2025

Suoheimo, Mari; Walter, Stefan; Backer Johnsen, Hermanni; Kotaniemi, Sari; Pyykkö, Harri

Supply chains are complex and systemic sociotechnical systems that exhibit so-called “wicked characteristics”, especially when operating in the context of sustainability. This publication explores the extent to which service design can support a sustainability transition in the field of supply chain management, especially by acting as an intermediary between different stakeholders and empowering innovative forerunners. As a first step, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify current models or frameworks integrating systems, service design and transitions, using the UK Design Council’s systemic design approach as a process model. Our findings indicate that the existing models and frameworks have not been applied in the field of supply chain management to design transitions. We propose future studies to investigate how these models and frameworks can be adapted and leveraged to foster more sustainable supply chain management.