Supply chain recovery is an essential component of supply chain management as the increasing interconnectedness of supply chains has increased both the likelihood and impact of disruptions. This study conducts a systematic literature review to synthesize existing empirical research on supply chain recovery, focusing on recovery strategies, methods, and sustainability insights. Adopting the PRISMA framework, the review utilized SCOPUS and Web of Science databases, and selected articles published between 2015 and 2024 to ensure a contemporary perspective. Findings reveal that research focus in this area focuses on enhancing recovery efficiency, identifying and proposing recovery strategies, and also a focus on balancing recovery with sustainability practices. Additionally, the study found a predominant use of simulation methods and mathematical model over empirical methods that uses subjective decisions or statistical models. Similarly, a dominance of manufacturing sector focus was found, with limited attention to sectors such as agriculture, services, and energy. Furthermore, significant gaps in the literature shows inadequate exploration of integrating technology, and environmental sustainability into recovery strategies, despite growing calls for alignment with industry 5.0 propositions. An underexplored role of behavioral and managerial factors in shaping recovery outcomes was also found. Therefore, this review highlights the need for managers to adopt sustainable recovery strategies and leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and big data analytics to optimize recovery and balance resilience with environmental impact. Addressing these gaps could advance research by providing empirical insights and practical applicability of recovery strategies across diverse contexts.
Alvarenga, M. Z., de Oliveira, M. P. V., Filho, H. Z., Desouza, K. C., & Ceryno, P. S. (2022). Is your Supply Chain Ready for the Next Disruption? Building Resilient Chains Journal of Business Management, 62(1), 1-17 https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020220106
Asafo-Adjei, E., Hamidu, Z., Issau, K., Seidu, B. A., & Adam, A. M. (2023). The dark and bright side of network complexity: Novel insights from an asymmetric supply chain recovery and disruption approach. Cogent Business and Management, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2225808
Bahrami, M., and Shokouhyar, S. (2021), "The role of big data analytics capabilities in bolstering supply chain resilience and firm performance: a dynamic capability view", Information Technology & People, Vol. 35 No. 5, pp. 1621-1651. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-01-2021-0048
BCI (2024). Supply Chain Resilience Report 2024. Business Continuity Institute, sponsored by Zurich Resilience Solutions.
Blom, T., & Niemann, W. (2022). Managing reputational risk during supply chain disruption recovery: A triadic logistics outsourcing perspective. Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management, 16. https://doi.org/10.4102/jtscm.v16i0.623
Bo, H., Chen, Y., Li, H., Han, P., & Qi, L. (2021). Time-sensitive supply chain disruption recovery and resource sharing incentive strategy. Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 6(2), 165–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmse.2021.03.004
Chen, J., Wang, H., & Zhong, R. Y. (2021). A supply chain disruption recovery strategy considering product change under COVID-19. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 60, 920–927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2021.04.004
Chen, H. Y., Das, A., & Ivanov, D. (2019). Building resilience and managing post-disruption supply chain recovery: Lessons from the information and communication technology industry. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.06.002
Darom, N. A., Hishamuddin, H., Ramli, R., & Mat Nopiah, Z. (2018). An Inventory Model of Supply Chain Disruption Recovery with Safety Stock and Carbon Emission Consideration. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 1011–1021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.246
DuHadway, S., Carnovale, S., & Hazen, B. (2019). Understanding risk management for intentional supply chain disruptions: risk detection, risk mitigation, and risk recovery. Annals of Operations Research, 283(1–2), 179–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-017-2452-0
Emrouznejad, A., Abbasi, S., & S?cakyüz, Ç. (2023). Supply chain risk management: A content analysis-based review of existing and emerging topics. Supply Chain Analytics, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sca.2023.100031
Ermes, T., & Niemann, W. (2023). Managing omni-channel reverse logistics risk during supply chain disruption recovery in the South African fashion industry. Journal of Transport & Supply Chain Management, 17. https://doi.org/10.4102/jtscm.v17i0.932
Eskandarpour, M., Dejax, P., Miemczyk, J., & Péton, O. (2015). Sustainable supply chain network design: An optimization-oriented review. In Omega (United Kingdom) (Vol. 54, pp. 11–32). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2015.01.006
Fan, Y., & Stevenson, M. (2018). A review of supply chain risk management: definition, theory, and research agenda. In International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management (Vol. 48, Issue 3, pp. 205–230). Emerald Group Holdings Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-01-2017-0043
Fan, D., Lin, Y., Fu, X. (Maggie), Yeung, A. C. L., & Shi, X. (2023). Supply chain disruption recovery in the evolving crisis: Evidence from the early COVID-19 outbreak in China. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2023.103202
Fang, D., & Zhang, X. (2021). The protective effect of digital financial inclusion on agricultural supply chain during the covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from china. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 16(7), 3202–3217. https://doi.org/10.3390/JTAER16070174
Ho, W., Zheng, T., Yildiz, H., & Talluri, S. (2015). Supply chain risk management: A literature review. In International Journal of Production Research (Vol. 53, Issue 16, pp. 5031–5069). Taylor and Francis Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2015.1030467
Ivanov, D. (2023). Design and deployment of sustainable recovery strategies in the supply chain. Computers and Industrial Engineering, 183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2023.109444
Ivanov, D., Dolgui, A., Sokolov, B., & Ivanova, M. (2017). Literature review on disruption recovery in the supply chain*. International Journal of Production Research, 55(20), 6158–6174. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2017.1330572
Jain, N., Girotra, K., & Netessine, S. (2022). Recovering Global Supply Chains from Sourcing Interruptions: The Role of Sourcing Strategy. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 24(2), 846–863. https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0967
Ju, C., Zhao, J., Li, K., Bao, F., Xu, C., & Ran, J. (2022). Supply Chain Recovery Strategies for High Demand Products Based on the Impact of Capacity and Transportation Disruptions. Systems, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10040088
Khamseh, A., Teimoury, E., & Shahanaghi, K. (2021). A new dynamic optimisation model for operational supply chain recovery. International Journal of Production Research, 59(24), 7441–7456. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1842937
Lee, C.-H., Son, B.-G., & Roden, S. (2023). Supply chain disruption response and recovery: The role of power and governance. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 29(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2023.100866
Li, Y., & Yuan, Y. (2024). Supply Chain Disruption Recovery Strategies for Measuring Profitability and Resilience in Supply and Demand Disruption Scenarios. Rairo Operations Research, 58(1), 591–612. https://doi.org/10.1051/ro/2023192
Lücker, F., Timonina-Farkas, A., & Seifert, R. W. (2024). Balancing resilience and efficiency: A literature review on overcoming supply chain disruptions. Production and Operations Management, 34(6), 1495–1511.
