Enabling sustainable and resilient supply chain expansion through technological advancements: Corporate policy insights from the Gulf petrochemical industry

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Environmental Management

Publication Date

8-1-2025

Abstract

The interplay between supply chain sustainability, resilience, and technological innovation has become increasingly important in addressing global environmental and market disruptions. Existing literature emphasizes that this synergy enhances adaptability while reducing negative environmental impacts, as supply chains can be both sources of vulnerability and drivers of value creation. This becomes particularly critical during supply chain expansions, where sustainability and resilience must be scaled in tandem. However, the internal and external governance and policy frameworks needed to support the integration of enabling technologies remain underexplored, especially in capital-intensive sectors such as the petrochemical industry, which holds significant global relevance due to its widespread environmental footprint and strategic economic role. This study explores how adaptive governance and policy mechanisms can facilitate the integration of technological innovations to enable sustainable and resilient supply chain expansion. Drawing on a synthesis of existing research and the formulation of key propositions, the study applies its framework to three case studies from the Gulf region, offering insights transferable to worldwide industrial contexts. The findings underscore a critical insight: technology alone is not sufficient. Without genuine green governance and an organizational culture embedded in sustainability and agility, technological investments risk becoming ineffective, or worse, tools that mask unsustainable practices under the guise of innovation. The analysis highlights the importance of strategic alignment among technology investments, corporate strategies, and policy frameworks. When such alignment is achieved, new business models can emerge. By deploying technology strategically, firms can unlock value through by-product monetization and resource sharing, particularly in renewable energy systems. These benefits are further enhanced by horizontal collaboration and strong support for distributed R&D ecosystems. This work contributes to the international discourse on sustainable industrial transformation by offering scalable governance insights applicable across global petrochemical and other capital-intensive industries.

ISSN

0301-4797

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Volume

390

Disciplines

Business

Keywords

Environmental policy, Resilience, Supply chains, Sustainability, Technology

Scopus ID

105008428069

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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