Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is an evolving discipline, and incorporates the environmental and social performance dimensions of sustainability with the traditional measure of economic performance; current SSCM research indicates a skew towards economic performance and its interaction with environmental performance, while social performance is underrepresented (Pagell and Wu, 2009, Schaefer, 2004, Sharma and Ruud, 2003). The UK clothing industry represents a relevant research focus due to its supply chain complexity, and scale and scope of its environmental and social impacts; this thesis further recognises the tendency for academic research to focus on Large Enterprises (LE) (Curran and Blackburn, 2001) and investigates how SSCM is implemented in UK SME clothing supply chains to understand how and why they address economic, environmental and social performance and the potential contribution to developing the SSCM concept. An inductive case study methodology is employed and the research focuses on 4 UK clothing SMEs with primary data collection a series of semi-structured interviews, supported by observation, company documentation and archival data. Three theoretical lenses are applied and the findings indicate that SMEs manage their supply chains for sustainability in ways that strongly align with their specific characteristics and apply a greater emphasis on long-term, trust-based and mutually beneficial supplier relationships. A rich view of SSCM practice in SMEs is developed, which reflects the more intangible and human components of sustainability and supply chain relationships, and how these can be harnessed to achieve firm specific commitments. This thesis fulfils an identified need to study how sustainability is addressed in SME supply chains within a single industry; SSCM research to date has focused on large organisations and multiple industry perspectives. It contributes to knowledge in both the SSCM and SME research fields by identifying key gaps within the combined literature, critiquing sustainability models and developing a conceptual framework from the findings, which aims to embed social performance and offer a more integrated approach to SSCM in this context.

The concept of sustainability has become a buzzword in today’s business marketplace. Particularly, the incorporation of sustainability into Supply Chain Management (SCM) has received a great deal of attention from companies of all sizes and even involved a wide range of industries in recent years. Meanwhile, Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has been highlighted by academic and corporations. With SSCM, more enterprises have benefited from being sustainable in their daily operations. Although research has made contributions, there is still a lack of understanding on how to achieve sustainable development in SCM. Therefore, the overall purpose of this research is to find out the key success factors for implementing the strategic SSCM. To achieve this target, it is necessary to identify appropriate indicators to measure the sustainable activities and figure out the relationship that combined social and environmental dimensions with supply chain activities. This research focused on Swedish global company. Both summaries of literature review and findings of the case company were analyzed to satisfy the research purpose, as a result, definition of sustainability, implementations in SSCM, and the relationship between sustainability and SCM that are based on the actual situations of the case company were presented. After that, five key success factors for implementing the strategic SSCM have been concluded: (1) SSCM needs to be ensured as a strategy within long-term consideration; (2) Standard management system needs to be complied with daily operations; (3) Communication with stakeholders needs to be increased in the supply chain; (4) Respect for human rights, and provide safety working environment; (5) Control resources usage and reduce negative emission to the environment. Accomplish of this research, on the one hand, it clarified the relationship between sustainability and SCM; on the other hand, it also deepened knowledge about how to achieve a strategic SSCM based on an empirical study in wire and cable manufacturing industry.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management has become a topic of increased importance within the research domain. There is a greater need than ever before for companies to be able to assess and make informed decisions about their sustainability in the Supply Chains. There is a proliferation of research about its understanding and how to implement it in practice. This is mainly since sustainability has been assessed from various disciplines, organizational industries and organizational functional silos . There is a lack of comprehension, unified definition and appropriate implementation of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), leading to failure in decision making for sustainability implementation within supply chains. The proposed research identifies the research gaps through the novel application of Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) to SSCM literature. In doing so, methods including Systematic Literature Review (SLR), Citation Network Analysis (CNA) and Citation Network Mapping of literature have been used to identify definitions, KPIs, barriers and drivers of SSCM from the literature. Furthermore, a combination of methods from Text Mining and Content Analysis has been used to identify KPIs, barriers and drivers from sustainability reports of top global manufacturing companies, to better understand the practices of organizations for SSCM. The consolidation of the findings from literature and practice led to the development of an SSCM Performance Evaluation Framework built on multiple methods. A 4-level hierarchical model has been developed by classifying the identified KPIs into Economic, Environment and Social as well as considering the key decision areas including tactical, strategic and operational. Furthermore, a rigorous data collection process was conducted among supply chain and sustainability managers from top global manufacturing firms and leading academicians in the field, assessing the identified SSCM KPIs. The collected data were analyzed through novel application of hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods, which includes Values Focused Thinking (VFT), Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP), Fuzzy Technique of Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) and Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM), for prioritizing and modelling of interdependencies, interactions and weightages among SSCM KPIs. The results obtained were subsequently used to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) that allows managers to evaluate their sustainability by identifying problem areas and yielding guidance on the KPIS and most important areas to focus on for SSCM implementation. The application of DSS has been demonstrated in the context of a case company. From a theoretical development point of view, a Tree perspective framework contributing to the ecological Theory of Sustainability has been proposed through the identification of the most influential organizational theories, and how they interrelate with each other. Overall, the proposed research provides a holistic perspective of SSCM that incorporates the various aspects of organizations, relevant organizational theories and perspectives of academics and practitioners together. The proposed DSS may act as a guiding tool for managers and practitioners for SSCM implementation in companies.

