Green supply chain management in healthcare: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of trends and future directions

Green supply chain management (GSCM) has gained increasing attention as a strategy to minimize the environmental impact of healthcare supply chains.The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and medical waste, making sustainability a critical concern.Despite growing research on GSCM, a comprehensive understanding of its research trends and emerging areas in healthcare remains limited.This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of GSCM research in the healthcare sector, identifying key trends, influential authors, research collaborations, and emerging themes to provide insights into its development and future directions.A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database, covering publications from 2002 to 2024.Data cleaning was performed using OpenRefine, and visualization was carried out with VOSviewer and R Studio.The analysis included annual publication trends, geographical distribution, journal and author impact, keyword mapping, and research clusters.A total of 158 publications were identified, showing an average annual growth of 5.76%.The most active contributing countries were India, Iran, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom.Keyword analysis revealed four main research clusters, including sustainability and supply chain management, environmental impact and decision-making, healthcare applications of GSCM, and blockchain and digital innovations in healthcare supply chains.The findings highlight the growing importance of GSCM in the healthcare sector and the increasing role of digital innovations.Future research should focus on technology-driven solutions, policy frameworks, and optimization strategies to enhance sustainability in healthcare supply chains.These insights are valuable for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in developing more efficient and environmentally responsible healthcare supply chains.