Exploring the digital supply chain in the Industry 5.0 era: A literature review and empirical study of sustainability

• Track the post-2021 surge in analytics research on Industry 5.0 supply chains. • Show how digital technology powers sustainability and resilience in supply chains. • Demonstrate analytics evidence of artificial intelligence boosting supply-chain performance. • Reveal quantitative methods as the dominant approach in recent supply-chain studies. • Map supply-chain concepts into a framework linking sustainability, resilience, and human focus. Faced with climate risks and the challenges posed by COVID-19, Industry 5.0 is reshaping supply chains with a focus on human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. Companies are still grappling with disruptions, price pressures, and uncertainty about the future. These challenges are driving firms to adopt the principles of Industry 5.0. This study examines how supply chains evolve through this perspective. We employ a structured review using the theory, context, characteristics, and methods framework, combined with empirical analysis. Our review includes 71 peer-reviewed papers, and we found that interest in this topic has surged sharply since 2021. We identify leading theories, new contexts, core variables, and standard methods. Central to this shift are digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, which enhance decision-making and help maintain network viability. However, the focus on the human-centric aspect is limited. Quantitative research designs dominate the literature, followed by qualitative studies. Our empirical findings reveal a significant gap: for the world's 20 largest corporations, 49 percent of market capitalization does not align with Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria, and 59 percent fail to meet the 1.5°C climate pathway targets. Progress in these areas has been slow. In response, we propose an integrated framework and a research agenda. In light of the implications, this agenda calls for a theoretical approach that links human-centric sustainability and risk readiness, as well as the development of metrics to assess viability over time. for managers, this paper provides a practical guide, outlining which technologies to prioritize and how to implement changes effectively.