Introduktion: Textilbranschen är en av de industrier som har störst negativ påverkan på miljön och sociala förhållanden. Detta har mynnat ut i att det i dagens samhälle finns efterfrågan och förväntningar på industrin att förändras, både för planetens bästa men även för företagens överlevnad. En stor del av problematiken är att företag ofta upplever att det är kostsamt att vara hållbar eftersom det oftast kräver mer resurser, tid och kunskap. Alla beslut gällande företagets verksamhet kan påverka hur hållbart ett företag är och många av besluten bär inköpsfunktionen ansvar för. Redan i inköpsstadiet tas det beslut kring viktiga faktorer som sourcingland och materialval vilka har stor inverkan på hållbarhet. Vad studier visar är att inköpsrollen är en roll med potential och mandat att främja en hållbar industri både internt och externt. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till ökad kunskap om hur inköpare uppfattar hållbarhet inom sin organisation samt att se vad inköpare gör i sitt dagliga arbete för ökad hållbarhet i företaget. Metod: En kvalitativ studie i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes där åtta inköpare från fem olika svenska modeföretag deltog. En tematisk analys med kodning utfördes för att analysera materialet från studien. Resultat och Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis visade det empiriska materialet att inköparna är medvetna och har förståelse över sin roll och dess påverkan kring hållbarhet, samtidigt som de inte delar teorins syn på hur omfattande påverkan de har i alla delar i inköpsfunktionens områden. Studiens resultat visade istället att många inköpare hade mindre inflytande kring beslut kopplat till leverantörer och mest inflytande kopplat till hållbara materialval. Vad man kunde urskilja var återkommande i materialet var att det fortfarande sågs som ett hinder eller krav att hålla uppe det hållbara arbetet, inte för att det fanns bristande engagemang från inköpare, men att man inte fick det att gå ihop med pris till marknaden och budgeten. Vad hållbar utveckling innebär för inköpare speglar ofta företagets syn och utveckling kring ämnet. Resultaten indikerar att inom inköparnas roll innebär hållbar utveckling främst att vara medveten om sina materialval i produkter man tar fram. / Introduction: The textile industry is one of the industries which have had the biggest negative impact on the environment and social conditions. This has resulted in an increased demand and expectation from our society for the industry to change, both for the good of the planet but also for the survival of textile- and fashion companies. A big part of the issue is that companies often believe that it is costly to be sustainable due to it requiring more resources, time and competence. All decisions regarding the company’s operation can affect how sustainable a company really is, and many of these decisions the buyer is responsible for. Already in the buying stage, decisions regarding important sustainability factors such as choice of sourcing country or materials are made. Studies show that the buyer has a role with potential to promote a more sustainable industry, both internally and externally. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to increased knowledge of how buyers perceive sustainability within their organization, as well as finding what buyers do in their daily activities to promote sustainability. Method: A qualitative study in the form of semi structured interviews has been performed where eight buyers from five different Swedish fashion companies participated. A thematic analysis with coding was then performed to analyze the data from the study. Results and Conclusion: In conclusion, the material show that the buyers are aware and have an understanding of how their role affects sustainability, but they do not share the standpoint of the theory of how extensive the impact is. The results instead show how many of the buyers have less influence regarding decisions linked to suppliers and have the most influence regarding choice of sustainable materials. One factor which was recurring in the material was that keeping up sustainable development was an activity which was percieved to have many barriers. Not due to the lack of engagement from the buyers, but rather that they are not able to fit the sustainable choices into their given budget and market based prices. What sustainable development is to a buyer is often based on the company’s standpoint and progress regarding the subject. The results indicate that, within the purchasing role, sustainability is mostly connected to the choice of materials for the products produced.

