Drivers for and barriers to sustainable supply chain management

What is it about?

This paper examines the factors that motivate or prevent companies' implementation of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. The key reported drivers were customer expectation, top management commitment, moral and ethical values of managers, reputation management, and economic and operational benefits. Conversely, cost concerns, strategic and structural restraints, supplier and customer issues, and a lack of effective regulations were cited as critical obstacles to SSCM implementation. Thus, the evidence from our findings provides support for both instrumental and normative logics for SSCM implementation. The findings further indicate that, in general, instrumental and normative logics are congruent; however, varied tensions arise when managers seek to simultaneously address competing yet desirable SSCM aspects. Accordingly, we argue that it is imperative to understand, work through, and manage such tensions as balancing divergent sustainability aspects holds considerable potential for successful SSCM implementation.

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Why is it important?

This paper would help managers and policymakers to introduce, successfully manage and expand sustainable supply chain management practices at various levels.