Green supply chain management: A theoretical framework and research directions

• This study reviews 151 articles in the green supply chain management (GSCM) area. • It classifies published GSCM practices into various meaningful dimensions. • It proposes a framework comprising of antecedents and outcomes of GSCM system. • It offers theoretical and practical implications for implementing GSCM system. Practitioners and academicians dedicate significant attention to tackling initiatives and executing mechanisms to address society’s environmental concerns. Further, organizations and researchers recognize that there is a need to implement green supply chain management (GSCM) practices as a part of green strategy. To date, embedding a sustainability dimension into supply chain management remains a challenge for organizations given the lack of systematic knowledge of the key dimensions of GSCM practices, the factors that influence the implementation of GSCM practices, and the benefits that organizations gain through the implementation of such practices. To address this problem, this study reviews 151 research articles published between 1997 and 2021 in the GSCM literature, and offers a theoretical framework that synthesizes and integrates the knowledge acquired from the reviewed literature. This framework includes various dimensions of GSCM practices identified in the past research studies, the antecedents that influence implementation of GSCM practices, and the outcomes of implementation of such practices. Further, this study offers theoretical and practical perspectives to support future research utilizing a research model as a baseline to guide organizations in the understanding of the primary GSCM attributes, their predictors, and benefits.