Shifting from Traditional to Green Supply Chains in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Qualitative Study on Implementing Green Supply Chain Management practices in SME

Purpose – The profitability of green supply chains is the subject of numerous debates, analyses, and studies. While meta-analysis results of previous studies indicate that implementing green supply chain management (GSCM) practices leads to better environmental and economic organizational performance and outcomes, the impact on social and operational performance is contradictory. This study aims to clarify the relative significance of external drivers (coercive, normative, mimetic) versus internal drivers (organizational capabilities) on adopting green supply chain management practices through qualitative analysis. Design/methodology/approach – This study applies the qualitative research methodology and thematic analysis for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data. Primary data are collected using semi structured interviews (n = 6). Key informants are managers in SME BiH, representatives of EU delegations, university professors, public sector representative and key researches in the field of transition to green supply chains in BiH. Findings – The results indicate that, while SMEs in BiH face significant challenges in transitioning to green supply chains, the potential benefits outweigh the barriers. Both internal and external challenges need to be addressed through a combination of strategic initiatives, government interventions, and international collaborations. Internally, companies face financial constraints, lack of expertise, resistance to organizational change, and insufficient investments in sustainable practices. Externally, barriers include underdeveloped markets, regulatory inconsistencies, limited government support, inefficiencies in market mechanisms, information gaps, and inadequate waste management infrastructure. These challenges collectively hinder the adoption of green practices and limit the pace of transition. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to qualitative insights from a small sample of industry professionals. Future research could expand the sample size and incorporate quantitative methods to validate the findings.