Future-Proofing the Supply Chain against Economic Crises and Natural Disasters
Shivam Bijjamwar
MIT-WPU Department of Research and Development, Pune (INDIA)
shivambijjamwarofficial@gmail.com
Abstract -
Most organizations operate in complex environments in
which competition is fierce and customer expectations are
high. These factors put companies under constant pressure to
improve efficiencies while reducing costs and increasing
revenues. To meet these challenges, many businesses
employ supply chain management (SCM) strategies to
increase control over their supply chains and improve
overall productivity. Supply chain management is the
process of coordinating the various activities involved in
getting a product to market. It involves aligning all of the
organization's resources, including people, information, and
financial capital, with those of its suppliers and other
partners. An effective SCM strategy can improve a
company's profitability by reducing costs, increasing
revenue, and improving customer satisfaction. The supply
chain is often thought of as a series of discrete, independent
entities. However, it is actually a highly interconnected
system that can be disrupted by economic crises or natural
disasters. This paper presents the significance of future-
proofing the supply chain against economic crises and
natural events that might cause undesirable outcomes. The
findings indicate that organisations constantly face
vulnerabilities that cause business disruptions. However, the
chief supply chain officer (CSCO) can future-proof the
supply chain against economic crises and natural disasters
by identifying strategic areas and boosting supply chain
resilience, agility, and sustainability.
Keywords—CSCO, supply chain, resilience,
agility, sustainability
I. INTRODUCTION
As the world becomes more interconnected, it's
important to keep in mind that the supply chain is extremely
vulnerable to economic crises and natural disasters. To be
prepared for these situations, organizations should have a
plan in place for how you would respond if your supply
chain was affected by an economic crisis or natural disaster.
A company's supply chain is the entire system of people,
products, and services that are needed to get a product from
the point where it was made to the point where it is sold.
When you think about how much happens between those
two points from raw materials being mined or grown to
finished goods being manufactured and shipped it's easy to
see how a single event could have a huge impact on a supply
chain. With the increasing uncertainties in global business
risks, companies have realized the need to adapt specific
strategies to mitigate potential business disruptions. The
COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
are the major critical recent events that have increased the
need for businesses to adapt approaches for identifying,
assessing, and handling risks that affect supply chain
channels. In this case, the paper highlights the four major
strategies companies can consider to manage supply chain
disruptions through future-proofing. The first approach
entails identifying the supply chain strategy areas that
require redesigning to meet new challenges in the supply
chain. The second tactic involves boosting supply chain
resilience to resist and recover from adverse events. The
third strategy is developing agility to adapt to changes as
quickly as possible and meet consumers’’ expectations.
Lastly, the paper justifies the need for sustainability to
improve business reputation amidst supply chain
disruptions.
II. SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY AREAS
Supply chain practices have changed rapidly over
time globally. Most supply chain management changes
occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic because the
disease disrupted normal business operations. Besides the
new normal, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has aggravated the
supply chain process and exposed vulnerabilities that require
future-proofing against economic crises [1]. In particular,
forward-thinking managers have focused on predicting the
impact of the future situation on the supply chain to adopt
suitable measures for prevention. The traditional supply
chain strategies focused on three main areas: service,
quality, and cost and capital [2]. In contrast, the next-normal
approach has become more complex with three additional
focus areas: resilience, sustainability, and agility. Figure 1
illustrates the key elements of the new supply chain strategy.
Resilience
New Normal
Supply Chain
Elements
Agility Sustainability
Figure 1. New Normal Supply Chain Elements
Based on Figure 1, the next-normal supply chain is more
complex to help managers predict future crises and mitigate
them through resilience, sustainability, and agility [3].
The new supply chain strategy area will focus on
technology. In recent years, supply chains have become
increasingly complex and globalized. These shifts are
challenging our assumptions about how supply chains work
and how they should be managed. Currently, only about
60% of the world’s population has access to the internet, and
only 28% of those people are online in developing countries.
