, practitioners and
development teams can make informed decisions and develop practical, cost-eec-
tive solutions that can make a real impact.

3 Methodology

The following methodology ensured a rigorous and systematic approach to the lit-
erature review process. It allowed for a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the
current state of blockchain implementation in supply chains. Kitchenham’s method
guided the review process (Fig. 1). It involved several stages, including planning
the review, drafting the research questions, conducting a comprehensive search for
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 5 of 35 24

Fig. 1 Implementation of Kitchenham and PRISMA

relevant literature, extracting data from the studies, analyzing and synthesizing the
results, and presenting the ndings.
While the PRISMA workow was used to collect the dataset and sort through the
literature (Fig. 2), the combination between Kitchenham and PRISMA involved the
following steps: identifying the research plan and research question, identifying rel-
evant studies, screening the studies based on predened criteria, assessing the qual-
ity of the studies, and extracting data from the studies to be discussed and reviewed.

3.1 Formulating the Research Questions

The research questions were formulated using the PICOC (population, intervention,
comparison, outcome, and context) criteria presented in Table 1.
Four research questions were formulated from the two objectives of the study,
which were (1) to summarize blockchain research and development trends in supply
chains and (2) to dene the current impact of blockchain technology research in sup-
ply chains and identify unexplored avenues (Table 2).
The research plan for the systematic literature review involves several key steps,
extracting the literature, identifying relevant studies, and creating a dataset. The
dataset is then evaluated using key metrics such as the most cited references, highest
publishing countries and journals, keywords, and other bibliometric indicators. Next
is identifying clusters of related studies within the dataset. These clusters will then
be reviewed to determine the overall state of the eld research and identify gaps and
areas for future research.
The PRISMA guidelines were used to extract the literature and conduct an ini-
tial screening of abstracts, followed by a full-text assessment for eligibility (Fig. 2).
A scientometric approach was used to review the resulting dataset. This process
involved using CiteSpace and Bibliometrix to analyze the literature and identify key
trends and themes in the research. The data were reviewed and analyzed to answer
the research questions, which involved summarizing the studies’ key ndings and
identifying the most common themes and trends in the research. The results were
 24 Page 6 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

Fig. 2 PRISMA ow chart

Table 1 PICOC criteria

Population Projects, companies, or academics interested in the eld of blockchain in supply chains
Intervention Overcoming the problems that arise in traditional centralized technologies
Comparison Technologies and platforms used to implement blockchain
Outcome Knowledge map, development trend, and inuencing factors for blockchain technology
Context Context of study is obtained from academia

synthesized and presented comprehensively. This involved presenting the ndings

clearly and concisely to illustrate the key themes and trends and providing a detailed
discussion of the implications of the ndings for future research and practice.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 7 of 35 24

Table 2 Objectives and research questions

Research objectives Research questions

Research and implementation trends RQ1: How does integrating blockchain technology (BCT) aug-
ment the functionality and ecacy of supply chain management?
RQ2: What are the current cutting-edge research and development
trends and key concepts surrounding the application of BCT
within supply chain management?
Impact of BCT and study gaps RQ3: What are the most inuential and transformative publica-
tions implementing BCT within supply chain management?
RQ4: What are the areas of ongoing interest and potential unex-
plored avenues in the literature surrounding the implementation
of BCT within supply chain management?

3.2 Data Collection

The publication dataset was collected from the Scopus database. The search process
employed predened keywords, resulting in 709 publications (Fig. 2). These initial
search results were then ltered according to specic inclusion criteria. Specically,
only peer-reviewed journal articles in English were retained for further analysis.
This process resulted in a dataset of 328 publications, which formed the basis for
our systematic literature review. By limiting the dataset to peer-reviewed journal
articles only, we can ensure that the sources used in the analysis are of high qual-
ity and have undergone rigorous evaluation. This approach also eliminates poten-
tial bias that may be introduced by including non-peer-reviewed sources and ensures
that the data is not diluted by including sources irrelevant to the research question or
eld of study. This choice of including only journal articles in the dataset is in line
with the best practices for conducting a systematic literature review and ensures that
the ndings of this review are reliable and robust.
A two-stage screening process was employed to ensure that the nal data-
set was composed of high-quality, relevant literature. Table 3 shows that the
rst stage consisted of an initial screening of the abstracts of the 328 articles,
which was carried out to lter out 55 articles irrelevant to the research ques-
tions proposed. The second stage involved a content assessment of the remaining

Table 3 Article inclusion criteria

Phase Inclusion criteria

Screening phase Topic is related to blockchain and supply chains or synonyms

Content with clear research title, abstract, and keywords
Full article accessed (or open accessed)
Peer-reviewed with a length of at least 4 pages
Eligibility identication phase Author proposes a case study, proof of concept, prototype, or experiment
Authors provide any real-world examples or data to support their analy-
sis of the case study
Study should not be exploratory in nature
 24 Page 8 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

273 articles, in which the full text of each article was reviewed to ensure that it
met the inclusion criteria for the eligibility phase and adequately addressed the
research questions.
After the two-stage screening process, 137 articles were included in the nal
dataset (Fig. 2). These articles were then analyzed in depth to comprehensively
and rigorously examine the current state of BCT implementation in supply chain
management. This methodology ensured that the nal dataset was composed of
high-quality, relevant literature, enabling a thorough analysis of the eld’s cur-
rent state of research. The results of this literature review provide insight into the
evolving nature of academic discourse surrounding blockchain and supply chain
management and highlight the need for continued research in this area.

4 Scientometric Analysis and Results

Our bibliometric study has revealed that 2020 marked the onset of exponential
growth in the volume of journal articles about blockchain and supply chain man-
agement (Fig. 3). This trend is evident through a signicant increase in publica-
tions from 2019 to 2020, with a marked decrease in the growth rate from 2020 to
2021 and 2022. These ndings suggest that 2020 was a pivotal point in the pro-
liferation of research in this eld, driven by increasing interest and investment in
the potential applications of blockchain technology in supply chain management.
These results provide insight into the evolving nature of academic discourse sur-
rounding blockchain and supply chain management and highlight the need for
continued research in this area.

Fig. 3 Documents by year

Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 9 of 35 24

Table 4 Top 10 countries Country Frequency

with the highest publication
frequency China 148
USA 51
Italy 43
India 39
UK 27
Australia 22
Brazil 13
Greece 13
France 11
Malaysia 10

Fig. 4 Top 5 countries production over time

4.1 Countries

According to the ndings of our bibliometric study, China is the leading country
in terms of the number of articles published in the eld of blockchain and supply
chain management (Table 4), with almost double the number of publications as
the USA, which comes in second place. Italy is third, followed by India, the UK,
and Australia. These ndings align with data about countries and territories by
the number of scientic publications in English, which also highlight China and
the USA as leaders in scientic publications. Figure 4 illustrates the production
of blockchain-related articles over time by the top ve contributing countries.
 24 Page 10 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

The concentration of research in a few countries, further highlighted by the fact

that the top 5 countries published 71% of the papers in the eld, is not uncommon
in scientic elds and may be a result of a variety of factors, such as the availability
of funding and research infrastructure, the level of expertise and experience in the
eld, and the level of interest and engagement among researchers and practitioners.

