Globalisation of supply chains makes their management and control more difficult. Blockchain technology, as a distributeddigital ledger technology which ensures transparency, traceability, and security, is showing promise for easing some globalsupply chain management problems. In this paper, blockchain technology and smart contracts are critically examined withpotential application to supply chain management. Local and global government, community, and consumer pressures tomeet sustainability goals prompt us to further investigate how blockchain can address and aid supply chain sustainability. Partof this critical examination is how blockchains, a potentially disruptive technology that is early in its evolution, can overcomemany potential barriers. Four blockchain technology adoption barriers categories are introduced; inter-organisational, intra-organisational, technical, and external barriers. True blockchain-led transformation of business and supply chain is stillin progress and in its early stages; we propose future research propositions and directions that can provide insights intoovercoming barriers and adoption of blockchain technology for supply chain management.