In addition, the increasing prevalence of mobile devices has
led to widespread adoption of mobile technology by
businesses around the world. Despite these significant
challenges, the growth potential of the mobile market is
huge. Some estimates predict that the number of global
internet users will exceed 5 billion by 2020 and that mobile
users will account for more than 70% of the total number of
internet subscribers by that time. These trends will likely
lead to tremendous growth in emerging markets such as
Africa and Asia, which is home to more than half the
world’s population. As a result, it is imperative that
companies understand how these factors will impact their
supply chains and make the necessary adjustments to ensure
successful business operations in these markets. In today’s
global marketplace, the availability of reliable and
affordable transportation networks is critical to the success
of any business enterprise. Companies must strive to create
efficient and responsive logistics networks capable of
meeting the demands of their customers across a diverse set
of locations. To accomplish this goal, many companies are
developing innovative approaches to supply chain
management that are designed to reduce operating costs and
improve the customer experience[46].Developing strong
partnerships is an important part of this process.
Partnerships can help companies unlock the full potential of
their supply chains by identifying new opportunities for
growth and introducing innovative solutions to the
marketplace. When designing these partnerships, it is
important to take the time to identify the company’s unique
strengths as well as the weaknesses of its partners. This will
help to ensure that the partnership is mutually beneficial and
that it offers the greatest potential for success. In addition, it
is equally important to develop an effective process for
communicating the goals and strategies of the partnership to
its various stakeholders. This will help to ensure full
cooperation and buy-in from all members of the team and
ensure that everyone is working towards the same common
goal. Another important consideration is the development of
an appropriate compensation structure for the participants in
the partnership.
Economic and Natural disasters can have a
devastating impact on businesses and their supply chains.
However, with the right planning it is possible to mitigate
the impact of these crises on your operations. One of the
most important aspects of this planning is identifying the
most critical areas in which a given supply chain is
vulnerable to disruption. Individuals can then develop
strategies in these areas to reduce the risk to a business.
This can be done using the crisis mapping methodology.
Crisis Mapping Methodology is a scientific method
for analyzing critical vulnerabilities in an organization's
supply chain in order to identify potential risks and develop
mitigation strategies. The method was first developed by
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in the US
in response to natural disasters like earthquakes and
hurricanes, but is now also used to deal with other types of
crises such as economic crises and supply chain disruptions.
The process of crisis mapping consists of the following
steps: - Identify potential sources of risk in the supply chain
- Identify the risks associated with each source - Develop
mitigation strategies for addressing these risks.
There are two main approaches to conducting crisis
mapping in a supply chain: Top-down approach Bottom-up
approach In the top-down approach, the first step is to map
out the structure of the supply chain at a high level, showing
all the involved entities and key links in the chain. You can
then use this map to identify the potential sources of risk
within the supply chain. This process is then repeated for the
lower levels of the supply chain until you reach the point
where products enter your organization's facilities. In the
bottom up approach, you first identify the end-points of your
supply chain where products are delivered and received, and
then work your way back up the chain to identify potential
sources of risk along the way. Which approach is more
appropriate will depend on the size and complexity of your
supply chain and the objectives that you are trying to
achieve with this exercise. This may sound complicated, but
it's actually pretty simple in practice. It doesn't take very
long to perform a crisis mapping exercise, and it can be very
beneficial for your organization in the long run.
III. BOOSTING SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE
Supply chain resilience focuses on organisations’
capacities for resistance and recovery from economic crises
[4]. The concept implies that companies should have
strategies for mitigating supply chain disruptions that can
lead to devastating losses. Therefore, firms should identify
supply chain risks and invest in processes for addressing
possible gaps in their vulnerabilities to business disruptions.
A. Supply chain risk
 Disruptions
Studies show that supply chains have always been
vulnerable to unexpected disruptions that affect business
performance [5, 6, 7]. According to McKinsey Global
Institute's pandemic research, several companies faced
troubles that affected their operations for almost three years.
