Abstract
Although interest in green and sustainable supply chains has been growing for over a decade in the academic discourse, the textile industry still embraces numerous examples of non-sustainable behavior (i.e., environmental damage, poor working conditions, or modern slavery). While there is a general agreement that stakeholder pressure can lead to more sustainable SCs, a lot remains for a more differentiated stakeholder perspective in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Thus, this study aims for theory elaboration by structuring relationships between SSCM and stakeholder constructs through an exploratory single case study design on the Otto Group, a German apparel frontrunner. It enables an in-depth investigation of the complexity of both stakeholder engagement/relationships and SSCM. As key results, sustainability managers and employees are important facilitators to realize win-win situations. Further, most progress is nowadays made in participating in multi-stakeholder-initiatives (MSI) and with standards to tackle sustainability issues in SCs. Furthermore, this study shows the importance of a shift from the perspective of sustainable products toward sustainable values, and it outlines best practices regarding the integration of stakeholders' expectations in SSCM.
Highlights
Interest in green and sustainable supply chains has been growing for over a decade in the academic discourse (Ansari and Kant, 2017), the apparel industry embraces numerous examples of non-sustainable behavior
The respective actors are assigned to the three roles according to Liu et al (2018) that have been extracted through the material analysis
Our research project has highlighted the need for research about the influence of a company’s management on sustainable practices and how sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices can differ by implementing a stakeholder perspective
Summary
Interest in green and sustainable supply chains has been growing for over a decade in the academic discourse (Ansari and Kant, 2017), the apparel industry embraces numerous examples of non-sustainable behavior. Clothing production is associated with myriad environmental damages, such as the contamination of rivers by chemicals used to dye the textiles. Most companies strive to achieve classical business targets rather than a genuine orientation toward sustainability (Gold and Schleper, 2017). Many companies have their own (in contrast to industry-wide) instruments and standards, which are not always applied comprehensively.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
