Beyond compliance: evaluating the governance capacity of public digital platforms in sustainable supply chains

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to explore innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain in the future by focusing on investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on the fashion supply chain and review sustainable supply chain.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) and a case study have been undertaken to explore the innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain developed after the COVID-19 outbreak. Having conducted a comprehensive literature search in electronic databases Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, ScienceDirect and ProQuest, 69 articles were selected and reviewed. A case of the Kering Group was used to explain the results.FindingsThis paper highlighted the basic concepts of a sustainable supply chain, reviewed the 10 principles of the United Nation Global Compact and their connections to promoting supply chain sustainability, as well as the three components of a sustainable supply chain: green supply chain, transparent supply chain and circular supply chain. Based on the results of a SLR and a real case of Kering Group, the paper identified 12 innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain: (1) biodegradable and natural materials, (2) textile recycling, (3) nearshoring, (4) artificial intelligence (AI), (5) robot, (6) 3D printing, (7) Internet of Things, (8) blockchain, (9) reverse resources; (10) bio-packaging, (11) augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and (12) digital runway.Research limitations/implicationsThe epidemiological situations of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding innovative ideas for a sustainable supply chain may change over time. While this paper provides a comprehensive literature review and case study, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts in the development of a sustainable fashion supply chain through collecting both quantitative and qualitative data.Practical implicationsEmbracing the issues from the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of this study are further explained by the case of Kering Group in the fashion industry. The managerial implications of the results and discussion are the need to adopt innovative ideas for a more sustainable fashion supply chain in the future. The success of sustainable supply chains work by leveraging the best available technologies such as robot, 3D printing, AR and VR, setting consistent standards for sustainability such as Environmental Profit and Loss and Kering & Textile Exchange and communicating with all parties throughout the supply chain, such as blockchain and AI. Investment in developing technology and innovative ideas will be the key of future to supply chain sustainability. Nonetheless, the specific approach used by each organization must be tailored to its characteristics, goals and circumstances.Social implicationsBringing upon unprecedented challenges, the pandemic has shown both companies and consumers just how fragile our planet is. Thus, to protect our planet in the long run, we need to not only make businesses more sustainable but also live more eco-friendly lifestyles.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that conducts a systemic review of the relevant academic journal articles addressed to the managerial audience on sustainable (fashion) supply chain. In addition, this paper also adds some consideration to this gap by exploring the innovative ideas for a sustainable fashion supply chain in the future and using a case to illustrate how these ideas can be put in a real-life context. This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 on different stages of the supply chain and gives innovative ideas that can be used in response to the changing epidemiological situations of the pandemic.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of supermarket-driven sustainable dairy supply chains. This paper raises questions about the unintended consequences of implementing sustainable supply chain management in the dairy food supply chain. It critically questions whether unintended consequences were actually, anticipated, as the course of action taken by retailers reinforces the dominant profitability discourse.Design/methodology/approachThrough a critical management studies approach, this paper challenges the dominant discourse to shed light on the social consequences of the win-win sustainable supply chain management in the dairy food supply chain. The focus of this paper is on the experiences of farmers, taking their viewpoint of sustainable supply chains rather than taking the perspective of the multinationals who have traditionally been the focus of supply chain management research (e.g. McCarthy et al., 2018; Quarshie et al., 2016).FindingsThe study illuminates how retailers have bolstered their dominant position through using sustainable supply chains to exert further control over their suppliers. The management of sustainable supply chains has been a further catalyst in economically and socially dividing rural communities and creating tensions between dairy farmers.Originality/valueThis paper uses an ethnographic study to provide in-depth stories of the changes that took place within one farming community. It exposes the hidden ways in which the introduction of a sustainable dairy supply chain has created social and economic division, further reducing the collective power of dairy farmers through creating a dual supply chain.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to give an up-to-date and structured insight into the literature published during the past decade on sustainable green supply chain management. It also suggests trends for future research based on the research issues identified through systematic and comprehensive analysis of previous studies in the area of green and sustainable supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachA state-of-the-art literature review is carried out by systematically collecting the existing literature over a period of 10 years (2005-2014) and categorizing it on the basis of attributes such as stages in supply chain, methodology and the industries/sectors under consideration. The classification of literature is also done according to the geographic region and year of publication.FindingsThere has been an increased interest among researchers and practitioners in the area of sustainable green supply chain management in the past decade. A need for achieving sustainability through adoption of greener practices has been universally felt, owing to an increasing environmental and ecological complexity. The review reveals that there exists a need to address behavioural issues like human resource management and supply chain partner relationship management. Moreover, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chain management and waste management are areas that need special focus to achieve environmental sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe current review focuses on research trends in the past 10 years only. Moreover, papers from only good quality, peer-reviewed journals are considered in the study.Originality/valueMost of the previous reviews have either focused on specific issues related to sustainable supply chains only or green supply chains. The present study collectively takes into consideration papers both from green supply chain management as well as from sustainable supply chain literature that have a prime focus on environmental sustainability.