The findings indicated that severe disruptions caused losses
that could account for more than 30% of a year’s EBITDA
[1]. The supply chain risks usually increase with
vulnerability and exposure to uncertain events. For example,
Toyota suffered losses associated with the Tohoku
earthquake and tsunami in 2011 [8]. The company could not
attain a break-even for six months due to low operations.
The car maker could not prevent the catastrophic event;
however, lack of strategy to mitigate adverse outcomes
contributed to the six months’ low productivity [8, 9].
Figure 2 illustrates how high exposure to unforeseen events
without resilience increases vulnerability, leading to
uncontrollable supply chain risks.

Vulnerability
Lack of
resilience Supply
Chain
Unexpected Risks
event
Figure 2: Supply Chain Risks
Besides, business leaders faced critical supply chain
disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing
Russian invasion of Ukraine [10, 11, 12]. The uncertain
events indicate that supply chain disruption constantly
impacts the affected businesses. Accenture research on the
implication of the Russia-Ukraine war revealed supply chain
disruptions across Europe due to logistic breakdowns, lack
of material supplies, and labor shortages. Figure 3 illustrates
the supply chain shocks that disrupted several businesses in
Europe and other regions worldwide [2].
Material
Logistics
shortages
breakdowns
Labour
shortages
Supply Chain Shocks
Figure 3. Supply Chain Shocks
B. Addressing supply chain vulnerabilities
Companies must design strategies for addressing
supply chain vulnerabilities to mitigate adverse outcomes.
Studies on future-proofing the supply chain against
economic crises and natural disasters provide multiple ways
businesses can handle supply chain vulnerabilities [19]. The
key ways to address supply chain vulnerabilities involve
taking targeted actions to examine the key areas of exposure,
including examining financial, data security, and
organizational reputation during crises [20, 21, 22]. Figure 4
represents the critical areas supply chain managers should
consider addressing vulnerabilities that can cause business
disruptions.
Financial
Data Security
Reputation
Figure 4: Critical Areas of Vulnerabilities
Companies can address the vulnerabilities to changing
supply chain by:
 Increasing corporate liquidity
 Avoiding poor credit history
 Monitoring changing industry attractiveness and
taking appropriate actions to leverage opportunities
and avoid threats
 Improving the degree of oversight
 Making effective regulatory changes to mitigate
business disruptions
 Increasing quality cybersecurity to avoid exposure
to criminal acts during business disruptions
 Improving data-protection protocols [11, 13, 14,
15].
C. Visibility
Business visibility enables supply chain managers
to detect risks early to take the best response options [12].
Effective CSCO can sense supply chain disruptions by
analysing inventory shortages, raw material price inflation,
labour shortages, and global energy shortages. The CSCO
should keep updated on the critical global factors that can
cause supply chain disruptions [16, 17, 18]. Studies indicate
that businesses with reliable visibility can respond to
uncertain events in the supply chain better than those
without visibility and resilience. Figure 5 illustrates the
significance of visibility and resilience in helping companies
attain full recovery [3].
