Systemic review of Law applied to logistics and supply chain

Abstract

The accelerated technological development, globalization, and transition toward Industry 4.0 have radically transformed logistics and supply management, creating new legal challenges in areas such as contracts, traceability, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. In Panama—a strategic country due to the Canal and its multimodal logistics platform—the current regulatory framework remains fragmented across commercial, maritime, and customs laws, lacking a comprehensive legal system that regulates digital governance and due diligence in supply chains. This regulatory fragmentation limits legal certainty and logistical competitiveness in the face of emerging international standards. The general purpose of this study is to conduct a systemic review of the law applied to logistics and supply management, in order to identify regulatory gaps and propose guidelines to strengthen Panama's legal framework. A qualitative paradigm was adopted, with a descriptive-documentary type, non-experimental design, and qualitative approach, through a systematic documentary review of scientific and regulatory sources published between 2020 and 2025, analyzed through thematic coding and theoretical triangulation. The results reveal three central trends: the expansion of the concept of logistics law toward sustainability, the consolidation of corporate due diligence standards, and legal digitalization through smart contracts. It is concluded that Panama requires a comprehensive legal reform in the logistics sector, oriented toward traceability, transparency, and sustainability in supply chains, in alignment with international commitments and the Sustainable Development Goals.