Exploring Research Trends in Sustainable Supply Chain Management: a Bibliometric Analysis

From a conceptual standpoint, Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has evolved from a niche topic into a mainstream research field, attracting interdisciplinary attention due to the growing global emphasis on sustainable development.As aca demic and practical interests in SSCM grow, there is a need both to expand conceptual understanding and current theoretical boundaries.In this context, bibliometric analysis was valuable for mapping the field's evolution, theoretical diversity, and emerging trends, offering a structured synthesis of complex and expansive scientific literature.Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to analyse the evolution and trends in SSCM research.The bibliometric analysis targeted 479 articles on SSCM published between 2006-2024, extracted from the Scopus database, applying the PRISMA protocol, and using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software.The originality of the study is to identify key themes in SSCM, determine the most influential authors, journals, and papers, map thematic relationships and international collaborations, and analyse emerging trends.The analysis highlighted a rapidly expanding research field, marked by the diversification of themes, the internationalisation of collaborations and the integration of new technologies.This evolution reflected the shift from a conceptual approach to an applicative approach, in which sustainability becomes a central component of supply chain management.