Businesses with Businesses
reliable visibility without reliable
can recover from visibility might
supply chain not recover from
disruptions supply chain
disruptions
Figure 5. The Relevance of Visibility in Managing Supply
Chain Disruptions
The global economy is growing at an
unprecedented pace, and this growth is driven by expanding
supply chains of many industries across the world. This
expansion is creating new channels for trade and creating
opportunities for companies to reach new markets and
expand into new territories. While this rapid growth is
having a positive impact on the global economy, it has also
created many challenges for companies to manage their
complex supply chain operations while successfully
balancing competing priorities. Supply chain resilience is a
key concern for businesses across all industries because
maintaining a stable supply chain is critical to business
success[45].A robust supply chain ensures that organizations
can deliver the right products to customers in a timely
manner and maintain a competitive advantage in their
respective markets. As globalization and the interconnected
nature of modern supply chains continue to broaden in scope
and reach, it has become more challenging for businesses to
sustain their competitive advantage and build resilient
supply chains. While these challenges are common to all
businesses, they pose a much greater threat to smaller or
emerging companies that may not have the resources and
expertise required to build and sustain a resilient supply
chain. Businesses that wish to create a more resilient supply
chain must focus on building a strong partnership between
their internal teams and their external partners. These
partnerships help organizations strengthen their networks
and increase their ability to respond to disruptions and
changes in the business environment. A strong partnership
will ensure that businesses have all the necessary resources,
tools and capabilities to effectively manage disruptions in
their supply chains. At the same time, it is important for
businesses to maintain an open communication line with
their suppliers. This will help ensure that they have up-to-
date information about their suppliers’ operations and
operating conditions. This will ensure that businesses can
quickly identify and address any issues that may arise in the
supply chain and resolve them as quickly as possible.
Developing a proactive and data-driven approach to
managing supplier relationships can also help prevent
disruptions in the supply chain and improve overall
operational efficiency[44].Businesses that use data analytics
to track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such
as inventory levels, lead times and order volumes have the
advantage of getting a clear picture of their operations and
can use this information to identify potential problems or
inefficiencies in the supply chain before they develop into
major issues. They will also be able to take appropriate
measures to improve efficiency and reduce costs while
maintaining a high level of service for their end customers.
This will enable companies to build a sustainable
competitive advantage and ensure that they remain
competitive in an ever-changing business environment.
A business’s supply chain is the network of
suppliers and their customers. It’s the backbone of a
company that moves goods from factories to stores, and it
can play an important part in an organization’s success. In
times of economic instability or natural disasters, however,
supply chains can break down, threatening a company’s
ability to do business. This can have significant
consequences for employees and customers alike. When a
business suffers a supply chain disruption, employees may
lose their source of income and customers may have no
access to products or services they need. Businesses must be
prepared for such disruptions in order to minimize the
financial impact of such incidents and protect their bottom
line. Doing so can help companies minimize the impact of
crises and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction
during and after an adverse event. Impacts on business
continuity following a supply chain disruption can be
severe, even devastating for many organizations. Lost
revenue, lost profits, and loss of customer confidence are
just a few of the potential consequences of a supply chain
disruption. The frequency and severity of these events has
increased in recent years as global transportation and trade
patterns continue to evolve and expand. Disruptions can be
caused by a wide range of factors including severe weather,
accidents or disasters, labor and material shortages, political
issues, computer viruses, equipment failure, and even
supplier fraud. While many of these events cannot be
prevented, organizations can take steps to reduce their
impact by implementing effective contingency plans in the
event of a crisis. These plans should include strategies to
minimize damage and mitigate risk. They should also
address steps that should be taken to ensure continued
business operations and safeguard against long-term
damage. As supply chains become increasingly complex and
interconnected, it becomes increasingly important for
businesses to take steps to protect their operations in the
event of a crisis. A well-developed business continuity plan
can help minimize the impact of a crisis and maintain a high
level of customer satisfaction during and after an adverse
event. The following tips are designed to help organizations
create a plan for dealing with a supply chain disruption:
Evaluate current processes and identify potential risks or
vulnerabilities[43].This will help them determine
appropriate mitigation strategies to minimize the impact of a
crisis. Conduct regular tabletop exercises to test your
response protocols and identify areas for improvement.
Identify key stakeholders and ensure that they are
adequately trained and informed regarding their roles in the
event of a crisis. Conduct periodic reviews to ensure that
your plan is up to date and properly maintained. Business
continuity planning provides a framework for an
organization to respond quickly and effectively to a variety
of potential crises, whether natural or man-made. It is a
proactive strategy that can help minimize the impact of an
adverse event and ensure continued business operations and
customer satisfaction during and after a crisis.
