scholarly journals Sustainability Prerequisites and Practices in Textile and Apparel Supply Chains

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronak Warasthe ◽  
Finja Schulz ◽  
Ralf Enneking ◽  
Marcus Brandenburg
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Chemical Industry ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Textile And Apparel ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Management Orientation ◽  
External Sustainability

The proposed study deals with sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the textile and apparel (T&A) industry. We analyze prerequisites and practices of supply chain (SC) sustainability in a multiple case study of the German and Ethiopian T&A industry. Our analysis is based on ten semi-structured interviews conducted with the managers of seven companies in the Ethiopian T&A production and the German fair fashion retail industries. The contribution of expert knowledge helps in identifying SC sustainability prerequisites and practices. The chosen cases of production in Ethiopia and retail in Germany highlight the complexity of T&A SCs while representing both the suppliers’ and retailers’ perspectives, which is rare in the related literature. As a major research contribution, the study adapts a framework for SC sustainability in the chemical industry and transfers it to T&A SCs. Moreover, practitioners from the T&A industry find useful insights into relevant practices and their prerequisites, which helps in improving SC sustainability in this sector. The study reveals that management orientation and interest groups such as customers represent the most important prerequisites for sustainability. Manufacturers rely more on internal practices such as monitoring, while retailers focus on external sustainability practices, such as supplier development. In a comparative approach, similarities and differences between T&A SCs and the chemical industry are identified.

Sustainability topic trends in the textile and apparel industry: a text mining-based magazine article analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitong Li ◽  
Karen K. Leonas
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Apparel Industry ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Textile And Apparel ◽  
Textile And Apparel Industry

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to (1) identify the sustainable practices developed by the textile and apparel industry and (2) investigate the gaps and opportunities in the sustainability implementation process by quantitively analyzing the sustainability topics and the relevant topic trends.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed text mining techniques. A total of 1,168 relevant magazine articles published from 2013 to 2020 were collected and then categorized according to their tones. In total, 36 topics were identified by reviewing the sustainability issues in the industry. The frequency of each topic mentioned in the articles and the correlation coefficients between topics' frequencies and published time were calculated. The results were used to examine if the three sustainability dimensions (environment, society, economy) were equally addressed and identify opportunities in the sustainability implementation process.FindingsThere were much fewer social and economic topics than environmental topics discussed in the articles. Additionally, there were not enough practices developed to reduce microfiber pollution, improve consumers' knowledge of sustainability, offset the carbon footprint, build a transparent, sustainable supply chain and avoid animal cruelty.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research focusing on the whole supply chain and sustainability when investigating sustainable practices and topic trends. This study fills a part of the gap. The results can be used by industrialists to identify sustainable practice opportunities and better manage their sustainable supply chains. Researchers can utilize the results to compare the topics in the industry with the topics studied in academia.

scholarly journals Influência da variável ambiental no processo de escolha dos fornecedores: Um Estudo em Agroindústrias da Microrregião de Assis-SP

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-100
Author(s):  
Edenis Cesar Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Environmental Variable ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Trading Partners ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Weak Influence ◽  
Selection Of

The global market characterized by competition, has demanded of new placements organizations, particularly as to how implement and develop relations with its trading partners. The Supply Chain Management emerges as a tool that provides organizations with the most effective management of the consequences of these relations. The incorporation of environmental issues in the organizational context reflected directly across chain. Organizations began to consider sustainability as a major factor in relations with its stakeholders, justifying the emergence of Sustainable Management of Supply Chain. The study aims to analyze the influence of environmental variable introduced in decisions and selection of suppliers of sugarcane agro-industries located in the micro-region of Assis-SP. Was held from Multiple Case Study in six agribusinesses, collecting data through semi-structured interviews, applied to sixteen actors directly involved with the subject matter, in addition to document analysis to support the interviews. For data analysis, applied to content analysis with the help of ATLAS.ti software. The results showed that, of the six surveyed companies, in agribusiness AGR2, FOR1 and for2 the environmental variable has a weak influence in the selection of its suppliers; in AGR1 the influence is average and only in AGR3 and AGR4 agribusinesses environmental variable has a strong influence.

Interpersonal and inter-organizational relationship drivers of supply chain integration

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 1170-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Wang ◽  
Yuanfei Kang ◽  
Paul Childerhouse ◽  
Baofeng Huo
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how interpersonal relationships (IPRs) and inter-organisational relationships (IORs) interact with each other as driving forces of supply chain integration (SCI). More specifically (the) three dimensions of IPR – personal affection, personal credibility, and personal communication – are examined in regards to how they affect inter-organisational relationships during SCI. Design/methodology/approach The research employed an exploratory multiple case study approach with four New Zealand case companies selected as the empirical basis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of managerial executives in relation to supply chain activities, which were triangulated with company archival data. Findings The authors found that IPRs are able to interact with IORs to influence the integration of supply chains. More specifically, IPRs influence IORs by initiating organisational relationships in the SCI context; and influences from IPR dimensions on IORs tend to be of differing magnitudes and have different evolutional paths across the whole SCI process. Originality/value This research contributes to knowledge about the roles and mechanisms through which IPRs shape and enable inter-organisational level relationships within the SCI context.