4.2 Journals

Table 5 lists the top 10 publishing journals and provides a comprehensive overview
of the most active journals in blockchain and supply chain management. “IEEE
Access” and “Sustainability” are the top journals that have published the most
papers, with eleven and ten papers representing a signicant proportion of the total
number of publications. “Computers and Industrial Engineering” and “Interna-
tional Journal of Production Research” have also been active in the eld, publishing
ve papers each. “Applied Sciences” also contributed to the eld by publishing four
papers. These ve journals constitute 41% of the publishing journals and are among
the most inuential journals in the eld.
According to the bibliometric study, the majority (~ 72%) of articles in the top
5 journals were published in 2021 and 2022. This trend aligns with previous nd-
ings, with much of the new research and development conducted in the last 2 years.
An exception to this trend is the “International Journal of Production Research,” in
which 4 out of 5 articles were published in 2020, indicating that this journal had a
strong presence in the eld in 2020 compared to the other journals.

4.3 Most Cited References

Table 6 presents a list of articles that are cited more than ve times by articles within
our dataset. The table includes ve articles, representing a small but signicant sub-
set of the publications in the eld, as they have been deemed to have contributed
signicantly to the research and knowledge in the eld.

Table 5 Top 10 publishing Journal Citation count

journals
IEEE Access 11
Sustainability (Switzerland) 10
Computers and Industrial Engineering 5
International Journal of Production Research 5
Applied Sciences (Switzerland) 4
ACM Transactions on Internet Technology 3
Automation in Construction 3
Electronics (Switzerland) 3
Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 3
Security and Communication Networks 3
 Operations Research Forum

Table 6 Top 5 most cited references

Reference Authors Title Citations
(2025) 6:24

[30] Toyoda et al., 2017 A Novel Blockchain-Based Product Ownership Management System (POMS) for 10
Anti-Counterfeits in the Post Supply Chain
[31] Christidis & Devetsikiotis, 2016 Blockchains and Smart Contracts for the Internet of Things 8
[32] Lin et al., 2019 Food Safety Traceability System Based on Blockchain and EPCIS 7
[33] Salah et al., 2019 Blockchain-Based Soybean Traceability in Agricultural Supply Chain 7
[34] Perboli et al., 2018 Blockchain in Logistics and Supply Chain: A Lean Approach for Designing Real- 6
World Use Cases
Page 11 of 35
24
 24 Page 12 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

The most cited reference [30] is also the most cited document in our dataset.
The author proposes a product ownership management system (POMS), which is
intended to provide a way for consumers to verify the authenticity of products and
for manufacturers to track the distribution of their products, all while eliminating
counterfeit risks, using smart contracts. The innovative approach was published
around the time when smart contracts and blockchain technology rst started to gain
mainstream attention. Additionally, the authors were among the rst to propose a
blockchain-based solution to counterfeiting, making the paper stand out and more
likely to be cited. Similarly, the second most cited reference paper [31], in which the
authors propose a blockchain-based platform for managing the interactions between
Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices to automate time-consuming tasks, was met with
the same level of interest as it ties deeply with supply chain, even though only briey
mentioned in the article. The authors’ proposal of combining blockchain technol-
ogy and IoT for supply chain management was highlighted by many in our dataset
[35–37] due to its potential to improve visibility and increase traceability in various
industries. Reference [32] is the third most cited reference. The proposed system
aims to address the issues of food safety and traceability issues by using blockchain
technology to create tamper-proof records of food products throughout the supply
chain.

4.4 Keyword Analysis

A keyword analysis was conducted using the Bibliometrix package in RStudio. The
keyword analysis provided data on the frequency of specic keywords in the litera-
ture and revealed trends and patterns in their usage. The results provided insight into
the trends and patterns in using these keywords. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the keyword
co-occurrence network visually represents the relationships between the keywords.

Fig. 5 Keyword co-occurrence network

Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 13 of 35 24

It gives a quick overview of the most frequently discussed concepts in the literature
about blockchain adoption in supply chains.
Table 7 shows that smart contracts are a key factor in implementing blockchain
technology in supply chains. Additionally, the ranking of “Traceability” as the sec-
ond highest keyword suggests that academics view this as an essential aspect of
blockchain adoption in supply chains. The “Internet of Things” ranking as the third
highest keyword suggests that academics believe combining blockchain technology
with the Internet of Things could play a signicant role in achieving traceability
in supply chains. The appearance of “Industry 4.0” in the keyword analysis results
indicates a growing interest among academics in using cutting-edge technologies,
such as IoT and blockchain, to optimize supply chains. Furthermore, “Ethereum”
appears to be slightly more popular than “Hyperledger Fabric” among academ-
ics when implementing blockchain in supply chains. The reason for this popular-
ity could be related to the benets that Ethereum oers. Additionally, keywords
related to sustainability and transparency suggest that these are integral aspects of
blockchain adoption in supply chains. These keywords highlight the current focus of
research and industry interest in blockchain and supply chains.

4.5 Document Co‑citation Analysis

A document co-citation analysis was conducted using CiteSpace on the 137 journal
articles to identify their co-citation relationships, that is, which articles were fre-
quently cited together. These relationships were then used to cluster the articles into
dierent themes. The clustering process in CiteSpace is based on social network
analysis, where each article is considered a node, and the co-citation relationships
between articles are represented as edges. The resulting network (Fig. 6) is then
analyzed to identify clusters of highly interconnected articles with a similar citation
pattern.
By reviewing the articles with the highest coverage score, we identied the dif-
ferent solutions proposed for blockchain implementation in supply chains and clas-
sied them according to the dierent themes. This allowed us to comprehensively

Table 7 Top keywords in the Keyword Rank

literature
Smart contract 0.0715
Traceability 0.0562
Internet of Things 0.0508
Industry 4.0 0.0323
Distributed Ledger Technology 0.0234
Ethereum 0.0166
Sustainability 0.0162
Transparency 0.0152
Hyperledger Fabric 0.0143
 24 Page 14 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

Fig. 6 Document co-citation network

understand the state-of-the-art in this eld and review the literature from dierent
perspectives.

4.5.1 Cluster Analysis

To identify meaningful structures in networks and gain insights into the underlying
relationships between nodes in the network, clustering was performed using a mod-
ularity optimization method, which measures the quality of the clusters based on
the density of connections within clusters relative to connections between clusters.
The modularity score was optimized by repeatedly tweaking the g-index value (fac-
tor k), running the algorithm multiple times with dierent values of k, and selecting
the value of k that resulted in the highest modularity score. By optimizing the value
of k, the best possible result in terms of the modularity score and the quality of the
clustering was achieved. This process helped us to gain a deeper understanding of
the underlying structure of the network and the relationships between nodes and to
identify meaningful clusters of co-cited references in the eld of blockchain integra-
tion in supply chains. The document co-citation analysis returned nine clusters. The
average modularity score was 0.8254, indicating a high quality of clustering and a
robust partitioning of the references into coherent clusters. Additionally, the aver-
age silhouette score was 0.88, indicating a high degree of similarity within clusters
and dierentiation between clusters, further supporting the validity of the clustering
results.
Table 8 shows the signicant clusters with the highest coverage score. The cover-
age score in CiteSpace represents the number of times an article has been cited by
other articles in the same cluster. Articles with high coverage scores are considered
to have a signicant inuence on the cluster and, hence, on the theme they belong
to.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 15 of 35 24

