BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN INITIATIVES IN THE PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY FROM THE SAUDI ARABIAN PETROCHEMICAL SECTOR

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: The petrochemical industry is a critical sector for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) initiatives, considering its significant contribution to global emissions and its relevance to the world economy. However, implementing sustainable practices in this industry involves overcoming multifactorial, conflicting, and negatively correlated barriers. The objective of this paper is to discuss in depth the main barriers to implementing these practices and suggest an approach to prioritizing them, considering specific local contexts. Methods: A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach was applied to an in-depth case study that focuses on prioritizing barriers within the Saudi petrochemical industry, a major international player in this sector. A novel methodology, based on the principles of nonparametric statistics and bootstrapping, was applied to estimate a sensitivity measure. Results: The most significant barriers in this sector-specific context include communication gaps and customer reluctance to accept sustainable practices. A sensitivity analysis reveals an inverse relationship between the investigated barriers. Conclusions: Managers can use the results as supportive evidence to enhance their decision-making processes within this industry, particularly in cases where communication gaps or negatively correlated barriers are the main obstacles. By offering a bootstrapped parameter for the sensitivity indicator and its associated error, this work provides additional evidence that enriches the body of knowledge that explores SSCM barriers based on MCDM methods.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)373-388
Number of pages16
JournalLogforum
Volume20
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024, Poznan School of Logistics. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Saudi Arabia
  • communication gaps
  • negative sensitivity analysis
  • petrochemical industry
  • supply chain sustainability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Management Information Systems
  • Management Science and Operations Research
  • Information Systems and Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN INITIATIVES IN THE PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY FROM THE SAUDI ARABIAN PETROCHEMICAL SECTOR'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this