Abstract
The objective of this study is twofold. Firstly, to analyze sustainability practices adopted in collaboration, including vertical collaboration i.e., with other actors or stages upstream or downstream in the supply chain, and horizontal collaboration i.e., with actors such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Secondly, to identify the sustainability performance expected from sustainability practices implemented in different supply chain stages. The study reports on a set of case studies representing four different food supply chain (FSC) stages: breeding/growing, processing, distribution and retail. The findings indicate that each stage selects different collaboration schemes for sustainability practices’ implementation, prioritizing relations with upstream actors, namely grower/breeder, as these are key actors responsible for ensuring product quality and safety. In addition, the type of collaborative relationship is shown to be predominantly transactional for environmental and community practices, especially for solving specific short-term issues. Finally, varied areas of environmental and social sustainability performance are recognized, upstream and downstream, as a result of collaborative practices applied in different FSC stages, showing the diverse sustainability objectives pursued along the chain.
Highlights
Food is one of the industries where sustainability issues are intrinsically embedded because of the amount and variety of natural resources usage, human requirements for basic nutrition, and communities depending on food production for survival
Varied areas of environmental and social sustainability performance are recognized, upstream and downstream, as a result of collaborative practices applied in different food supply chain (FSC) stages, showing the diverse sustainability objectives pursued along the chain
The paper is organized as follows: first, we present the conceptual background of sustainability practices and performance in the FSC and the role of supply chain collaboration
Summary
Food is one of the industries where sustainability issues are intrinsically embedded because of the amount and variety of natural resources usage, human requirements for basic nutrition, and communities depending on food production for survival. Improving sustainability in the food industry requires engagement of actors worldwide, in order to cope with the challenges of consumer expectations, limited resources, international policies and regulations [1]. Authors highlight the importance of supply chain collaboration in order to succeed in the sustainability journey. Vachon and Klassen [2] defined collaborations as the interactions between supply chain (SC) members for shared environmental goals, which can be directed upstream or downstream, and are expected to be intra and/or inter-organizational [3]. Different tiers, or “stages”, in the supply chain might have different sustainability strategies and goals, and decisions such as the type of collaboration, with whom and for what reasons, become crucial to understand [4]
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