Sustainability is a timely topic. A sustainable supply chain is one which aims to maximize the system's performance in three dimensions, namely environment, economics, and society. In the fashion industry, with the advance of big data related information technologies, achieving a sustainable supply chain is no longer a dream. In this paper, we first establish that a fashion supply chain is in fact a typical system of systems. Then, we examine several critical big data related technologies and applications which are related to sustainable fashion supply chain management. After that, we develop and present the design principles, from a system of systems perspective, for developing a sustainable fashion supply chain. Based on these principles, we further propose a novel five steps framework for achieving sustainable fashion supply chain management in the big data era. A sustainable fashion supply chain system of systems matrix is also constructed.

PurposeIn light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all business sectors have critical needs. They face multiple challenges to restructuring their operations to build a resilient, cost-effective and sustainable supply chain. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the practice and the research gaps related to supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThis research paper is influenced by a literature review of the past decade. This review paper incorporates industry challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including future steps toward developing resilient supply chains in the new normal economy. The research provides a detailed framework for designing cost-effective survivable supply chains that withstand disruptions for the long term.FindingsThe proposed research focuses on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains and attempts to bridge pre and post COVID-19 research and practice gaps. Post-COVID-19 resilient supply chains need to be transformed into survivable supply chains. The survivability of the supply chain can be achieved by combining both supply chain resilience and supply chain viability measures. To the best of the authors’ belief, this is the first study that grounds a theory to provide interconnection of five critical supply chain concepts to manage supply chain risk. This study is uniquely positioned to develop a theoretical framework to design a cost-effective, resilient and sustainable supply chain by establishing the interconnection among these concepts in supply chains. This framework helps practitioners to implement the key strategies at the operational, tactical and strategic levels that enhance maturity in supply chains.Research limitations/implicationsThe research findings are based on secondary reports such as industry reports, cases, research papers and expert opinions. The authors tried to consult with many companies. However, they were reluctant to share the recovery plan information from COVID. Also, as COVID still exists in many places in Canada, the authors could not gather every intended information from the companies. However, the authors have successfully shared the outcomes of this research with a reputed retail company in Canada. They recognized the importance of survivability in supply chains. Going forward, business organizations need to design cost-effective, sustainable and survivable supply chains.Originality/valueThe study attempts to unify current research dealing with supply chain resilience. The study concludes with the limitations of the current research. It highlights the prospects of future research and bridges the supply chain practice gaps from the challenges faced by industries due to COVID-19. The study contributes to the literature by identifying gaps to bridge the supply chain practice and reiterating new research directions to develop a cost-effective, survivable and sustainable supply chain.

Supply chain management covers integrated activities of planning, coordinating, and controlling of all business processes and practices in the supply chain to meet the demands of consumers at the lowest possible cost. Sustainable supply chain can be achieved by taking into account three pillars of sustainable development, namely, economy, social, and environment. Passion fruit agro-industry supply chain actors consist of farmers, collectors, agro-industries, and retailers. This study aims at identifying factors affecting the passion fruit agro-industry supply chain performance for sustainable micro, small, and medium enterprises and designing a supply chain performance measurement model of MSME passion fruit agro-industry with system dynamics. This research used a survey method through observations, in-depth interviews, and expert opinions. Data were processed using a combination of the hard system (system dynamics analysis) and soft system (expert opinions).The feedback structure along the passion fruit syrup agro-industry system was modeled in a causal loop diagram using system dynamics through version 10 of Powersim Studio software. It was then translated into a stock-flow diagram as the implementation of the simulation model. The model was verified using a computerized statistical analysis (Absolute Means Error) technique. To formulate recommendations and development strategy scenarios for sustainable MSME passion fruit agro-industry supply chain, a system approach method was used and expected to produce an effective and operational decision in accordance with the objectives previously set. The results obtained through expert opinions and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which have the highest weight with various conditions for each variable. Seven key variables were proven to influence the performance of passion fruit agro-industry supply chain, which were also used to design a sustainable MSME supply chain development scenario. The behavior of the sustainable passion fruit agro-industry supply chain model took the form of positive growth and the error rate of 7.43. Developing a sustainable MSMEPFASCPM can be carried out with a moderate strategy by developing: 1) pattern of good relationships among the actors, 2) gradual increase in the availability of raw materials, 3) environmental support capability, 4) gradual increase of profits, 5) moderate skills, 6) employment opportunities, and 7) land availability.

