Building sustainable and resilient supply chains: a framework and empirical evidence on trade-offs and synergies in implementation of practices

Abstract

Implementing practices aiming at both sustainable and resilient supply chains is a nascent but still poorly addressed research area. This study aims at exploring how to develop sustainable and resilient supply chain practices, advancing knowledge on synergies and trade-offs that can be expected. Empirical evidence from six firms has been collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The preliminary results obtained show that sustainability practices are more explicitly implemented by firms, while resilience practices are sometimes neglected. Various degrees of synergies and trade-offs are highlighted: besides being the most widely implemented practices, green logistics, certifications, and eco-design practices can be considered both sustainable and resilient. The implications of this study may be important to expand knowledge on what is regarded as both sustainable and resilient, and it supports organizations throughout their supply chains in the implementation of practices.