IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i3p629-d133850.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can the SDGs Provide a Basis for Supply Chain Decisions in the Construction Sector?

Author

Listed:
  • Erica Russell

    (Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
    Previously also Carillion plc, Carillion House, 84 Salop Street, Wolverhampton WV3 0SR, UK)

  • Jacquetta Lee

    (Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK)

  • Roland Clift

    (Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK)

Abstract

The Construction sector is characterised by complex supply networks delivering unique end products over short time scales. Sustainability has increased in importance but continues to be difficult to implement in this sector; thus, new approaches and practices are needed. This paper reports an empirical investigation into the value of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG12), when used as a framework for action by organisations to drive change towards sustainability in global supply networks. Through inductive research, two different and contrasting approaches to improving the sustainability of supply networks have been revealed. One approach focuses on the “bottom up” ethical approach typified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of timber products, and the other on “top-down” regulations exemplified by the UK Modern Slavery Act. In an industry noted for complex supply networks and characterised by adversarial relationships, the findings suggest that, in the long term, promoting shared values aligned with transparent, third-party monitoring will be more effective than imposing standards through legislation and regulation in supporting sustainable consumption and production.

Suggested Citation

  • Erica Russell & Jacquetta Lee & Roland Clift, 2018. "Can the SDGs Provide a Basis for Supply Chain Decisions in the Construction Sector?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:3:p:629-:d:133850
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/3/629/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/3/629/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christoph G. Schmidt & Kai Foerstl & Birte Schaltenbrand, 2017. "The Supply Chain Position Paradox: Green Practices and Firm Performance," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 53(1), pages 3-25, January.
    2. Xiang Cai & Chin-Chang Tsai & Wei-Ning Wu, 2017. "Are They Neck and Neck in the Affordable Housing Policies? A Cross Case Comparison of Three Metropolitan Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Spence, Laura & Bourlakis, Michael, 2009. "Moving from Corporate Social Responsibility to Supply Chain Responsibility: The Case of a Leading UK Food Retailer," 2009 International European Forum, February 15-20, 2009, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 59204, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    4. Marek Korczynski, 1996. "The Low‐Trust Route To Economic Development: Inter‐Firm Relations In The Uk Engineering Construction Industry In The 1980s And 1990s," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(6), pages 787-808, November.
    5. Roland Clift & Sarah Sim & Henry King & Jonathan L. Chenoweth & Ian Christie & Julie Clavreul & Carina Mueller & Leo Posthuma & Anne-Marie Boulay & Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer & Julia Chatterton & Fabrice , 2017. "The Challenges of Applying Planetary Boundaries as a Basis for Strategic Decision-Making in Companies with Global Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-23, February.
    6. Scott Fernie & Stuart Tennant, 2013. "The non-adoption of supply chain management," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(10), pages 1038-1058, October.
    7. Clodia Vurro & Angeloantonio Russo & Francesco Perrini, 2009. "Shaping Sustainable Value Chains: Network Determinants of Supply Chain Governance Models," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(4), pages 607-621, December.
    8. Nelly Oelze, 2017. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management Implementation–Enablers and Barriers in the Textile Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-15, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rohit Agrawal & Abhijit Majumdar & Kirty Majumdar & Rakesh D. Raut & Balkrishna E. Narkhede, 2022. "Attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs) through supply chain practices and business strategies: A systematic review with bibliometric and network analyses," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3669-3687, November.
    2. Renata Aguayo Lopes da Silva & Renato Cesar Gonçalves Robert & Thomas Purfürst, 2023. "How Is the Forest Sector’s Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Being Addressed? A Systematic Review of the Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, June.
    3. Andrea Celone & Antonello Cammarano & Mauro Caputo & Francesca Michelino, 2022. "Features of Sustainability-Oriented Innovations: A Content Analysis of Patent Abstracts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-16, November.
    4. Yassir M. Abbas & Nasir Shafiq & Galal Fares & Montasir Osman & Mohammad Iqbal Khan & Jamal M. Khatib, 2023. "Strength Iso-Responses of Shear-Deficient Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Luke Deamer & Jacquetta Lee & Mike Mulheron & James De Waele, 2021. "Building Sustainability Impacts from the Bottom Up: Identifying Sustainability Impacts throughout a Geotechnical Company," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-28, October.
