Cause and effect analysis of green supply chain challenges in post-COVID-19 conditions based on hesitant fuzzy DEMATEL method

Department of Industrial Management in Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 8 March 2023
Accepted: 5 September 2025

Abstract

After the COVID-19 pandemic, all organizations are involved in tackling the challenges of the disease, which continues after vaccination. It has affected various sectors of organizations including the supply chain, and has made coordination along the supply chain extremely difficult. The present study purpose to analyze the challenges of green supply chain in post-COVID-19 conditions. This study has an applied and developmental objective with a hybrid approach. This study was conducted in two stages and each stage had several consecutive steps. In the first stage, based on the results of thematic analysis, 21 challenges affecting the green supply chain in post-COVID-19 conditions were identified which were classified into 10 main challenges and 11 sub-challenges. In the second stage, the main challenges were analyzed based on hesitant fuzzy DEMATEL technique. Four challenges in an optimistic mode and five in a pessimistic mode were known as the causes. resulting in affecting all of the three levels in the supply chain and its disruption at the national and global level.