Table 8 Clusters content and No Coverage Reference Representative authors

coverage score
Cluster #0 0.18 [38] Kamran et al., 2021
0.16 [39] Cao et al., 2022
0.13 [40] de Carvalho et al., 2022
0.13 [41] Liu et al., 2021
0.13 [36] Hrouga et al., 2022
0.12 [42] Liu et al., 2022
0.12 [43] Arunmozhi et al., 2022
Cluster #1 0.23 [44] Casino et al., 2021
0.17 [45] Helo & Shamsuzzoha, 2020
0.13 [46] Sunny et al., 2020
0.11 [47] Ding et al., 2020
Cluster #2 0.34 [48] Tozanlı et al., 2020
0.17 [49] Suhail et al., 2020
0.15 [50] Bullón Pérez et al., 2020
0.11 [51] Rahmanzadeh et al., 2020
0.10 [37] Mazzei et al., 2020
Cluster #3 0.22 [52] Hamledari & Fischer, 2021
0.16 [53] Lu et al., 2021
0.12 [35] Pincheira et al., 2022
0.10 [54] Ada et al., 2021
Cluster #4 0.15 [55] Madhwal et al., 2022
0.10 [56] Cocco et al., 2021
0.10 [57] Kraft & Kellner, 2022
Cluster #5 0.54 [58] Jamil et al., 2019
Cluster #6 0.32 [59] Notheisen et al., 2017
Cluster #7 0.48 [60] Engelenburg et al., 2019
Cluster #8 0.21 [30] Toyoda et al., 2017

Appendix 1 summarizes the proposed solutions in the literature, the prob-

lems, the implementation method, and the reported results. The articles in each
cluster were then reviewed to identify the dierent solutions proposed for block-
chain implementation in supply chains. A sample from Appendix 1 is presented
in Table 9.

4.5.2 Burst Detection

Burst detection analysis was conducted using CiteSpace to identify the most
inuential publications in the eld (Table 10). This method allowed for the iden-
tication of publications that have drawn a signicant amount of attention from
researchers, indicating their impact and potential importance in the eld.
 24
Page 16 of 35

Table 9 Summary of articles ndings (sample of Appendix 1)

No Reference Industry Problem area Nature of implementation Platform used Reported results

Cluster #0 [38] Health-care Logistics operations Theoretical model/framework Ethereum Increased security
[39] Agri-food Supply chain governance Real-case deployment Ethereum Reduced costs
[40] Fresh-cut owers Supply chain optimization Theoretical model/framework Not specied Increased prot margin
[41] Automobile Supply chain cost and energy wast- Test deployment Not specied Reduced costs and waste
age
[36] Drug supply chain Supply chain traceability Test deployment Hyperledger Increased traceability and visibility
[42] Waste treatment Reverse supply chain Theoretical model/framework Not specied Increased traceability and visibility
[43] General purpose Supply chain security Prototype Hyperledger Increased security without compro-
mise
Cluster #1 [44] General purpose Supply chain visibility Pilot implementation Ethereum Improved logistics operations
Operations Research Forum
(2025) 6:24
 Operations Research Forum

Table 10 Citation bursts

(2025) 6:24

Reference Authors Title Year Strength Duration

[61] Caro et al., 2018 Blockchain-based traceability in Agri-Food supply chain management: A practical 2018 1.46 1 year (2020)
implementation
[62] Helo & Hao, 2019 Blockchains in operations and supply chains: A model and reference implementation 2019 1.41 From 2021
[63] Aung & Chang, 2014 Traceability in a food supply chain: Safety and quality perspectives 2014 1.33 1 year (2020)
[64] Wood, n.d ETHEREUM: A secure decentralised generalised transaction ledger EIP-150 2014 1.31 From 2021
[65] Kshetri, 2018 Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives 2018 1.31 From 2021
Page 17 of 35
24
 24 Page 18 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

5 Discussion

Over the past several years, research on blockchain technology in supply chain
management (SCM) has demonstrated considerable evolution, shifting from ini-
tial proofs-of-concept to more mature applications. The results of this systematic
literature review have demonstrated that the implementation of blockchain tech-
nology has been attempted in a wide range of industries, including agriculture,
automotive, and more. A signicant factor in the success of these implementa-
tions is the utilization of smart contracts. The research has predominantly concen-
trated on the implementation of blockchain technology in the context of supply
chain management, with a particular emphasis on examining how this technology
augments its operational eectiveness and eciency. Chronologically, one can
observe an increasing focus on traceability, eciency, and stakeholder trust.

5.1 Early Foundations and Initial Applications (2017–2018)

The earliest academic eorts to integrate blockchain in supply chain management

predominantly highlighted anti-counterfeiting measures, product authenticity, and
secure ownership transfer. For instance, in 2017, researchers demonstrated how
blockchain ledgers could be employed to track goods transfers and mitigate prod-
uct cloning, particularly in post-supply-chain contexts [30]. Over the same period,
adaptable frameworks emerged to underscore the role of blockchain in enabling
transparent and tamper-proof product traceability, which laid the groundwork for
more specialized proofs-of-concept [66]. By 2018, studies on pharmaceutical
supply chain improvements expanded the focus by arguing that cryptographically
secured ledgers could address the proliferation of falsied and substandard drugs,
thus illustrating the practical benets of blockchain’s immutable data trail [67].

5.2 Emergence of Broader Use Cases (2019–2020)

Subsequent research deepened blockchain’s role beyond authenticity to include

eciency and visibility. For instance, one strand of work in 2019 explored block-
chain-based supply chain solutions in smart healthcare, showing how records and
transactions (e.g., on drug stock levels) could be streamlined under a decentral-
ized model [58]. In parallel, researchers examined the integration of the Internet
of Things (IoT) with blockchain to fortify traceability and real-time monitoring
of goods movement [46]. Meanwhile, blockchain-based smart contracts oered
automated triggers for billing, custom declarations, and warehouse monitoring,
substantially reducing administrative overhead [68]. By 2020, these pilot imple-
mentations emphasized blockchain’s capacity to unify multiple stakeholders—
including distributors, logistics partners, and end retailers—on shared, secure
platforms that improved both real-time data sharing and quality assurance [45].
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 19 of 35 24

However, concerns about scalability and fragmented governance structures began

to surface, signaling the need for more robust frameworks.

5.3 Integrating Sustainability and Advanced Governance (2020–2021)

As blockchain applications became more sophisticated, scholars increasingly exam-

ined their environmental and social impacts across global supply chain ecosystems.
For instance, some pointed out that implementing blockchain purely for data tracea-
bility does not suce if major stakeholders (e.g., small farmers or local distributors)
are excluded or if the technology’s energy demands undermine sustainability goals
[69]. Moreover, potential mismatches between blockchain’s transparency ethos and
the privacy requirements for sensitive corporate or consumer information fueled
new governance discussions [22]. This phase of research also spotlighted emerg-
ing multi-stakeholder and consortium-driven models, in which governance protocols
were co-developed among participants, thereby distributing trust and costs more
evenly.

