Guido Orzes, a professor from the Faculty of Engineering and Competence Centre for Mountain Innovation Ecosystems, received the recognition at the annual conference of the “International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association”, held in Brasil from March 24-27. Prof. Orzes’s paper “Digital Platforms for Sustainable Supply Chains: Empirical Evidence and Theoretical Implications” was selected from among more than 200 international studies and delves into the role of digital platforms in monitoring and enhancing the sustainability performance of supply chains. By leveraging new digital technologies, these platforms facilitate data sharing and analysis among involved companies, thereby identifying areas for improvement and fostering shared initiatives.

The study, based on the case study of the Open-es platform, which boasts over 17,000 member companies across 98 countries, sheds light on groundbreaking insights. Through interviews with 17 managers of companies involved in the platform, the research team - which includes also professors Giovanna Culot, Marco Sartor, and Guido Nassimbeni of the University of Udine - analyzed key discontinuities from traditional approaches to sustainability management in supply chains. Specifically, the paper examines the functioning and effectiveness of digital platforms, the co-evolutionary dynamics among different actors, and the design of digital interfaces to support them.

This research is especially relevant in light of recent European regulatory developments mandating companies to monitor the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of their supply chains. Funded by the European Union's NextGenerationEU initiative as part of the iNEST project (iNEST - Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem), the study serves as a foundation for the development of sustainability monitoring platforms for companies in mountain regions and their supply chains.

(zil)