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Syfte: Genom ett ökat intresse för hållbarhetsfrågor världen över har företag krav på sig att vara transparenta och visa hur de jobbar med hållbarhetsfrågor. Samarbete och kommunikation med leverantörer är en viktig faktor för att företag ska kunna få insikt i, och kunna påverka de processer som används av dess leverantörer. Fokus ligger på skogsindustrin för att den är en av få industrier i Sverige som redovisar en positiv påverkan på klimatet. Studien syftar därför till att skapa förståelse för relationshanteringens roll i upprättandet av en hållbar leverantörskedja inom skogsindustrin. Forskningsfrågan lyder: Hur styr företag inom skogsindustrin sina leverantörer med hjälp av relationshantering för att skapa en hållbar leverantörskedja? Metod: Studien har grundats på en kvalitativ metod med utgångspunkt i tolkning och analys av organisatoriska dokument som kompletterats med semistrukturerade intervjuer av tre personer som har insikt i inköpsprocessen på tre utvalda företag inom skogsindustrin.   Resultat och Slutsats: Studien visar att relationshantering har en stor roll i skapandet av en hållbar leverantörskedja inom den svenska skogsindustrin. Slutsatsen som kan dras från resultatet är att företag inom den svenska skogsindustrin arbetar på liknande sätt för att främja relationer till leverantörer och att detta bidrar till en ökad hållbarhet, även om företagen kan skilja sig åt i användning av metoder och prioritering av hållbarhetskriterier.  Examensarbetets bidrag: Arbetet bidrar med ytterligare argument för att företag genom en bra hantering av relationer till leverantörer kan påverka hållbarheten och göra mer hållbara val som gynnar såväl det egna företaget som omvärlden. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Det hade varit intressant att se på den faktiska påverkan som relationshantering har på hållbarheten. Det tycks också intressant att gå djupare in på leverantörskedjan och studera relationshanteringens effekter på fler parter i leverantörskedjan, såsom underleverantörer.

What other means of influence exist in business other than economic? That is the question we set out to answer in regards to the fashion industry and the specific supply chain of cashmere. The cashmere industry has been described as complex, therefore the research has taken a complex adaptive systems approach to investigate how relationships between parts give rise to the collective behaviours of a system and how the system interacts and forms relationships with its environment. This paper describes a qualitative case study research conducted to identify the potential influence that a small to medium enterprises can have on their supply chain actors to steer them towards sustainability. Looking specifically at the supply chain of one Scottish cashmere manufacturer within the luxury fashion industry we have assessed this company’s current reality to the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. This paper aims to present enablers and barriers towards influence, their correlations and complexity when looking at sustainability. In addition it will provide prescriptive thoughts for SMEs to support internal and external transition through sustainable development towards a sustainable cashmere supply chain.

A company cannot be more sustainable than its supply chain. Given their complexity and the need for collaborative, strategic action for sustainability across supplier networks this research takes a systems perspective to answer, “How can a Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) lens support supplier network collaboration towards sustainability?”.The application of the SSD lens includes mapping barriers and enablers to collaboration for sustainability found in literature and a case company along with the Five-Level Model (5LM) to which we add complex adaptive system elements. Based on this a thematic analysis of the barriers and enablers is performed paper presents results of the 5LM and thematic analysis, finding that taking an SSD perspective shows interconnections across the multiple enablers and barriers to collaboration. The challenges encountered during 5LM along with the results implications for the Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) academic field and practitioners are discussed. We conclude that the variety and complexity of barriers and enablers for collaboration make it important to approach sustainability strategically across the supplier network. The SSD perspective supports collaboration for sustainability by providing an opportunity to examine it from a systems perspective and to formulate prescriptive considerations for the case company and guiding questions for SSCM practitioners.