5.4 Recent Focus on Interoperability, Trust, and Value Realization (2022–Present)

From 2022 onward, studies have adopted a more critical perspective, emphasiz-
ing how blockchain can strengthen trust in established relationships and gener-
ate measurable value for supply chain partners [70]. Some have introduced “green
blockchain” solutions, optimized to reduce energy consumption or transaction fees,
thereby reconciling sustainability targets with decentralized data sharing [71]. In
parallel, real-life case studies—in industries such as coee, wine, and dairy—high-
light how rigorous blockchain-based traceability fosters consumer trust and product
dierentiation in competitive markets. Yet, many of these pilots underscore the chal-
lenge of scaling from a localized setting to more complex, global networks that typi-
cally feature a wide array of enterprise resource planning tools and legacy systems.

5.5 Challenges in Blockchain‑Enabled Supply Chains

Despite notable progress, three interrelated challenges continue to impede wide-

spread adoption. First, guaranteeing high-quality input data—particularly when data
originates from dierent stakeholders—remains problematic: on-chain immutability
is meaningless if the data themselves are inaccurate. Second, balancing privacy and
transparency requires rened approaches, especially when proprietary or personal
data are at stake. Third, interoperability with existing systems and cross-platform
standards is still lacking, hindering the seamless ow of information throughout the
chain.
Given these persistent hurdles—(1) data integrity, (2) privacy–transparency
tradeos, and (3) interoperability—there is a clear need for a systematic decision
framework to guide both strategic and operational choices. Rather than viewing
blockchain adoption as a one-o technology deployment, a robust framework sup-
ports organizations in:
 24 Page 20 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

• Identifying the most relevant applications for their particular supply chain sce-
nario
• Quantifying and prioritizing constraints across people, processes, and technol-
ogy layers
• Minimizing costly trial-and-error by laying out key steps, from initial problem
scoping to post-deployment monitoring
• Facilitating collaboration among stakeholders, such as suppliers, regulators,
third-party logistics providers, and customers

A decision framework thus makes blockchain adoption more deliberate and con-
text-sensitive, ensuring that companies maximize the benets of immutability, trans-
parency, and security, while simultaneously respecting data ownership rights and
avoiding interoperability pitfalls.

5.6 Multi‑stage Blockchain Decision Framework

To address these challenges, we present a multi-stage, constraint-driven decision

framework for integrating blockchain technology into supply chain operations
(Fig. 7). The framework ensures that all stakeholders—ranging from small suppli-
ers to major logistics hubs—are systematically guided through crucial steps and that
data-centric, privacy, and interoperability requirements are deliberately factored into
each phase. Below is an overview of the framework’s main stages:

5.6.1 Stage 1: Problem Denition and Scope Clarication

This stage establishes the foundational objectives of the blockchain initiative and
claries the key constraints, such as data requirements, stakeholder roles, and com-
pliance mandates. The goal is to formulate a clear problem statement that aligns
with the supply chain’s unique challenges and regulatory context.

(A) Identify the primary challenge

(a) Is the organization seeking to improve traceability (e.g., verifying product

authenticity or origin)?
(b) Is there a transparency decit in multi-tier supplier networks?
(c) Are security breaches or counterfeits frequent?

(B) Map stakeholders and data ows

(a) Create a stakeholder matrix (including suppliers, 3PL providers, auditors,

and regulators)
(b) Document who generates which data, who needs access, and which points
in the chain remain opaque or prone to tampering

(C) Dene initial constraints

Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 21 of 35 24

Fig. 7 Multi-stage blockchain decision framework

 24 Page 22 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

(a) Regulatory requirements: Data privacy mandates (e.g., personal health data
in pharmaceutical supply chains) and import/export regulations
(b) Infrastructure readiness: Digital literacy and connectivity among supply
chain partners, availability of IoT devices
(c) Throughput needs: Anticipated transaction volumes (e.g., mass consumer
goods vs. specialized high-value products)

Deliverable: A concise problem statement and constraint list that delineates the
scope for blockchain adoption.

5.6.2 Stage 2: Feasibility and Architecture Selection

Having identied specic challenges and constraints, this stage focuses on selecting
an appropriate blockchain platform and designing a high-level system architecture
to support the desired functionalities. The goal is to ensure that the chosen platform
and overall technical structure address performance, security, and data-management
requirements.

(A) Blockchain platform assessment

(a) Permissionless vs. permissioned: Evaluate whether a public chain (e.g.,

Ethereum) is suitable for industry-wide trust, or a consortium approach
(e.g., Hyperledger Fabric) is more appropriate for privacy and governance
(b) Consensus mechanisms: Match your throughput, latency, and energy con-
straints with an appropriate consensus (e.g., Practical Byzantine Fault Tol-
erance or PBFT for faster nality, proof of authority or PoA for controlled
environments, or alternative protocols that reduce overhead)

(B) Data model and ow requirements

(a) On-chain vs. o-chain: Decide which data must be stored fully on-chain
(critical ownership records or product pedigree) vs. o-chain or side-chain
(bulk IoT sensor data) to balance storage costs and performance
(b) Smart contract design: Outline the logic—e.g., for automated purchase
orders, quality approvals, or dynamic shipment rerouting. Ensure it meets
the security auditing standards needed

(C) Constraint integration

(a) Scalability: If transaction volumes exceed 100–200 TPS, consider a side-

chain approach or batch transaction strategies to avoid bottlenecks
(b) Privacy: Incorporate cryptographic techniques (e.g., zero-knowledge
proofs, permissioned channels) for sensitive data elds
(c) Cost model: Account for platform licensing, consensus overhead, and
potential tokenization or transaction fees
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 23 of 35 24

Deliverable: A high-level architectural blueprint specifying blockchain

platform(s), o-chain/on-chain division of data, and consensus protocols aligned
with identied constraints.

5.6.3 Stage 3: Governance and Collaboration Model

This stage denes how stakeholders collaborate on operational rules, data owner-
ship, and decision rights, while embedding robust security and privacy measures.
The goal is to build a governance model and security blueprint that instills trust and
protects sensitive information across all involved parties.

(A) Multi-stakeholder governance

(a) Dene a consortium structure if using a permissioned platform. Clarify

roles:

(i) Validators (major suppliers, key logistics partners)

(ii) Auditors (third-party or regulatory bodies)
(iii) Observers (downstream buyers, consumers)

(b) Build incentive mechanisms to secure active participation (tokenized

rewards, membership benets)

(B) Smart contract auditing and dispute resolution

(a) Establish a three-stage auditing process (design-time validation → test-net

simulation → nal code review)
(b) Integrate on-chain oracles or external data feeds to cross-check real-world
events
(c) Design dispute resolution workows (e.g., a temporary on-chain “arbitra-
tion contract” triggered when product quality data is contested)

(C) Regulatory compliance

(a) Enforce role-based, ne-grained access control to respect data privacy

requirements (HIPAA in healthcare, GDPR in Europe, etc.)
(b) Provide data retention or purge policies aligning with local legislation

Deliverable: A governance charter, specifying membership, roles, data access

policies, audit routines, and legal compliance guidelines.

5.6.4 Stage 4: Phased Implementation and Pilot Rollout

After establishing the governance and technical foundations, this stage tests the
blockchain solution on a smaller scale, gathering feedback for improvements. The
 24 Page 24 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

goal is to validate real-world performance, user adoption, and data accuracy before
scaling to full production.

