Abstract

Background: The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status has become the “gold standard” for supply chain security and trade facilitation under the WCO SAFE Framework. Nevertheless, contemporary certification remain largely limited to binary compliance with minimum requirements, restricting deeper strategic evaluation of security management; Methods: This article develops a Maturity Model for Authorized Supply Chains (MMASC), categorizing operators into five evolutionary levels across eight critical dimensions—Leadership, Risk Management, Collaboration and External Partnership, Access Control and Physical Security, Supply Chain Visibility and Protection, Cybersecurity, Personnel Security, and Security Culture. The model was validated through a two-round modified Delphi process and a post-Delphi consensus workshop with ten regional experts (Cronbach’s α = 0.935), operationalized through a diagnostic engine grounded in Mamdani-type fuzzy logic to reduce subjectivity in qualitative assessments; Results: The framework converts qualitative self-assessment into a crisp 0–100 maturity index, enabling customs administrations and private enterprises to move beyond regulatory compliance while aligning with the 2025 SAFE Framework updates—environmental sustainability, MSME inclusion, and ethical conduct codes; Conclusions: The MMASC provides a basis for a proportional allocation of trade facilitation benefits, such as expedited release, according to an operator’s maturity level, promoting a more resilient, transparent, and sustainable global trade ecosystem.

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