Notably, economic crises and natural disasters can
have a devastating impact on businesses, economies and
societies. Natural disasters can result in significant
disruption to the supply chain, while economic crises can
cause severe liquidity issues and problems financing stock
and other assets which can impact the viability of the supply
chain. In addition, they can also negatively impact employee
retention as well as damaging the reputation of the business
and the reputation of a country as a whole. Building strong
resilience into the supply chain can help mitigate these
impacts and enable businesses to bounce back quickly when
disaster strikes. A strong supply chain can play a key role in
ensuring a company's success by providing a flexible and
resilient way of delivering products and services to
customers and maintaining profitability over the long term.
Here are some of the steps companies can take to build
supply chain resilience and ensure they remain competitive
in challenging market conditions:
1. Understand your risks. Before you can take steps to
strengthen your supply chain, you need to know what risks
your business faces and what the potential impact of those
risks could be. In order to assess this risk, it's important to
identify the main threats and vulnerabilities that could affect
your company's operations and determine whether they are
material to the business. This will enable you to develop
appropriate mitigation measures and ensure that appropriate
resources are available to deal with potential crises if they
arise.
2. Plan for business continuity. Once you understand what
risks you face, you can start to develop effective
contingency plans for dealing with them. These plans should
cover all aspects of the company's operations from finance
and sales to IT and human resources and include specific
actions to be taken in the event of a crisis, including who
will be responsible for implementing each action and what
resources and funding will be required to do so. This will
help ensure that key business processes remain operational
during a crisis and help to ensure smooth continuity of
business operations following an incident.
3. Develop an emergency response plan. An effective
response plan will enable you to quickly and effectively deal
with any incidents that might occur in your supply chain. It
should include detailed procedures for each situation,
including a recovery timeline with corresponding roles and
responsibilities for all parties involved. All staff should
receive regular training on the procedures for dealing with
various scenarios to ensure that they are able to respond
effectively in the event of an emergency.
4. Monitor your suppliers' performance. Maintaining strong
relationships with your suppliers is essential to ensure that
your supply chain remains reliable and robust. You should
monitor the performance of your suppliers on an ongoing
basis to identify potential issues as early as possible and
address any issues or weaknesses in their operations before
they impact your own operations.
5. Maintain an effective information management process.
Companies need to maintain up-to-date records of all
transactions to ensure compliance with regulatory
requirements and reduce the risk of fraud.
IV. INCREASING SUPPLY CHAIN AGILITY
Supply chain agility is the ability of a company's
supply chain to quickly and efficiently move products from
suppliers to distributors and ultimately to customers when
demand changes or problems occur. As supply chains get
longer and more complex, the ability to quickly respond and
adapt to new situations becomes critical. Supply chain
agility enables companies to anticipate and respond to
changing market realities and quickly adjust their strategies
accordingly.
The increased supply chain agility of businesses
today is a direct result of advances in technology and
innovation. According to research from DHL, global supply
chain costs are forecast to reach USD $8 trillion by 2023,
representing a 4% compound annual growth rate.
Companies that are able to utilize digital technologies to
automate and optimize their supply chains will be able to
mitigate these costs and drive greater value for their
customers. However, many organizations are still struggling
to successfully integrate digital technologies into their
supply chains. According to a recent Accenture study, 54%
of supply chain executives reported that their companies are
struggling to embrace digital transformation. This is largely
due to the fact that the traditional approach to supply chain
management is no longer sufficient to support the
increasingly complex requirements of the modern business
environment. Many companies are finding that the strategies
that they have used in the past are no longer effective in
driving growth and profitability. Therefore, they are turning
to new technologies in order to improve their business
operations and enhance customer experiences. To maximize
the business benefits of these new technologies, companies
must approach their digital transformation efforts with an
open mind and a willingness to experiment with new ideas
and solutions.