(A) Pilot with limited scope

(a) Select a specic product line or a limited set of SKUs (e.g., a high-value
drug or an organic produce line)
(b) Test in a single region or distribution channel rst, ensuring minimal risk
and simpler compliance oversight

(B) Iterative testing and renement

(a) Monitor key performance metrics: transaction throughput, data accuracy,

cost per transaction, user adoption rates
(b) Incorporate a feedback loop: rene smart contracts, adjust node congura-
tions, or add new consortium members as needed

(C) Scaling strategy

(a) Extend from local pilot to multiple regions or additional product lines once
performance benchmarks are met
(b) Plan for incremental integration with existing ERP systems (APIs, mid-
dleware solutions) to avoid disruption

Deliverable: Operational pilot results capturing lessons learned, performance

metrics, and readiness for broader scaling.

5.6.5 Stage 5: Continuous Monitoring and Future Enhancements

Finally, as the solution gains traction, this stage emphasizes continuous audits, plat-
form upgrades, and the incorporation of advanced analytics. The goal is to maintain
system resilience and relevance over time through ongoing governance adjustments
and technology enhancements.

(A) On-chain analytics and predictive insights

(a) Integrate machine learning or AI modules that leverage on-chain data to

predict disruptions (e.g., shipping delays or inventory shortfalls)
(b) Move toward real-time traceability dashboards for each stakeholder, provid-
ing actionable intelligence

(B) Periodic security and performance audits

(a) Conduct scheduled pentests of nodes, consensus layers, and smart contracts
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 25 of 35 24

(b) Reassess TPS, latency, and data storage overhead as transaction volumes
grow

(C) Governance evolution

(a) Revisit membership criteria or reallocate roles as new partners join or exist-
ing partners expand usage
(b) Adjust tokenization rewards or penalty structures to retain collaborative
compliance

Deliverable: A continuous improvement plan ensuring that the blockchain imple-

mentation remains robust, cost-eective, and fully aligned with evolving business
and regulatory demands.
The framework presented oers signicant advantages and practical utility for
supply chain management. It is designed to be constraint-driven, incorporating
essential factors such as throughput limitations, privacy mandates, o-chain data
handling, and stakeholder engagement. This multi-stage blockchain decision frame-
work equips practitioners with a concrete roadmap—from scoping critical problems
to integrating advanced analytics—thereby tackling the core concerns of traceabil-
ity, transparency, and security. By systematically adhering to the listed constraints
and guidelines, supply chain stakeholders can condently adopt blockchain solu-
tions tailored to their unique domain while ensuring compliance, performance, and
value realization.

5.7 Evolving Trends, Platforms, and Future Directions in Blockchain Adoption

In recent years, the academic exploration of blockchain technology (BCT) has rap-
idly evolved, moving beyond small-scale proofs-of-concept toward more integrated
architectures that leverage diverse platforms and emerging Industry 4.0 tools. This
expansion of interest reects blockchain’s perceived potential to optimize supply
chains, enforce traceability, and ensure security in various domains.
Results also suggest that the adoption of blockchain technology in academia is
swiftly progressing. Alongside this, the trends and technologies used in blockchain
implementations were also observed. It was found that the two dominant platforms
on which academics build their blockchain implementations and develop smart con-
tracts for proofs-of-concept are Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. Ethereum has
been favored for its exibility, transparency, and open-source nature. Hyperledger
Fabric, on the other hand, oers enhanced privacy and security features, making it
an attractive option for businesses with specic security requirements. Other cut-
ting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) were also found to be of
great importance, enabling real-world traceability using sensors and tags. By com-
bining blockchain with IoT, secure and tamper-proof systems can be created for sup-
ply chain management, logistics, and healthcare—among other applications.
 24 Page 26 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

Looking ahead, future research should emphasize robust and scalable blockchain
architectures that can exibly integrate IoT and articial intelligence while uphold-
ing condentiality and regulatory requirements across diverse international settings.
Such development addresses a major current gap in scalability, as most existing
blockchain implementations remain limited to small-scale pilots. From the outset,
planners must consider throughput constraints, data storage capacity, and govern-
ance structures to handle expansion without sacricing security or performance.
Strong governance models are also vital so that complex, multi-tiered supply chains
receive the oversight needed to function smoothly under blockchain-enabled sys-
tems. Moreover, the principles and architectures developed in the blockchain and
supply chain literature can extend to additional high-potential domains where real-
time data and security are paramount. For instance, one study proposes optimizing
last-mile delivery networks using mixed electric vehicles and UAVs [72], a scenario
in which secure, veriable logistics and coordination could benet signicantly from
blockchain-based recordkeeping and trust mechanisms. Another line of research
underscores the importance of data-driven predictive frameworks—such as articial
neural networks and recurrent models for nancial time series [73]—which could
be integrated into blockchain platforms to ensure the integrity and provenance of
the underlying datasets used for advanced analytics. Both approaches illustrate that
blockchain’s core attributes—transparency, immutability, and decentralized govern-
ance—are valuable well beyond the familiar scopes of the literature, holding prom-
ise for enhanced eciency, reliability, and security in emerging application areas.
It is also important to note that while there has been a signicant amount of
research on the implementation of BCT within supply chain management, most
of these implementations have been done on a small scale. As highlighted in [74],
blockchain integration within supply chains involves complex challenges at global,
business, and customer levels, making scalability a critical factor from the outset
of any implementation. Therefore, any proof-of-concept or prototype that is being
proposed needs to be scalable for widespread adoption in the future. It is essential to
conduct more research and analysis to assess the feasibility of turning these small-
scale applications into larger-scale ones that can facilitate widespread adoption of
the technology. To achieve scalability, it may be necessary to consider the technical
requirements of a large-scale implementation, including network performance and
capacity, data storage, and data processing requirements. Additionally, the govern-
ance structure of the system should be carefully designed to ensure that it can sup-
port the needs of a large and complex supply chain.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 27 of 35 24

6 Conclusion

Blockchain and supply chain management have experienced a substantial increase in

research activity in recent years. This systematic literature review provides a com-
prehensive analysis of the current state of blockchain technology adoption in supply
chain management. Through the utilization of bibliometric analysis, a trend analysis
of the literature published between 2017 and 2022 shows an exponential growth in
the number of publications on the topic. The study identied a growing interest in
blockchain technology adoption in supply chains, with various applications such as
traceability, transparency, and security.
Established knowledge from this systematic literature review suggests that smart
contracts are the most frequently used and discussed aspect of blockchain adoption
in supply chains, followed by traceability, the Internet of Things, and Industry 4.0.
The review identied Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric as the dominant platforms
for building blockchain implementations, with the IoT being a crucial technology
to ensure real-world traceability. However, the ndings also highlight that several
challenges must be addressed before widespread adoption, such as lack of standardi-
zation, scalability, and regulatory issues. The results of this study provide valuable
insight into the current state of blockchain adoption in dierent supply chain elds
and can inform future research and development eorts in this area. However, fur-
ther development and testing of real-life solutions, taking into account feasibility
and cost considerations, is still needed. More studies and implementations pertain-
ing to the development and implementation of BCT within supply chain manage-
ment should consider technical and logistical factors, to ensure that the blockchain
systems can achieve widespread adoption and deliver the intended benets.
As we have explored the various applications and challenges of blockchain tech-
nology in supply chain management, it is important to recognize areas that have not
been extensively covered in the current literature. One such area is the application
of blockchain in urban logistics and last-mile deliveries. This systematic literature
review has identied a signicant gap in this regard. Urban logistics, character-
ized by its unique complexities such as trac congestion and environmental con-
cerns, along with the critical role of last-mile deliveries in the supply chain, pre-
sents a fertile ground for blockchain applications. Despite the substantial potential
for blockchain to revolutionize these sectors, their exploration remains limited. This
uncharted territory oers a promising direction for future research, particularly in
understanding how blockchain technology could optimize and enhance the e-
ciency of urban logistics and last-mile delivery systems.
 24 Page 28 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

