Blockchain technology as an enabler for digital trust in supply chain: evolution, issues and opportunities

Abstract

Blockchain has gained the attention of scholars and industry practitioners due to its immutability, transparency, and operational features, which can improve overall supply chain efficiency. However, a holistic review of blockchain-based supply chains through the lens of digital trust has remained elusive, making participants reluctant to share information due to growing attacks on digital systems and fraud. Therefore, this study examines digital trust in using blockchain technology for supply chain operations by following a five-stage review process consisting of a systematic literature review protocol. The study performs a bibliometric and morphological analysis of 123 articles published between 2012 and 2023 to explore the current state and provide future research directions to develop safe, secure, reliable, and transparent blockchain-based supply chains. Further, our analysis reveals five characteristics of digital trust: transparency, cybersecurity, data protection, accountability, reliability and provenance, and regulatory compliance, which are essential to ensuring digital trust for supply chain sustainability, four research pathways, and keyword combinations for future research with other industry 4.0 technologies. Although blockchain applications for secure and trusted environments have been recognized, very little attention has been given to the detailed discussion on digitally trusted blockchain-based supply chains. The present study contributes to the literature by synthesizing the available literature on blockchain-based supply chains from the perspective of digital trust, thereby analyzing the current state and providing future opportunities for researchers and practitioners working in industry sectors and developing blockchain-based supply chains.