Enhancing Transparency and Efficiency in Industrial Procurement through Blockchain: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Blockchain has emerged as a promising technology to address long-standing challenges in industrial supply chains, particularly those related to transparency, traceability, and trust among multiple stakeholders. Conventional procurement systems often rely on centralized architectures and intermediaries, resulting in data fragmentation, limited visibility, and increased operational costs. The objective of this study is to analyze the application of blockchain technology in industrial procurement processes and to assess its impact on improving reliability, efficiency, and transparency across supply chains. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the PICOC framework to define research questions and the PRISMA protocol for study selection. A total of 67 peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2025 were retrieved from the SCOPUS database and classified by industry sector, identified problems, blockchain architectures, and reported outcomes. Findings show a growing research interest in blockchain-enabled procurement, with the food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical sectors exhibiting the highest adoption. Ethereum and Hyperledger are the most used platforms, often combined with hybrid on-chain/off-chain architectures to improve scalability. Reported benefits include enhanced traceability, reduced fraud and errors, improved operational efficiency, and increased automation through smart contracts. However, many implementations remain limited to pilot or controlled environments. Blockchain can significantly enhance procurement performance and supply chain reliability, but challenges related to scalability, interoperability, regulatory alignment, and high implementation costs (particularly for SME’s) remain key barriers to widespread adoption.