Today, businesses are under increasing pressure to
remain competitive in an economy that is constantly
fluctuating. Consumers are more demanding and businesses
need to be able to react quickly in order to stay ahead.
Increasingly, they are turning to technology to increase
efficiency and enable faster decision making[40]. However,
the speed of technological innovation is outpaced by the
speed of natural disasters and economic crises, which are
difficult to predict and can have devastating effects on
businesses. In these situations, supply chains are often the
first to be impacted, with disruptions affecting the flow of
goods and services between suppliers, manufacturers and
retailers[41].In the face of these difficult challenges,
organizations are looking for ways to increase their agility
so they can respond quickly to the constantly changing
market conditions while continuing to provide excellent
customer service to the end user. One of the ways to do this
is by adopting a “Supply Chain as a Service” approach.
Rather than investing in building and maintaining their own
supply chains, many organizations are choosing to outsource
these functions to a provider who provides the service on a
subscription basis. This allows them to access the expertise
and technology they need while remaining flexible and
scalable as their business grows. One example of an
organization that has embraced this approach is Wal-Mart.
In recent years, the company has substantially increased its
use of third-party logistics providers to handle its shipping
and distribution operations. By outsourcing this function to
an external partner, it has been able to free up valuable
internal resources that can be reinvested in other areas of the
business[42]. It has also been able to reduce costs and
improve the efficiency of its operations by leveraging the
technology and expertise of the third-party provider. The
company currently uses more than 100 third-party logistics
providers and expects this number to grow significantly in
the coming years. This global scale enables Wal-Mart to
keep pace with the demands of its customers while staying
at the forefront of innovation in the rapidly changing world
of supply chain management.
A recent study by the World Economic Forum
found that global economic crises and natural disasters are
costing businesses an estimated $2.5 trillion per year in lost
productivity due to disruptions in the supply chain.
Companies that are able to improve their supply chain
agility will be able to better adapt to future market shocks,
allowing them to maintain or increase their competitive
advantage. How can companies increase supply chain
agility? The first step is to improve visibility across the
supply chain, both internally within the company and
externally with its suppliers and customers. This requires
implementing an automated platform to connect all aspects
of the supply chain together and allow all parties involved to
have access to real-time information. Secondly, companies
must implement technology that can help them to respond
more quickly to supply chain disruptions when they occur.
This could include the implementation of cloud-based
inventory management software that can help streamline
inventory tracking and ordering processes to ensure that the
right products are available to meet customer demands and
avoid unnecessary stock-outs. Finally, companies must
ensure that their supply chain is resilient against future
shocks by developing contingency plans that will help them
to quickly recover from any disruptions that may occur in
the future. This includes conducting regular disaster
recovery drills to ensure that all employees know what to do
in the event of a disruption so that they can quickly put these
plans into action and restore operations as quickly as
possible. By implementing the above strategies, companies
can be better prepared to withstand any future shocks to the
global supply chain and ensure that their operations remain
unaffected throughout the crisis[33].This will help to ensure
that they can continue doing business as usual even in
difficult times and help to minimize the negative impact of
any disruptions to their supply chains on their business.
When a disaster strikes, supply chains are often the first to
be affected. As supply chains become more complex, they
are also more exposed to potential disruptions caused by
factors such as weather events, pandemics, political unrest
and natural disasters. It is therefore essential that companies
are able to develop effective contingency plans to ensure
that they can quickly recover in the event that any such
disruptions occur to their supply chains. This may include
the redeployment of workers from other areas of the
business to help facilitate the recovery process or the
temporary suspension of certain operations to ensure it is not
affected by any disruption. This will also help to minimize
the impact of any disruption to the company's operations and
enable them to resume normal business as soon as possible
once the situation has been resolved.
