A sustainability-oriented decision framework for procurement risk mitigation in pharmaceutical cold chains

Purpose This study develops an information-driven decision framework for selecting procurement risk mitigation strategies in pharmaceutical cold chains for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and vaccines. The study focuses on how information visibility, traceability, compliance control and data integrity can support more effective procurement decisions in a pharmaceutical cold-chain setting. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive evaluation structure was established based on five main-criteria and fifteen sub-criteria. Expert judgments were analyzed using Pythagorean Fuzzy Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (PF-SWARA) to determine criteria weights, while alternative strategies were ranked through Pythagorean Fuzzy Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (PF-MARCOS). Findings The findings show that safety is the most important main criterion, while patient safety, product integrity and cold-chain continuity are the most influential sub-criteria. Among the alternatives, digital traceability and real-time alerts ranked first, followed by stricter cold chain auditing and compliance assurance. Practical implications The proposed framework can support managers in pharmaceutical chains by helping them prioritize information-enabled procurement strategies that improve monitoring, compliance, responsiveness and decision quality across enterprise and supply chain processes. Originality/value The originality of the study lies primarily in its integrative and context-specific contribution. The study applies and combines established PF-SWARA and PF-MARCOS methods within an underexplored decision problem, namely the selection of procurement-oriented risk mitigation strategies in pharmaceutical cold chains. By linking the pharmaceutical cold-chain context, procurement-risk perspective and enterprise information-management logic associated with traceability, real-time alerts, compliance control and data integrity, the study offers a focused decision-support contribution for a practically important but insufficiently examined setting.