Buyer–supplier relationships and environmental sustainability in developing regions: Field evidence from Zimbabwe's private telecommunication sector

Abstract

There is increasing global call by various stakeholders on adherence to environmental sustainability. This need to adherence has prompted organisations to partner with suppliers to address the environmental sustainability agenda. The telecommunication sector is not excluded in this endeavour to push the frontier for environmental sustainability to greater heights. The purpose of this research is to give insights on the input of buyer–supplier relationships to intensify environmental sustainability going forward. The researcher used the questionnaire and interview guide from procurement practitioners in the private telecommunication sector. The empirical result revealed that transactional relationships have the greatest input in environmental sustainability as compared to both strategic alliances and collaborative relationships. Strategic alliances and collaborative relationships yielded positive results when dealing with key suppliers of strategic items. This research contributes to how procurement policy makers and practitioners can optimize telecommunication supply chains towards environmental sustainability for the future. Theoretically, this study shows how buyer-supplier relationships are key to intensify environmental sustainability, thus reducing environmental harm when put into practice.