Successful organizations have high agility that
enables them to adapt quickly to market changes [23]. While
businesses are vulnerable to unforeseen events that can
disrupt their supply chains, the CSCO is supposed to
recognise that customer loyalty depends on firms’ agility
[24, 25]. For example, studies show that about 77% of
consumers in the United States changed their stores in the
new normal for reliable companies with reliable supplies
[1]. The situation shows that the biggest winners in supply
chain disruptions include organisations that can keep their
products and services flowing to the target markets.
Therefore, the CSCO should consider designing new
methods to compete with companies that may take
advantage of supply chain disruptions to gain substantial
market share [26, 27]. In particular, studies show that the
future retail supply chain network will become more
competitive [4]. Figure 6 illustrates the crucial elements
companies will consider to gain and maintain a competitive
edge by increasing supply chain agility.
• Shorter lead time will
reduce labour costs
• Higher levels of
productivity will
improve consumers'
experince
Lead time Productivity
Operations
Inventory
cost
• Proper inventory • Lower operation
management will
help in balancing
costs will increase
competitive edge
demand and supply
Figure 6. The Retail Supply Chain Network of the Future
V. ACHIEVING SUPPLY CHAIN
SUSTAINABILITY
One of the key aspects of supply chain
sustainability is being able to remain viable during times of
crisis, as well as protecting the company from unnecessary
losses should a crisis occur. In order to ensure that this is the
case, it is important for businesses to consider ways in
which their supply chains can be protected against potential
crises and natural disasters. While it is not possible to
completely eliminate the risk of a crisis occurring, it is
possible to take steps to reduce the risks that a supply chain
will face. There are a number of different factors that can
affect the viability of a supply chain, including political
stability, natural disasters, and economic instability. In order
to combat these issues, businesses need to take steps to
ensure that their supply chains can withstand any potential
disruptions. This can be achieved by developing effective
contingency plans to deal with any issues that arise[6] One
key aspect of achieving supply chain sustainability is
ensuring that contingency plans are in place to deal with any
potential problems that may arise in the supply chain.
However, in order to ensure that the plans actually make a
difference, it is important that they are adequately tested on
a regular basis. It is also important to ensure that the plans
are developed in accordance with the culture of the
organization. This will help to ensure that the plans are
acceptable to the employees of the organization, which will
make them more likely to adhere to them.
One of the most important elements of crisis
management is identifying potential risks that could have an
impact on the organization's operations, so that appropriate
measures can be taken to avoid or mitigate these impacts.
Developing a threat matrix that details all the potential
threats that can impact the organization is a great way to
help identify the potential crises that may occur in the
supply chain. This will enable organizations to identify key
areas where the risk is high, so that they can take the
necessary precautions to reduce the risk in these areas. Once
a risk has been identified, the next step is to identify how the
issue should be addressed[32]This is generally done through
the creation of a crisis response plan. This will include a list
of steps that need to be taken in order to address the
identified issue. It is important that the plan be thoroughly
tested in order to ensure that it is operational in the event of
an actual crisis. This will ensure that it effectively reduces
the risk of a crisis occurring and ensures that it can be
carried out in a timely manner.

The current organizations recognize that
consumers’ awareness of sustainable supply chains has
increased. Elite consumers consider the role of companies
on climate mitigating climate change concerns through
sustainability [28, 29, 30]. Organisations that consider
decisive environmental actions enjoy higher chances of
increasing profitability and reputation simultaneously.
Studies show that the current CSCO takes appropriate
measures to attain considerable ESG performance, including
environmental, social, and governance issues [3]. The
supply chain plays a central role in organisations’ efforts to
achieve sustainability transformation. The significant
initiatives that companies consider to facilitate sustainability
include:
 Reducing packaging in the supply chain
 Promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives
 Reducing emissions in the supply chain
 Ensuring employee safety, health, and fair
treatment
 Considering changing consumer preferences [1].