The manufacturing industry is accountable for a significant amount of carbon emissions released, and manufacturers experience pressure from stakeholders to address the sustainability issues and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, the lack of verified frameworks to achieve a sustainable supply chain makes it difficult to revisit their supply chain strategies. This study benchmarks how manufacturing companies in Sweden achieve sustainability in their supply chains by examining the a priori and post-implementation factors required, as well as how the sustainability initiatives are structured. The study is a multiple case study, which started with a literature review to gain a relevant understanding of the research problem. Semi-structured interviews were held with seven case companies in different sectors in the manufacturing industry and with two environmental consultants. The findings prove that manufacturing companies achieve sustainability in their supply chains by combining a priori and post-implementation factors with aspects regarding the structure of the initiatives. Top management commitment and management providing the necessary means to drive the initiative are crucial a priori factors. Moreover, the findings demonstrate to define ownership of the tasks in the initiative and that top management should integrate sustainability in the business model and have a budget for sustainability initiatives. Prioritizing the activities with the largest value creation is important, where a materiality analysis facilitates. Training employees and management on sustainability, and encouraging the employees to find green improvements are necessary. Post implementation, adopting a circular process is critical, while also ensuring sufficient resources throughout the initiatives. Moreover, the findings highlight strict governance with clearly defined ownership over time, the more decentralized the better. A cross-functional organization is advantageous for achieving the above-mentioned factors. The reason for pursuing an initiative must be defined to enable clear goals. Backcasting and a materiality analysis are useful tools to create measurable goals accordingly, and the goals should be scientifically approved by the Science Based Target initiative. In the execution, using previous experiences on internal and external platforms aid the case companies with their goal conflict prioritization. Lastly, frequent follow ups are critical, where the follow-up process should follow international standards. It is necessary to have a defined process for follow ups and have traceable follow ups to view the progress. / Tillverkningsindustrin står för en betydande mängd av världens koldioxidutsläpp, och tillverkningsbolag blir alltmer pressade av intressenter att ta itu med hållbarhetsfrågorna och bidra till FN:s globala mål för hållbar utveckling. Bristen på verifierade ramverk för att uppnå en hållbar försörjningskedja försvårar för företag att se över deras hållbarhetsstrategier. Denna benchmarkingstudie om hur tillverkningsföretag i Sverige uppnår hållbarhet i sina försörjningskedjor undersöker de faktorer som krävs innan och efter en implementering av ett hållbarhetsinitiativ, samt hur initiativen är strukturerade. Fallstudien började med en litteraturundersökning för att få relevant förståelse och kunskap om forskningsproblemet. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med sju fallföretag inom olika sektorer i tillverkningsindustrin och med två miljökonsulter. Resultaten visar att tillverkningsföretag uppnår hållbarhet genom att kombinera kritiska faktorer innan och efter utförandet, samt att följa aspekter som rör initiativens struktur. Engagemang från högsta ledningen som ger nödvändiga medel för att driva initiativet är avgörande innan implementeringen. Dessutom visar resultaten att fallföretagen och högsta ledningen bör integrera hållbarhet i affärsmodellen och ha en budget för hållbarhetsinitiativ. Att prioritera aktiviteter med störst värdeskapande är viktigt, där en väsentlighetsanalys underlättar. Det är nödvändigt att utbilda medarbetarna och ledningen inom hållbarhet och uppmuntra de anställda att hitta miljöförbättringar. Efter implementeringen är det avgörande att arbeta i en cirkulär process, samtidigt som det säkerställs tillräckligt med resurser genom hela initiativet. Dessutom visar resultaten att en strikt styrning med tydligt definierat ägarskap över tid är essentiellt, och ju mer decentraliserat desto bättre. En tvärfunktionell organisation är fördelaktig för att uppnå ovan nämnda faktorer. Anledningen till att driva ett initiativ måste definieras för att möjliggöra tydliga mål. Backcasting och väsentlighetsanalyser är användbara verktyg för att skapa mätbara mål utifrån, samt att målen bör vara vetenskapligt godkända i enlighet med Science Based Target initiative. Under genomförandet anser fallföretagen att det är viktigt att beakta tidigare erfarenheter av att driva hållbarhetsinitiativ, då det underlättar målkonfliktprioriteringen. Slutligen är frekventa uppföljningar kritiska, där uppföljningsprocessen bör följa en internationell standard. Det är även nödvändigt att ha en definierad och spårbar process för uppföljningen för att tydligt se framstegen.