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A Review of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Canada

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Abstract

There is a growing body of research on the theory and practice of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). However, relatively little research has been conducted on the extent to which corporations have integrated sustainability principles into the management of their supply chain and the evaluation of supplier performance. The purpose of this article is to explore the extent to which corporate sustainability principles are integrated into supply chain management (SCM) in corporations. Canada is used as a case study in this article. The study included a content analysis of one hundred Canadian corporate sustainable development reports and in-depth interviews with 18 Canadian experts on SSCM. The article highlights the wide array of ways in which Canadian corporations address SSCM issues. Amongst other topics, issues associated with supply chain governance, standards for SSCM, collaboration with suppliers, performance measurement, and accountability within the supply chain are explored. The findings reveal that there are many challenges in integrating sustainability into SCM. These challenges shed light on possible future directions for research in SSCM. This article underlines the need for research that reflects the interconnected nature of the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability, particularly as it relates to measuring supplier performance on sustainability initiatives.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. These corporate governance variables are: “internal and external monitoring by board, leadership, independent boards, institutional investors, and security analysts” (Jo and Harjoto, 2012).

Abbreviations

CSDRs:

Canadian corporate sustainable development reports

CSR:

Corporate social responsibility

GRI:

Global reporting initiative

KPI:

Key performance indicator

RBV:

Resource-based view

RDT:

Resource dependence theory

SCM:

Supply chain management

SSCM:

Ustainable supply chain management

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by the Canadian Purchasing Research Foundation (CPRF) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The authors would like to thank the funding agencies and all of the experts who participated in the interview process. Without their contributions, completion of this study would not have been possible. An earlier draft of the content analysis was presented at the Eight International Symposium on Supply Chain Management, September 26-28 in Toronto, Canada.

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Morali, O., Searcy, C. A Review of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices in Canada. J Bus Ethics 117, 635–658 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1539-4

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