Besides, organisations have redesigned their supply chains
to fulfill omnichannel orders [4]. Omni-channel ordering
enables CSCO to mitigate linear fulfilment processes to
improve agility that promotes sustainability [3]. Therefore,
CSCO can combine various supply chain channels to
provide quality consumer experience, including combined
warehouse services. Figure 7 illustrates a sample of an
omnichannel approach for enhancing agility and
sustainability.
Well suited •Track
enterprise resource
business
planning (ERP)
resources
system
•Support
Combined
fulfilment
warehouse with
integrated center for
managemnet all
system (WMS)
channels
• Minimize
Integrated
inventory working
optimization tool capital
Figure 7. Automated Omni-channel
Achieving Supply Chain Sustainability is a goal that
many companies would like to accomplish in today's
changing global market place. Consumers are also becoming
increasingly aware of the impact they are having on the
environment and the social responsibility of companies to
ensure that their supply chain practices are not impacting on
the sustainability of our planet. Managing your supply chain
effectively can be a complex and challenging task, but by
incorporating effective sustainability strategies into your
operations you will be able to minimize any negative
impacts your supply chain may have on the environment and
increase your corporate profile in the market place as an
ethical and sustainable business. Companies of all sizes are
realizing the importance of sustainable supply chain
management and are incorporating it into their operations
through a variety of innovative initiatives including social,
environmental and economic sustainability programs. The
implementation of sustainable business strategies
encourages businesses to adopt management practices which
promote continual improvement and innovation and enhance
the efficiency and competitiveness of their supply chain
operations[34].By implementing sustainable management
strategies into their daily operations companies are
increasing operational efficiency, reducing operational costs
and minimizing negative environmental impacts associated
with the management of their supply chains[35]. Sustainable
supply chain management involves the development and
management of collaborative relationships between all
stakeholders involved in an organization’s supply chain
including the supplier, the buyer and the consumer. The
implementation of sustainable management practices
enables organizations to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of their supply chain operations and minimize
the impact of their business operations on the environment
and the communities in which they operate.[36].Effective
supply chain management requires the development of
collaborative relationships with suppliers, customers and
other stakeholders involved in the management of the supply
chain[37].The development of these collaborative
relationships enables organizations to streamline the flow of
information throughout the supply chain and encourage a
collaborative approach to problem solving. By encouraging
a collaborative approach among stakeholders organizations
are better able to anticipate and manage potential issues
before they occur and are able to improve their overall
performance.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability refers to the ability of
a business to meet or exceed its operational requirements
while maintaining and improving the health and
environment of local communities and the natural
environment[38].Environmentally sustainable business
practices include strategies designed to reduce the amount of
waste produced by the organization or the products it
manufactures, recycle waste materials, develop renewable
energy sources and implement energy efficiency measures to
reduce the overall impact of the business on the
environment.
Social Sustainability
Social sustainability refers to the principles and
practices of corporate social responsibility aimed at
enhancing the quality of life for all stakeholders in the local
community while minimizing the business's impact on the
local community and the environment. Social sustainability
practices include the introduction of training programs
designed to enhance the skills of the employees in the local
community and provide education opportunities for
members of the community who may not otherwise have
access to education opportunities. Businesses also encourage
community engagement programs and promote volunteer
work within the organization to increase social awareness
among the employees and provide them with an opportunity
to give back to the community.
VI. CONCLUSION
The key takeaway in this research is the need for a
future-proofing supply chain against economic crises and
natural events. Several studies have highlighted the impact
of COVID-19 and the effect of the ongoing Russian
Invasion of Ukraine on global supply chain management.
The research has illustrated that these two uncertain events
disrupted the supply chain of various companies. The CSCO
of the affected firms could not control the unforeseen events.
However, companies that had adapted resilience, agility, and
sustainability strategies reduced the impact of business
disruptions. As a result, organisations should monitor global
changes to gain insight into potential future events that can
affect business performance. The study has proposed that
CSCOs focus on building resilience, agility, and
sustainability to overcome challenges related to unforeseen
economic crises and natural disasters.
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