As a global manufacturing sector, the leather industry has been a critical player in the international commerce market. With growing concerns about its sustainability, there tends to be an increasing number of studies in academic literature as well as grey literature (e.g. industry reports) focusing on leather supply chain management. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive review of the current research that illustrates the relationships between sustainable leather supply chain governance practices and their antecedents and consequences. This paper aims to identify the main themes of sustainable leather supply chains through a systematic literature review of 61 studies published between 1992 and 2022 identified from the Scopus and WoS databases and industry reports and propose a theoretical framework based on the thematic findings for future research. In these contexts, five themes were identified from the literature: drivers, practice, barriers, enablers and outcomes of sustainable supply chain governance in the leather industry. Ultimately, a conceptual framework identifying the themes and their linkages was developed. The article also suggests future research directions and managerial implications.

Sustainable supply chain and circular economy ingenuities in small manufacturing firms- a stimulus for sustainable development

Sustainability is significantly important for fashion business due to consumers’ increasing awareness of environment. When a fashion company aims to promote sustainability, the main linkage is to develop a sustainable supply chain. This paper contributes to current knowledge of sustainable supply chain in the textile and clothing industry. We first depict the structure of sustainable fashion supply chain including eco-material preparation, sustainable manufacturing, green distribution, green retailing, and ethical consumers based on the extant literature. We study the case of the Swedish fast fashion company, H&M, which has constructed its sustainable supply chain in developing eco-materials, providing safety training, monitoring sustainable manufacturing, reducing carbon emission in distribution, and promoting eco-fashion. Moreover, based on the secondary data and analysis, we learn the lessons of H&M’s sustainable fashion supply chain from the country perspective: (1) the H&M’s sourcing managers may be more likely to select suppliers in the countries with lower degrees of human wellbeing; (2) the H&M’s supply chain manager may set a higher level of inventory in a country with a higher human wellbeing; and (3) the H&M CEO may consider the degrees of human wellbeing and economic wellbeing, instead of environmental wellbeing when launching the online shopping channel in a specific country.

\nMaintaining collaboration among the entire stages in the agri-food supply chain to achieve sustainability is complex. All the stakeholders involved in the activities have to prioritize their financial benefits without putting aside social development and environmental responsibilities. Some scholars have paid attention to this topic. The objective of this paper is to review current research on sustainable supply chain and collaboration model in agri-food industry. Sustainability aspects that consist of economic, environment, and social and the model of sustainable supply chain in agri-food industry are analyzed. Moreover, collaboration in sustainable agri-food supply chain management is also studied thoroughly from vertical and horizontal perspectives. The result shows that there are few studies focusing on the integrated collaboration to achieve sustainable supply chain system. Additionally, not all sustainable aspects are covered thoroughly. The scholars pays more attention to economic and environmental aspects than social aspects. Furthermore, some studies only focus on one type of collaboration in sustainable agri-food supply chain. Often, these studies do not even consider all elements in the triple bottom line.\n

In the quest to build truly sustainable corporations and supply chains, we propose (a) the moral responsibility theory of corporate sustainability and (b) the moral responsibility theory of sustainable supply chain. Built from morality literature in philosophy, the view of corporations as moral agents in law, and analyses of corporate hypocrisy and its role in an organization’s and its members’ behaviors, our theories show how a truly sustainable corporation and its external supply chain could emerge. At the core, we believe that without a sense of moral responsibility businesses throughout the supply chain will not be truly sustainable. In today’s highly globalized and fragmented business environments, corporations do businesses with external supply chain partners, and without the truly sustainable supply chain partners, they may not be able to achieve sustainability goals. Moreover, for such a supply chain to be truly sustainable, each member of the supply chain must also be truly sustainable. For each member of the supply chain to be truly sustainable, the individuals who work in a corporation must be truly sustainable as well. That is, a truly sustainable supply chain cannot be established without its member corporations’ and employees’ commitment to and successes in sustainability. This paper shows how business moral responsibility and corporate sustainability are closely intertwined. How these theories could be applied in the corporate and supply chain settings are discussed, and future research opportunities are presented.

