Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, cilt.210, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Although AI is widely adopted to improve efficiency and responsiveness in automotive supply chains, its specific contributions to sustainability across environmental, economic, and social dimensions remain underexplored. This study adopts a multi-method approach and highlights the crucial mediating role of AI adoption in the relationship between reverse logistics implementation and sustainable supply chain performance measures, moderated by top management support, among automotive suppliers and manufacturers. Drawing on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, we collected 450 survey data from 120 automotive suppliers and manufacturers in Türkiye and analyzed them to test our hypotheses. A moderated mediation analysis reveals that AI adoption partially mediates the relationship between reverse logistics implementation and sustainable supply chain performance in the automotive sector. By uncovering the role of top management support as a critical enabler, the findings highlight its role in the relationship between reverse logistics implementation and AI adoption. Complementary interviews with eleven automotive top managers provided deeper insight into how AI tools influence reverse logistics practices and sustainability performance. Together, these findings offer a comprehensive understanding of both the mechanisms and impacts of AI adoption in reverse logistics, providing valuable insights for automotive suppliers, manufacturers, and policymakers aiming to enhance sustainability through AI-driven innovations.