A systematic literature review of the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model application with special attention to environmental issues

Present day concerns with climate change have imposed the consideration of environment-friendly practices as a competitive requisite for supply chains. Consequently, it is increasingly mandatory for business organisations to make a transition toward integrating environmental performance as a constituent element for success. With its GreenSCOR component, the SCOR-model, which is a diagnostic tool for supply chains, can serve as a strategic tool for such environmental performance. However, evidence of environmental considerations in the application of the model within an array of industries in the last decade has not been investigated. This article uses a number of SCOR assessment criteria and elements to review selected SCOR model application papers, published between 2000 and 2012 with special attention to environmental criteria. Results indicate that although the innovative paradigm of moving from single firms to supply chain outfits has been embraced by business organisations, no paper experimented the model based on an end-to-end supply chain approach. While a generally timid interest in GreenSCOR was observed, annual distribution of the articles shows a positive trend in the number of environment and return process related papers. 11.1% of the papers attempted the environmental dimension of the model while 24.4% attempted the return process. The study notes that while the SCOR model is suitable for supply chain financial performance evaluation, it is also a practical decision support tool for environmental assessment and competing decision alternatives along the chain.