Strategic Supply Chain Planning in Biomass-Based Industries: A Literature Review of Quantitative Models

Abstract

Fossil resources are limited and will run short. Moreover, the extensive usage of fossil resources is discussed as a key driver for climate change which means that a changeover in basic economic and ecological thinking is necessary. Especially for the energy production, there has to be a movement away from the usage of fossil resources and towards renewable resources like wind, water, sun or biomass. In this chapter we present a structured review of recent literature on the long-term, strategic planning of biomass-based supply chains. Firstly, we structure the overall research field “bioeconomy” by means of the various utilization pathways of biomass and bring together the demand-oriented view of supply chain management models and the supply-oriented view of bioeconomy. Secondly, we provide a literature review of Operations Research models and methods for strategic supply chain planning in biomass-based industries. Thirdly, we analyze trends and draw conclusions about research gaps.