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Sustainability in multiple stages of the food supply chain in Italy: practices, performance and reputation

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Abstract

This study’s purposes are threefold. First, to identify the sustainability practices and the motivation behind their implementation across different stages in the chain. Second, to understand the relationship between the sustainability practices in a particular supply chain stage with its operational performances, in the same stage and in other stages. Third, to identify the link between sustainability practices implemented in a particular supply chain stage and reputation in the same stage and in other stages. The study is grounded on the institutional theory and involves multiple cases in four different food supply chain (FSC) stages, in Italy. Findings indicate a varied practice implementation in different stages in the chain, motivated by different institutional pressures, which is in turn related to the company’s performance and reputation aims. This multi-stage study provides a more holistic interpretation of sustainability in the FSC, recognizing the importance of setting appropriate sustainability strategies and goals in each stage.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to offer their special thanks to Dr. Giuseppe Marzano for his very valuable comments and constructive insights during the data analysis and revision of this manuscript. His willingness to generously give his time has been very much appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4B, 20156, Milan, Italy

    Verónica León-Bravo, Federico Caniato & Maria Caridi

  2. Facultad de Posgrados, Universidad de Las Américas- Ecuador, Av. José Queri entre Av. Granados y Av. Eloy Alfaro, Quito, Ecuador

    Verónica León-Bravo

Authors
  1. Verónica León-Bravo
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  2. Federico Caniato
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  3. Maria Caridi
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Correspondence to Verónica León-Bravo.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Interview protocol

1.1 Company General Description

Interviewees are asked to briefly describe the company in terms of business strategy (e.g., values, quality policy, and service policy), number of facilities, location, product portfolio, market segmentation.

Following, questions are formulated regarding the company supply chain:

  • Suppliers: Number and location, type of agreements and/or contracts (long term, short term, minimum volumes, delivery time frame and so on), purchasing management

  • Customers: Distribution channels (local, regional, international); Customer relationship: agreements and/or contracts, after sales services.

  • Operations: Which operations are performed internally: breeding livestock or agriculture, primary processing (production starting from the raw materials), secondary processing (processing from semi-finished), packaging, transport and distribution, retailing

1.2 Sustainability approach

Interviewees are asked to describe the company’s strategy for sustainability, when it started and how it evolved (objectives and organizational structure, if existing). In addition, the most important reasons behind the choices related to the strategy for sustainability (regulatory compliance, cost reduction, image, and competitive advantage).

Moreover, the most important obstacles/ challenges encountered (high costs and resource consuming, lack of expertise/training, lack of commitment, metrics, suppliers / customers).

Specifically, which are the activities/programs/initiatives implemented in the following areas:

  • Environmental responsibility:

    • Environmental regulations to comply to. If there is no particular regulation: internal environment respecting policy (e.g., energy saving, water wasting, recycling material, renewable energy)

    • Waste management: type of waste, discard, reuse, donation

    • Supplier’s sustainability: if regulations /policies exist, how is it ensured that they are respected. If it exists, what is the environmental criteria for selecting and evaluating suppliers. If it exists, what are the practices performed together with suppliers and why.

    • Others

  • Social involvement and community responsibility:

    • Internal practices for employees’ wellbeing: Training programs for self-safety, for product handling, for product knowledge (e.g., nutrition, importance for the company, etc.). Career programs. Employee’s family involvement

    • For costumers and community: If it exists, how the sustainability strategy is communicated to consumers (e.g., origin, nutrition facts, fair trade, carbon footprint, recipes). Programs implemented for consumer education, for community development

    • Others

1.3 Performance and Reputation

Interviewees are asked to describe if there are any measurement, reporting and/or communication tools to evaluate the sustainability practices implemented. Questions are formulated regarding:

  • What practices are related to the company’s performance in terms of quality, efficiency, responsiveness and flexibility

  • Formal and/or informal mechanisms for sharing the sustainability objectives and results internally, and externally:

    • Tools and/or measures used to monitor the company’s performance in terms of sustainability? (e.g., KPIs, results monitoring, publicity, employee training. Access to suppliers’ /customers’ results

  • Practices in the upstream and downstream stages that are relevant for the company’s operations and performance

    • How are they monitored, communicated and/or evaluated?

    • Do customers encourage/ask to develop/ improve any sustainability related practice?

      • What kind and how often information is required

  • If the objectives mentioned in the sustainability approach section are related to company’s image or competitive advantage:

    • What practices are related to the company’s sustainability image/reputation

    • How are the relevant practices monitored/ communicated and/or evaluated (if they are)

    • Practices in the upstream and downstream stages that are relevant for the company’s sustainability image/ reputation

  • Others

Appendix 2

Table 7 Sustainability practices implemented in the cases under study
Full size table

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León-Bravo, V., Caniato, F. & Caridi, M. Sustainability in multiple stages of the food supply chain in Italy: practices, performance and reputation. Oper Manag Res 12, 40–61 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-018-0136-9

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