Appendix 1. Summary of Findings in Cluster Articles

No Reference Industry Problem area Nature of Platform used Reported

implementa- results
tion

Cluster #0 [38] Health-care Logistics Theoretical Ethereum Increased

operations model/ security
framework
[39] Agri-food Supply chain Real-case Ethereum Reduced costs
governance deployment
[40] Fresh-cut Supply chain Theoretical Not specied Increased prot
owers optimiza- model/ margin
tion framework
[41] Automobile Supply chain Test deploy- Not specied Reduced costs
cost and ment and waste
energy
wastage
[36] Drug supply Supply chain Test deploy- Hyperledger Increased
chain traceability ment traceability
and visibility
[42] Waste treat- Reverse sup- Theoretical Not specied Increased
ment ply chain model/ traceability
framework and visibility
[43] General Supply chain Prototype Hyperledger Increased secu-
purpose security rity without
compromise
Cluster #1 [44] General Supply chain Pilot imple- Ethereum Improved
purpose visibility mentation logistics
operations
[45] Dairy sector Supply chain Test deploy- Ethereum Increased trust,
traceability ment eciency,
quality and
resilience
[46] Pharma-chain Supply chain Prototype Ethereum Increased
traceability traceability
and transpar-
ency
[47] General Supply chain Experimental Hyperledger Increased
purpose trace- simulation traceability
ability and and security
government
participa-
tion
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 29 of 35 24

No Reference Industry Problem area Nature of Platform used Reported

implementa- results
tion
Cluster #2 [48] OEM sector Supply chain Simulated Not specied Real-time
pricing experiment visibility and
policy traceability
[49] Electronics Supply chain Test deploy- IOTA Reduced
provenance ment counterfeit
products
[50] Textile Supply chain Theoretical Not specied Increased
traceability model/ garment
framework traceability
[51] Open Innova- Supply chain Theoretical Not specied Intellectual
tion cost model/ property pro-
framework tection and
decreased
supply chain
cost
[37] Manufactur- Real-time Proof-of- Ethereum Increased
ing asset track- concept security and
ing and visibility
monitoring
Cluster #3 [52] Construction Supply chain Experimental Ethereum Increased
nance simulation synchroniza-
tion between
physical and
nancial sup-
ply chain
[53] Construction Supply chain Prototype Hyperledger Increased data
data accu- deployment integrity and
racy removed
single points
of failure
[35] Agri-food Supply chain Experimental Ethereum and Hyperledger
cost simulation Hyperledger was cheaper
to operate
by Ethereum
was more
reliable
[54] Automobile Supply chain Small-scale Hyperledger Improved wait-
traceability implemen- ing time and
and waiting tation decreased
time costs
 24 Page 30 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

No Reference Industry Problem area Nature of Platform used Reported

implementa- results
tion
Cluster #4 [55] Agri-food Supply chain Theoretical Ethereum Reduced
cost and model/ information
perfor- framework asymmetry
mance and transac-
tion costs
[56] Agri-food Supply chain Real-world Ethereum Increased
transpar- deployment transparency
ency and and product
governance quality
[57] Agri-food Supply chain Small-scale Hyperledger Increased
fraud implemen- transparency
tation and decrease
in corruption
Cluster #5 [58] Pharma-chain Supply chain Experimental Hyperledger Increased
fraud simulation system per-
formance and
transaction
security
Cluster #6 [59] Automobile Supply chain Prototype Ethereum Increased trust
transpar- deployment and reduced
ency transaction
risks
Cluster #7 [60] General Supply chain Theoretical Not specied Improved
purpose compliance model/ security of
to law framework information
sharing
Cluster #8 [30] General Post-supply Prototype Ethereum Decrease of
purpose chain trans- deployment counterfeit
parency and products
visibility

Acknowledgements This work was conducted as part of the MILEX project and greatly beneted from
the unwavering support of the Hassan II University of Casablanca, Ecole Centrale Casablanca, and
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The collaborative and constructive involvement of these institu-
tions played a pivotal role in the successful realization of this work, and we express our profound grati-
tude for their invaluable contributions throughout the research process. Thanks are also due to the refer-
ees for their valuable comments.

Author Contribution This manuscript represents a unied endeavor by all authors, who have contributed
equally to its creation. K.L.N., J.B., R.B., and S.M., each played integral roles across the spectrum of the
manuscript’s development. This includes the conception and design of the study, the acquisition, analysis,
and interpretation of data, drafting the article, and revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Data Availability No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Declarations
Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 31 of 35 24

References
1. Chowdhury S, Rodriguez-Espindola O, Dey P, Budhwar P (2022) Blockchain technology adop-
tion for managing risks in operations and supply chain management: evidence from the UK. Ann
Oper Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-021-04487-1
2. Hastig GM, Sodhi MS (2020) Blockchain for supply chain traceability: business requirements
and critical success factors. Prod Oper Manag 29:935–954. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13147
3. Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzla J, Mulrow C, Gøtzsche PC, Ioannidis JPA, Clarke M, Devereaux
PJ, Kleijnen J, Moher D (2009) The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and
meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration. J
Clin Epidemiol 62:e1–e34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.06.006
4. Kitchenham B, Pearl Brereton O, Budgen D, Turner M, Bailey J, Linkman S (2009) Systematic
literature reviews in software engineering – a systematic literature review. Inf Softw Technol
51:7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2008.09.009
5. Aria M, Cuccurullo C (2017) Bibliometrix: an R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analy-
sis. J Informetr 11:959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
6. Chen C (2006) CiteSpace II: detecting and visualizing emerging trends and transient patterns in
scientic literature. J Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 57:359–377. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20317
7. Saberi S, Kouhizadeh M, Sarkis J, Shen L (2019) Blockchain technology and its relationships
to sustainable supply chain management. Int J Prod Res 57:2117–2135. https://doi.org/10.1080/
00207543.2018.1533261
8. Yadav VS, Singh AR, Raut RD, Govindarajan UH (2020) Blockchain technology adoption bar-
riers in the Indian agricultural supply chain: an integrated approach. Resour Conserv Recycl
161:104877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104877
9. Friedman N, Ormiston J (2022) Blockchain as a sustainability-oriented innovation?: opportuni-
ties for and resistance to blockchain technology as a driver of sustainability in global food sup-
ply chains. Technol Forecast Soc Change 175:121403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.
121403
10. Wong LW, Tan GWH, Lee VH, Ooi KB, Sohal A (2023) Psychological and system-related barri-
ers to adopting blockchain for operations management: an articial neural network approach. IEEE
Trans Eng Manag 70:67–81. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2021.3053359
11. Kouhizadeh M, Saberi S, Sarkis J (2021) Blockchain technology and the sustainable supply chain:
theoretically exploring adoption barriers. Int J Prod Econ 231:107831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.
2020.107831
12. Azzi R, Chamoun RK, Sokhn M (2019) The power of a blockchain-based supply chain. Comput Ind
Eng 135:582–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2019.06.042
13. Sharma MG, Kumar S (2020) The implication of blockchain as a disruptive technology for con-
struction industry. IIM Kozhikode Soc Manag Rev 9:177–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277975220
932343
14. Feng H, Wang X, Duan Y, Zhang J, Zhang X (2020) Applying blockchain technology to improve
agri-food traceability: a review of development methods, benets and challenges. J Clean Prod
260:121031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121031
15. Dasaklis TK, Voutsinas TG, Tsoulfas GT, Casino F (2022) A systematic literature review of block-
chain-enabled supply chain traceability implementations. Sustain 14:2439. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su14042439
16. Kamble SS, Gunasekaran A, Kumar V, Belhadi A, Foropon C (2021) A machine learning based
approach for predicting blockchain adoption in supply chain. Technol Forecast Soc Change
163:120465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120465
17. Zhang T, Dong P, Chen X, Gong Y (2023) The impacts of blockchain adoption on a dual-channel
supply chain with risk-averse members. Omega 114:102747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2022.
102747
18. Liu S, Hua G, Kang Y, Edwin Cheng TC, Xu Y (2022) What value does blockchain bring to the
imported fresh food supply chain? Transp Res E 165:102859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2022.
102859
19. Thakuriya P, Kaur S, Mishra V (2023) Assessment of blockchain technology as remedy to counter-
feit drugs problem in pharmaceutical supply chain and implementation approach. Oper Res Forum
4:39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-023-00221-8
 24 Page 32 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

