Blockchain in Logistics: Applications, Benefits, Challenges and Future Outlook

Abstract

Blockchain technology offers a distributed, immutable ledger that can improve transparency, traceability and trust among multiple parties in logistics and supply-chain networks. This expanded review synthesises systematic literature from 2018–2025, presents key real-world case studies, quantifies reported benefits, catalogues persistent challenges, and examines the convergence of blockchain with IoT sensors, artificial intelligence and digital twins. Emphasis is placed on food traceability, maritime shipping, pharmaceuticals, sustainability reporting and the socio-technical conditions required for successful adoption. The review also draws on related recent work on supply-chain resilience, digital twins, AI–blockchain integration and emerging quantum approaches to logistics optimization. Illustrative figures and a market-growth curve accompany the analysis. Keywords: Blockchain; Logistics; Supply Chain Management; Traceability; Smart Contracts; Trade Lens; IBM Food Trust; Permissioned Ledger; Interoperability; Digital Twin; IoT Integration; Literature Review; Supply Chain Resilience; Quantum Logistics.