Paradoxical tensions in sustainable supply chain management: insights from the electronics multi-tier supply chain context

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Georg Zehendner ◽  
Philipp C. Sauer ◽  
Patrick Schöpflin ◽  
Anni-Kaisa Kähkönen ◽  
Stefan Seuring
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Party Organizations ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Ecological Objectives

PurposeManaging supply chains (SCs) for sustainability often results in conflicting demands, which can be conceptualized as sustainability tensions. This paper studies sustainability tensions in electronics SC contexts and the related management responses by applying a paradox perspective.Design/methodology/approachA single case study on the electronics SC is conducted with companies and third-party organizations as embedded units of analysis, using semi-structured interviews that are triangulated with publicly available data.FindingsThe study identifies tension elements (learning, belonging, organizing and economic performing) conflicting with general social–ecological objectives in the electronics SC. The results indicate a hierarchal structure among the sustainability tensions in SC contexts. The management responses of contextualization and resolution are assigned to the identified tensions.Practical implicationsFraming social–ecological objectives with their conflicting elements as paradoxical tensions enables organizations and SCs to develop better strategies for responding to complex sustainability issues in SC contexts.Originality/valueThe study contributes toward filling the gap on paradoxical sustainability tensions in SCs. Empirical insights are gained from different actors in the electronics SC. The level of emergence and interconnectedness of sustainability tensions in a larger SC context is explored through an outside-in perspective.

scholarly journals Assessing Supply Chain Performance from the Perspective of Pakistan’s Manufacturing Industry Through Social Sustainability

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Khokhar ◽  
Wasim Iqbal ◽  
Yumei Hou ◽  
Majed Abbas ◽  
Arooj Fatima
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Chain Management

The industry is gradually forced to integrate socially sustainable development practices and cross-social issues. Although researchers and practitioners emphasize environmental and economic sustainability in supply chain management (SCM). This is unfortunate because not only social sustainable development plays an important role in promoting other sustainable development programs, but social injustice at one level in the supply chain may also cause significant losses to companies throughout the chain. This article aimed to consolidate the literature on the responsibilities of suppliers, manufacturers, and customers and to adopt sustainable supply chain management (SSSCM) practices in the Pakistani industry to identify all possible aspects of sustainable social development in the supply chain by investigating the relationship between survey variables and structure. This work went beyond the limits of regulations and showed the status of maintaining sustainable social issues. Based on semi-structured interviews, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed. The data was collected through a survey of the head of the supply chain in Karachi, Pakistan. The results of this paper showed that organizational learning was the most important dimension of supplier social sustainability with a value of 40.5% as compared to the effectiveness of the supply chain and the supplier performance with values 37.7 and 9.6%, respectively. In terms of the manufacturer’s social responsibility, the highest score for operational performance was 47%, while productivity was 20%, and corporate social demonstration was 20%. Finally, for the customers’ social sustainability, two dimensions were determined, namely, customer satisfaction and customer commitment with scores of 47 and 40%, respectively. We also solved sustainable social problems from the perspective of suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. The study would help professionals anywhere to emphasize their considerations and would improve the management of social sustainability in their supply chain.

scholarly journals The institutional logic of the sustainable organisation: the case of a chocolate supply network

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate McLoughlin ◽  
Joanne Meehan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Network ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analyse Power ◽  
Stakeholder Network ◽  
New Research ◽  
Competitive Activities ◽  
Social Logics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how, and by whom, institutional logics are determined in the action of sustainable organisation. The authors analyse a supply chain network structure to understand how multiple stakeholders' perceptions of sustainability emerge into a dominant logic and diffuse across an organisational field.Design/methodology/approachStakeholder network theory provides novel insights into emerging logics within a chocolate supply chain network. Semi-structured interviews with 35 decision-makers were analysed alongside 269 company documents to capture variations in emergent logics. The network was mapped to include 63 nodes and 366 edges to analyse power structure and mechanisms.FindingsThe socio-economic organising principles of sustainable organisation, their sources of power and their logics are identified. Economic and social logics are revealed, yet the dominance of economic logics creates risks to their coexistence. Logics are largely shaped in pre-competitive activities, and resource fitness to collaborative clusters limits access for non-commercial actors.Research limitations/implicationsPowerful firms use network structures and collaborative and concurrent inter-organisational relationships to define and diffuse their conceptualisation of sustainability and restrict competing logics.Originality/valueThis novel study contributes to sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) through presenting the socio-economic logic as a new conceptual framework to understand the action of sustainable organisation. The identification of sophisticated mechanisms of power and hegemonic control in the network opens new research agendas.

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