Madzík, P., Falát, L., Copuš, L., & ?arnogurský, K. (2024). Resilience in supply chain risk management in disruptive world: rerouting research directions during and after pandemic. Annals of Operations Research.
Magableh, G. M., & Mistarihi, M. Z. (2024). An Integrated Fuzzy MCDM Method for Assessing Crisis Recovery Strategies in the Supply Chain. Sustainability (Switzerland) , 16(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062383
McKinsey & Company (2024). Global Supply Chain Leader Survey 2024: Supply chains still vulnerable. McKinsey & Company.
Messina, D., Barros, A. C., Soares, A. L., & Matopoulos, A. (2020). An information management approach for supply chain disruption recovery. International Journal of Logistics Management, 31(3), 489–519. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-11-2018-0294
Munir, M., Jajja, M. S. S., Chatha, K. A., & Farooq, S. (2020). Supply chain risk management and operational performance: The enabling role of supply chain integration. International Journal of Production Economics, 227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107667
Paul, S. K., Chowdhury, P., Moktadir, M. A., & Lau, K. H. (2021). Supply chain recovery challenges in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Research, 136, 316–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.056
Rahman, T., Taghikhah, F., Paul, S. K., Shukla, N., & Agarwal, R. (2021). An agent-based model for supply chain recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers and Industrial Engineering, 158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2021.107401
Sawik, T. (2019). Disruption mitigation and recovery in supply chains using portfolio approach. Omega 84, 232–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2018.05.006
Senna, P., Reis, A., Santos, I. L., Dias, A. C., & Coelho, O. (2021). A systematic literature review on supply chain risk management: is healthcare management a forsaken research field? Benchmarking, 28(3), 926–956. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-05-2020-0266
Sheu, J.-B. (2016). Supplier hoarding, government intervention, and timing for post-disaster crop supply chain recovery. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 90, 134–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2015.09.013
Sudan, T., & Taggar, R. (2021). Recovering Supply Chain Disruptions in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Through Transport Intelligence and Logistics Systems: India’s Experiences and Policy Options. Frontiers in Future Transportation, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffutr.2021.660116
Sultana, N., Nusrat, M., Akter, T., & Khatun, M. (2022). Gravitating toward supply chain 4.0. Cogent Engineering, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2022.2144705
Tabatabaei, S. M., Mohammad, S., Hosseini, S., & Rashidikomijan, A. (2021). Multi-level supply chain recovery after disturbance; Mathematical modeling of Iran Khodro chain recovery. International Journal of Nonlinear Analysis and Applications, 12, 1311–1336. https://doi.org/10.22075/IJNAA.2021.5668
Teece, D.J. (2007), “Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and micro foundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 28 No. 13, pp. 1319-1350.
Tranfield, D., Denyer, D. and Smart, P. (2003), “Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review”, British Journal of Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 207-222.
Van der Westhuizen, C., & Niemann, W. (2022). Strategic supply chain alignment: The role of third-party logistics service providers during disruption recovery. Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management,16. https://doi.org/10.4102/jtscm.v16i0.738
Vishnu, C. R. Sridharan, R. and Kumar, P. N. (2019). Supply Chain Risk Management: Models and Methods. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, Vol. 18, No. 1. 31 -75 https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMDM.2019.096689
Wolmarans, I., & Niemann, W. (2023). Internal supply chain integration during disruption recovery: A case study in the South African liquor industry. Acta Commercii, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v23i1.1150
yang, Y., & Xu, X. (2015). 18 post disaster grain supply chain resilience with government aid. Transportation Reserach Part E, 76, 139–159. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2015.02.007
Ye, Y., Cao, Z., Zeng, D. D., & Zhang, Q. (2024). Supply chain loss from easing COVID-19 restrictions: an evolutionary economic-epidemiological modelling study. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 480(2283). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2023.0803
Zhang, Q., Feng, Y., & You, L. (2024). Research on the impact of supply chain integration on supply chain resilience in NEV manufacturing enterprises. Sustainability, 16(19), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198546
Zhao, Y., Zhou, H., & Leus, R. (2022). Recovery from demand disruption: Two-stage financing strategy for a capital-constrained supply chain under uncertainty. European Journal of Operational Research, 303(2), 699–718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2022.03.009
Abdulrahman, A. S., Zakuan, N., Yaacob, T. Z., & Nowakowska, M. (2026). Supply Chain Recovery Research: A Systematic Literature Review of Focus Areas, Strategies, Methods and Emerging Sustainability Insights. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(2), 333–354.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