20. Guo L, Chen J, Li S, Li Y, Lu J (2022) A blockchain and IoT-based lightweight framework for ena-
bling information transparency in supply chain nance. Digit Commun Netw 8:576–587. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.dcan.2022.03.020
21. Nadime KL, Benabbou R, Mouatassim S, Benhra J (2023) Blockchain-enabled two-echelon supply
chains for perishable products using just in time inventory management: a case study of the dairy
industry. In: 2023 3rd Int. Conf. Innovative Res. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol. (IRASET). IEEE, Moham-
media, Morocco, pp 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/IRASET57153.2023.10152897
22. Tsolakis N, Niedenzu D, Simonetto M, Dora M, Kumar M (2021) Supply network design to address
United Nations sustainable development goals: a case study of blockchain implementation in Thai
sh industry. J Bus Res 131:495–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.08.003
23. Ashraf M, Heavey C (2023) A prototype of supply chain traceability using Solana as blockchain and
IoT. Procedia Comput Sci 217:948–959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.12.292
24. Grati R, Loukil F, Boukadi K, Abed M (2023) A blockchain-based framework for circular end-of-
life vehicle processing. Cluster Comput. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-023-03981-4
25. Marchese A, Tomarchio O (2021) An agri-food supply chain traceability management system based
on Hyperledger Fabric blockchain. In: Proc. 23rd Int. Conf. Enterp. Inf. Syst. (ICEIS), vol 2. SciTe-
Press, pp 648–658. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010447606480658
26 Nadime KL, Benhra J, Benabbou R, Mouatassim S (2023) Automating attended home deliver-
ies with smart contracts: a blockchain-based solution for e-commerce logistics. E3S Web Conf
469:00026. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202346900026
27. Zhang T, Li J, Jiang X (2021) Analysis of supply chain nance based on blockchain. Procedia Com-
put Sci 187:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.04.025
28. Kaur J, Kumar S, Narkhede BE, Dabić M, Rathore APS, Joshi R (2022) Barriers to blockchain
adoption for supply chain nance: the case of Indian SMEs. Electron Commer Res https://doi.org/
10.1007/s10660-022-09566-4
29. Wong LW, Leong LY, Hew JJ, Tan GWH, Ooi KB (2020) Time to seize the digital evolution: adop-
tion of blockchain in operations and supply chain management among Malaysian SMEs. Int J Inf
Manag 52:101997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.005
30. Toyoda K, Mathiopoulos PT, Sasase I, Ohtsuki T (2017) A novel blockchain-based product own-
ership management system (POMS) for anti-counterfeits in the post supply chain. IEEE Access
5:17465–17477. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2720760
31. Christidis K, Devetsikiotis M (2016) Blockchains and smart contracts for the internet of things.
IEEE Access 4:2292–2303. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2016.2566339
32. Lin Q, Wang H, Pei X, Wang J (2019) Food safety traceability system based on blockchain and
EPCIS. IEEE Access 7:20698–20707. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2897792
33. Salah K, Nizamuddin N, Jayaraman R, Omar M (2019) Blockchain-based soybean traceability in
agricultural supply chain. IEEE Access 7:73295–73305. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.
2918000
34. Perboli G, Musso S, Rosano M (2018) Blockchain in logistics and supply chain: a lean approach
for designing real-world use cases. IEEE Access 6:62018–62028. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.
2018.2875782
35. Pincheira M, Vecchio M, Giareda R (2022) Characterization and costs of integrating blockchain
and IoT for agri-food traceability systems. Syst 10:57. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10030057
36. Hrouga M, Sbihi A, Chavallard M (2022) The potentials of combining blockchain technology and
internet of things for digital reverse supply chain: a case study. J Clean Prod 337:130609. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130609
37. Mazzei D, Baldi G, Fantoni G, Montelisciani G, Pitasi A, Ricci L, Rizzello L (2020) A blockchain
tokenizer for industrial IoT trustless applications. Future Gener Comput Syst 105:432–445. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2019.12.020
38. Kamran R, Khan N, Sundarakani B (2021) Blockchain technology development and implementa-
tion for global logistics operations: a reference model perspective. J Glob Oper Strateg Sourcing
14:360–382. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGOSS-08-2020-0047
39. Cao S, Foth M, Powell W, Miller T, Li M (2022) A blockchain-based multisignature approach
for supply chain governance: a use case from the Australian beef industry. Blockchain Res Appl
3:100091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcra.2022.100091
40. de Carvalho PRV, Naoum-Sawaya J, Elhedhli S (2022) Blockchain-enabled supply chains: an appli-
cation in fresh-cut owers. Appl Math Model 110:841–858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apm.2022.06.
011
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 33 of 35 24

