Greening of supply chain to drive performance through logical integration of supply chain resources

Abstract

Sustainability has always been a concern of humankind in one form or the other. Still, it has come into sharper focus after the promulgation of the sustainable development goals in 2015 and the disruptive forces unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain management is an aspect of business operations wherein the need for sustainability has been felt more keenly. The academic and business understanding of various nuances of incorporating sustainability, particularly environmental concerns in the supply chain, is still evolving. Our study seeks to enrich the growing literature in the area by proposing to uncover a novel, logical sequence of intangible supply chain resources that can amplify the impact of green supply chain management practices (GSCMPs) on business performance. We use the dual-theoretical lens of a resource-based view and stakeholder theories to conceptualize the sequential mediational role of supply chain visibility, resilience, and robustness between GSCMP and performance. Analyzing data collected from 318 individuals working in the manufacturing sector in the United Kingdom, we found a positive direct association of GSCMP with performance and the serial mediational role of visibility and robustness between the two. The findings of our study are pertinent for theorists as well as managers.