    6. Christ, Katherine L & V Helliar, Christine, 2021. "Blockchain technology and modern slavery: Reducing deceptive recruitment in migrant worker populations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 112-120.
    7. María Garrido-Ruso & Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán & Albertina Paula Monteiro, 2022. "Businesses’ Role in the Fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-35, July.
    8. Naiara Berasategi & Igone Aróstegui & Joana Jaureguizar & Alaitz Aizpurua & Nagore Guerra & Ana Arribillaga-Iriarte, 2020. "Interdisciplinary Learning at University: Assessment of an Interdisciplinary Experience Based on the Case Study Methodology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-10, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vivek Soundararajan & Jill A. Brown, 2016. "Voluntary Governance Mechanisms in Global Supply Chains: Beyond CSR to a Stakeholder Utility Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 83-102, March.
    2. Veronica S Ülgen & Maria Björklund & Niklas Simm & Helena Forslund, 2019. "Inter-Organizational Supply Chain Interaction for Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-25, October.
    3. Mohammad Najjar & Michael H. Small & Mahmoud M. Yasin, 2020. "Social Sustainability Strategy across the Supply Chain: A Conceptual Approach from the Organisational Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-16, December.
    4. repec:pcz:journl:v:6:y:2012:i:1:p:33-44 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Fu Jia & Yan Jiang, 2018. "Sustainable Global Sourcing: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-26, February.
    6. Syed Abdul Rehman Khan & Arsalan Zahid Piprani & Zhang Yu, 2022. "Digital technology and circular economy practices: future of supply chains," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 676-688, December.
    7. Ehsan Shekarian & Behrang Ijadi & Amirreza Zare & Jukka Majava, 2022. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Industrial Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-30, June.
    8. Antonio Palmieri & Francesco Pomponi & Angeloantonio Russo, 2019. "A triple‐win scenario for horizontal collaboration in logistics: Determining enabling and key success factors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1166-1178, September.
    9. Ziggers, Gerrit Willem, 2013. "Corporate Social Communication and Corporate Social Performance," 2013 International European Forum, February 18-22, 2013, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 164732, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    10. Juliane Peters & Ana Simaens, 2020. "Integrating Sustainability into Corporate Strategy: A Case Study of the Textile and Clothing Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-35, July.
    11. Ronak Warasthe & Finja Schulz & Ralf Enneking & Marcus Brandenburg, 2020. "Sustainability Prerequisites and Practices in Textile and Apparel Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Kai Li & Zhili Ma & Jinjin Liu, 2019. "A New Trend in the Space–Time Distribution of Cultivated Land Occupation for Construction in China and the Impact of Population Urbanization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-23, September.
    13. Su-Yol Lee, 2021. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Digital-Based Supply Chain Integration, and Firm Performance: A Cross-Country Empirical Comparison between South Korea and Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-13, June.
    14. Donna Marshall & Lucy McCarthy & Marius Claudy & Paul McGrath, 2019. "Piggy in the Middle: How Direct Customer Power Affects First-Tier Suppliers’ Adoption of Socially Responsible Procurement Practices and Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1081-1102, February.
    15. Wen-Kuo Chen & Ching-Torng Lin, 2021. "Interrelationship among CE Adoption Obstacles of Supply Chain in the Textile Sector: Based on the DEMATEL-ISM Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-24, June.
    16. Vu Minh Ngo & Huy Truong Quang & Thinh Gia Hoang & An Duong Thi Binh, 2024. "Sustainability‐related supply chain risks and supply chain performances: The moderating effects of dynamic supply chain management practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 839-857, February.
    17. Sisi Zheng & Shanyue Jin, 2023. "Can Enterprises in China Achieve Sustainable Development through Green Investment?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-25, January.
    18. Kudla, Nicole & Stölzle, Wolfgang, 2011. "Sustainability Supply Chain Management Research," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 65(3), pages 263-301.
    19. Wareham, Jonathan & Mathiassen, Lars & Rai, Arun & Straub, Detmar & Klein, Richard, 2005. "The business value of digital supply networks: A program of research on the impacts of globalization," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 201-227, June.
    20. Yu, Min & Cruz, Jose M. & Li, Dong & Masoumi, Amir H., 2022. "A multiperiod competitive supply chain framework with environmental policies and investments in sustainable operations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 300(1), pages 112-123.
    21. Hailan Guo & Ming Dong & Christos Tsinopoulos & Mengyuan Xu, 2024. "The influential capacity of carbon neutrality environmental orientation in modulating stakeholder engagement toward green manufacturing," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 292-310, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:3:p:629-:d:133850. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.