41. Liu X, Barenji AV, Li Z, Montreuil B, Huang GQ (2021) Blockchain-based smart tracking and trac-
ing platform for drug supply chain. Comput Ind Eng 161:107669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2021.
107669
42. Liu J, Yeoh G, Gao L, Gao S, Ngwenyama O (2022) Designing a secure blockchain-based supply
chain management framework. J Comput Inf Syst 0:1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2022.
2089774
43. Arunmozhi M, Venkatesh VG, Arisian S, Shi Y, Raja Sreedharan V (2022) Application of block-
chain and smart contracts in autonomous vehicle supply chains: an experimental design. Transp Res
E 165:102864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2022.102864
44. Casino F, Kanakaris V, Dasaklis TK, Moschuris S, Stachtiaris S, Pagoni M, Rachaniotis NP (2021)
Blockchain-based food supply chain traceability: a case study in the dairy sector. Int J Prod Res
59:5758–5770. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1789238
45. Helo P, Shamsuzzoha AHM (2020) Real-time supply chain—a blockchain architecture for project
deliveries. Robot Comput Integr Manuf 63:101909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2019.101909
46. Sunny J, Undralla N, Madhusudanan Pillai V (2020) Supply chain transparency through blockchain-
based traceability: an overview with demonstration. Comput Ind Eng 150:106895. https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.cie.2020.106895
47. Ding Q, Gao S, Zhu J, Yuan C (2020) Permissioned blockchain-based double-layer framework for
product traceability system. IEEE Access 8:6209–6225. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.
2962274
48. Tozanlı Ö, Kongar E, Gupta SM (2020) Evaluation of waste electronic product trade-in strategies
in predictive twin disassembly systems in the era of blockchain. Sustain 12:5416. https://doi.org/10.
3390/su12135416
49. Suhail S, Hussain R, Khan A, Hong CS (2020) Orchestrating product provenance story: when IOTA
ecosystem meets electronics supply chain space. Comput Ind 123:103334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
compind.2020.103334
50. Bullón Pérez JJ, Queiruga-Dios A, Gayoso Martínez V, Martín del Rey Á (2020) Traceability of
ready-to-wear clothing through blockchain technology. Sustain 12:7491. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su12187491
51. Rahmanzadeh S, Pishvaee MS, Rasouli MR (2020) Integrated innovative product design and supply
chain tactical planning within a blockchain platform. Int J Prod Res 58:2242–2262. https://doi.org/
10.1080/00207543.2019.1651947
52. Hamledari H, Fischer M (2021) The application of blockchain-based crypto assets for integrating
the physical and nancial supply chains in the construction & engineering industry. Autom Constr
127:103711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103711
53. Lu W, Li X, Xue F, Zhao R, Wu L, Yeh AGO (2021) Exploring smart construction objects as block-
chain oracles in construction supply chain management. Autom Constr 129:103816. https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103816
54. Ada N, Ethirajan M, Kumar A, K. E.k V, Nadeem SP, Kazancoglu Y, Kandasamy J (2021) Block-
chain technology for enhancing traceability and eciency in automobile supply chain—a case
study. Sustain 13:13667. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413667
55. Madhwal Y, Borbon-Galvez Y, Etemadi N, Yanovich Y, Creazza A (2022) Proof of delivery smart
contract for performance measurements. IEEE Access 10:69147–69159. https://doi.org/10.1109/
ACCESS.2022.3185634
56. Cocco L, Mannaro K, Tonelli R, Mariani L, Lodi MB, Melis A, Simone M, Fanti A (2021) A block-
chain-based traceability system in agri-food SME: case study of a traditional bakery. IEEE Access
9:62899–62915. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3074874
57. Kraft SK, Kellner F (2022) Can blockchain be a basis to ensure transparency in an agricultural sup-
ply chain? Sustain 14:8044. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138044
58. Jamil F, Hang L, Kim K, Kim D (2019) A novel medical blockchain model for drug supply chain
integrity management in a smart hospital. Electronics 8:505. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronic
s8050505
59. Notheisen B, Cholewa JB, Shanmugam AP (2017) Trading real-world assets on blockchain. Bus Inf
Syst Eng 59:425–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-017-0499-8
60. van Engelenburg S, Janssen M, Klievink B (2019) Design of a software architecture supporting
business-to-government information sharing to improve public safety and security. J Intell Inf Syst
52:595–618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10844-017-0478-z
 24 Page 34 of 35 Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24

61. Caro MP, Ali MS, Vecchio M, Giareda R (2018) Blockchain-based traceability in agri-food supply
chain management: a practical implementation. In: 2018 IoT Vert. Top. Summit Agric. – Tuscany
(IOT Tuscany). IEEE, pp 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1109/IOT-TUSCANY.2018.8373021
62. Helo P, Hao Y (2019) Blockchains in operations and supply chains: a model and reference imple-
mentation. Comput Ind Eng 136:242–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2019.07.023
63. Aung MM, Chang YS (2014) Traceability in a food supply chain: safety and quality perspectives.
Food Control 39:172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.11.007
64. Wood DG (n.d.) Ethereum: a secure decentralised generalised transaction ledger. https://ethereum.
github.io/yellowpaper/paper.pdf. Accessed 20 January 2025
65. Kshetri N (2018) Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives. Int J Inf
Manag 39:80–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.12.005
66. Lu Q, Xu X (2017) Adaptable blockchain-based systems: a case study for product traceability. IEEE
Softw 34:21–27. https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2017.4121227
67. Sylim P, Liu F, Marcelo A, Fontelo P (2018) Blockchain technology for detecting falsied and
substandard drugs in distribution: pharmaceutical supply chain intervention. JMIR Res Protoc
7:e10163. https://doi.org/10.2196/10163
68. Wang Z, Wang T, Hu H et al (2020) Blockchain-based framework for improving supply chain trace-
ability and information sharing in precast construction. Autom Constr 111:103063. https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.autcon.2019.103063
69. Rodríguez-Espíndola O, Chowdhury S, Beltagui A, Albores P (2020) The potential of emergent dis-
ruptive technologies for humanitarian supply chains: the integration of blockchain, articial intelli-
gence and 3D printing. Int J Prod Res 58:4610–4630. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.17615
65
70. Brookbanks M, Parry G (2022) The impact of a blockchain platform on trust in established rela-
tionships: a case study of wine supply chains. Supply Chain Manag 27:128–146. https://doi.org/10.
1108/SCM-05-2021-0227
71. Varavallo G, Caragnano G, Bertone F et al (2022) Traceability platform based on green blockchain:
an application case study in dairy supply chain. Sustain 14:3321. https://doi.org/10.3390/su140
63321
72. Hanaa B, Benhra J (2024) Mixed electric vehicles and UAVs for last-mile delivery under ecological
objective. In: 2024 6th Int. Conf. Intell. Comput. Data Sci. (ICDS). IEEE, pp 1–8. https://doi.org/10.
1109/ICDS62089.2024.10756461
73. Haidar D, Mouatassim S, Benabbou R, et al (2025) Towards a data-driven predictive framework: a
comparison of articial neural networks and recurrent models for nancial time series. In: Advanced
research trends in sustainable solutions, data analytics, and security. IGI Global, pp 219–296. https://
doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7117-6.ch008
74. Nadime KL, Benabbou R, Mouatassim S, Benhra J (2024) Developing a framework to understand
blockchain integration in supply chains: a comprehensive study at global, business, and consumer
levels. In: 2024 6th Int. Conf. Intell. Comput. Data Sci. (ICDS). IEEE, pp 1–6. https://doi.org/10.
1109/ICDS62089.2024.10756410

Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps
and institutional aliations.

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under
a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted
manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and
applicable law.
Operations Research Forum (2025) 6:24 Page 35 of 35 24

Authors and Aliations

Kadim Lahcen Nadime1 · Jamal Benhra1 · Rajaa Benabbou1 ·

Salma Mouatassim1

* Kadim Lahcen Nadime

[email protected]
Jamal Benhra
[email protected]
Rajaa Benabbou
[email protected]
Salma Mouatassim
[email protected]
1
LARILE, National High School for Electricity and Mechanics, University Hassan II
of Casablanca, Boulevard Abdellah Ibrahim, 20000 Casablanca, Morocco