A Two-Decade Analysis of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Research: A Topic Modeling and Citation-Weighted Approach

This study presents a comprehensive review of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) research from 2000 to 2020, based on 11,480 Scopus-indexed articles. Employing Kullback-Leibler Divergence, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), and citation-weighted regression, the analysis reveals significant shifts in thematic focus over time. The results indicate a transition from early emphases on operational efficiency and institutional governance to increased scholarly attention on environmental accountability, collaborative stakeholder engagement, and digital innovations. Notably, supply chain resilience, data-driven management, and green policy demonstrate rising influence, while institutional and political themes show a declining trajectory. By combining volume-based and impact-weighted analyses, this study offers a multi-layered view of SSCM’s intellectual evolution. The findings provide a valuable foundation for future SSCM research, particularly in light of post-pandemic disruptions and digital transformation. Insights derived from this longitudinal assessment can inform academic discourse and guide sustainable, technology-enhanced supply chain strategies.