The purpose of this article is to explore the role of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) in sustainable supply chains. I argue that MSIs are needed to help establish and institutionalize the natural and social thresholds in which a sustainable supply chain must operate. While a multitude of MSIs relevant to supply chains already exist, they do not yet adequately address sustainability thresholds. Building on theory and literature, I elaborate on four interrelated roles for MSIs in this area: (1) providing learning platforms, (2) developing standards, (3) developing enforcement mechanisms, and (4) issuing labels and certifications. All four roles emphasize the need for supply chains to operate within the thresholds set by nature and society. Staying within thresholds is what distinguishes between sustainable and unsustainable supply chains. The four roles form part of a broader conceptual framework outlining a way forward for MSIs in sustainable supply chains. Different MSIs could address one or more of these roles. I argue that all MSIs must be developed with special attention to their input and output legitimacy. Stakeholders from both within and beyond the supply chain must be involved in developing and implementing a MSI for it to be viewed as legitimate. I note that the conceptual framework presented here is a starting point. It would benefit from further testing and refinement. For example, future work could add further specificity to the four roles I discuss. Future research could also focus on integrating economic thresholds for sustainable supply chains into the framework.

The most important topic for researchers is supply chain, that takes into account environmental factors and social aspects. That is why top managers prefer taking into account key performance indicators currently. Harmonization of social, environmental and economic components makes development of supply chains sustainable. This document is based on environmental protection; it details the main features of sustainable supply chain. It presents supporting tools of collaboration in sustainable supply chains. The main examined areas: system identification, order picking, inventory control systems, city logistics, intermodal logistics processes, routing, and logistics processes of earthwork. The tools: neural network, simulation, genetic algorithm, ant colony algorithm. The paper is structured as follows: First chapter defines sustainability and Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC). The second chapter presents supporting tools of collaboration in sustainable supply chains.

The sustainability conception encompasses a wide range from economy to environment and society. Sustainable supply chains, when managed with the right strategies, will ensure several advantages for all collaborators in the chain. With the increasing consumer awareness, the studies conducted in recent years focus on the environmental and social dimensions as well as the economic factor of sustainability. Sustainability factors; “environmental, economic and social” also known as three pillars of sustainability are considered together in order to increase the benefits offered by the sustainable supply chain. In this study, closed-loop supply chain themed studies that deal with three pillars of sustainability in the literature were examined based on sub-factors. Studies have shown that, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methods such as ReCipe, Eco-Indicator 99 and \(CO_2\) emission are the approaches used to determine the environmental factors of sustainability. Cost, profit and Net Present Value (NPV) methods are used to measure the economic dimension of sustainability. Job opportunities, losses and Customer Service Level (CSL) are most commonly used as sub-criteria to determine social factors. Accordingly, a sustainable closed-loop supply chain model consisting of seven echelons has been examined. A deterministic mixed integer linear programming model (MILP), which includes the economic dimension of sustainability, has been developed and enclosed with sample solutions. Suggestions for sustainability criteria and improving the proposed model have been made for future studies.KeywordsSustainable closed loop supply chainSustainability sub-factorsThree pillarsMixed integer programming

Shorter product life due to technology development and changing customer needs requires optimal supply chain management and structuring. Achieving this optimization brings productivity to the organization. A sustainable and reliable supply chain (S&RSC) as an emerging paradigm, with a comprehensive view, leads the supply chain network design (SCND) issue to the desired situation. This study, as part of an emerging theme, presents a systematic review and classification of 42 articles at the intersection of sustainability, reliability, and supply chain network design. In this regard, in a historical course, the four concepts of green supply chain, socially responsible supply chain, sustainable supply chain, and reliable supply chain in the form of four structures of history and definition, deriver and importance, substrate and practice, evaluation, and implementation are discussed. The result of the review shows that the articles that study the integration of sustainability and reliability in SCND are vibrant and rapidly growing in various industries. Developing countries and manufacturing companies with the largest number of articles have been the research fields of the studies. Most of the studies have considered the structure of the supply chain as a forward flow. The key contribution of this review is the development of a comprehensive framework of S&RSC from the conceptual point of view, elements, assessment tools, and its implementation context. The present review can serve as a guide for various stakeholders. In particular, practitioners and policymakers can effectively develop their own strategies and policies to advance the sustainable‐reliable program.