IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v33y2025i1p1284-1297.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The link between sustainability initiatives at firm and supply chain levels: The mediating role of involvement of partners

Author

Listed:
  • Usha Ramanathan
  • Ramakrishnan Ramanathan
  • A. S. Balakrishnan
  • Imke Hermens

Abstract

The deliberations of the COP28 in Dubai in December 2023 and the growing importance of UN Sustainable Development Goals have highlighted that sustainability initiatives have moved from being ‘nice‐to‐do’ to ‘must‐do’. The resource dependency theory suggests that a firm cannot develop green strategies in isolation, and a substantial involvement of all supply chain partners is needed for achieving larger impacts on environmental sustainability. However, the literature has yet to explore this link in detail. In this paper, we investigate the link between sustainability initiatives at a firm level and at the supply chain level in line with global green agenda. Data collected through a questionnaire survey of senior logistics and supply‐chain managers in UK companies were used to propose and statistically validate a framework combining both constructs and causal hypotheses. We further use a case of a farming company from Luxemburg to validate our research findings. Our results suggest a strong link in terms of green strategies between the firm level and supply chain level. We find that this link is mediated by the degree of involvement of supply chain partners. A case company participated in the study agreed to our research findings related to importance of technology and collaboration in food sector to share the resources among all supply chain players. We also find that green strategies result in improved business performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Usha Ramanathan & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan & A. S. Balakrishnan & Imke Hermens, 2025. "The link between sustainability initiatives at firm and supply chain levels: The mediating role of involvement of partners," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 1284-1297, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:1:p:1284-1297
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.3173
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3173
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.3173?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jing-Wen Huang & Yong-Hui Li, 2017. "Green Innovation and Performance: The View of Organizational Capability and Social Reciprocity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 309-324, October.
    2. Ingemar Dierickx & Karel Cool, 1989. "Asset Stock Accumulation and Sustainability of Competitive Advantage," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(12), pages 1504-1511, December.
    3. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Jeffrey A. Martin, 2000. "Dynamic capabilities: what are they?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(10‐11), pages 1105-1121, October.
    4. Chang Liu & Bowen Deng, 2023. "Is it really paid for sustainable development? The economic significance of firms' green practice," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 908-925, April.
    5. Herenia Gutiérrez‐Ponce, 2023. "Sustainability as a strategy base in Spanish firms: Sustainability reports and performance on the sustainable development goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 3008-3023, August.
    6. Wantao Yu & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, 2015. "An empirical examination of stakeholder pressures, green operations practices and environmental performance," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(21), pages 6390-6407, November.
    7. Ingemar Dierickx & Karel Cool, 1989. "Asset Stock Accumulation and the Sustainability of Competitive Advantage: Reply," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(12), pages 1514-1514, December.
    8. Usha Ramanathan & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan & Abiodun Adefisan & Tamíris Da Costa & Xavier Cama-Moncunill & Gautam Samriya, 2022. "Adapting Digital Technologies to Reduce Food Waste and Improve Operational Efficiency of a Frozen Food Company—The Case of Yumchop Foods in the UK," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    9. Ramanathan, Usha & Muyldermans, Luc, 2010. "Identifying demand factors for promotional planning and forecasting: A case of a soft drink company in the UK," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(2), pages 538-545, December.
    10. Omid Narimissa & Ali Kangarani‐Farahani & Saber Molla‐Alizadeh‐Zavardehi, 2020. "Drivers and barriers for implementation and improvement of Sustainable Supply Chain Management," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 247-258, January.
    11. Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, 2018. "Understanding Complexity: the Curvilinear Relationship Between Environmental Performance and Firm Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 383-393, May.
    12. Ramanathan, Usha & Gunasekaran, Angappa, 2014. "Supply chain collaboration: Impact of success in long-term partnerships," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(PB), pages 252-259.
    13. Nicole Darnall & Irene Henriques & Perry Sadorsky, 2010. "Adopting Proactive Environmental Strategy: The Influence of Stakeholders and Firm Size," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1072-1094, September.
    14. Wagner, Marcus, 2011. "Corporate performance implications of extended stakeholder management: New insights on mediation and moderation effects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(5), pages 942-950, March.
    15. Ardian Qorri & Saranda Gashi & Andrzej Kraslawski, 2021. "Performance outcomes of supply chain practices for sustainable development: A meta‐analysis of moderators," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 194-216, January.
    16. Nha Minh Nguyen & Tu Thanh Hoai & Hien Van Vo & Nguyen Phong Nguyen, 2023. "Digital approach toward environmental sustainability in supply chains: Evidence from Vietnamese firms," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3303-3317, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Pandza, Krsto & Ellwood, Paul, 2013. "Strategic and ethical foundations for responsible innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 1112-1125.
    2. Hazhir Rahmandad & Nelson Repenning, 2016. "Capability erosion dynamics," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 649-672, April.
    3. Hazhir Rahmandad, 2012. "Impact of Growth Opportunities and Competition on Firm-Level Capability Development Trade-offs," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(1), pages 138-154, February.
    4. Wang, Chun-Ju & Wu, Lei-Yu, 2012. "Team member commitments and start-up competitiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(5), pages 708-715.
    5. Hana Kim & Eungdo Kim, 2018. "How an Open Innovation Strategy for Commercialization Affects the Firm Performance of Korean Healthcare IT SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    6. Tai-Young Kim & Jeroen G. Kuilman, 2013. "The Demography of Resources," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(7), pages 1155-1184, November.
    7. Patnaik, Swetketu & Munjal, Surender & Varma, Arup & Sinha, Sujay, 2022. "Extending the resource-based view through the lens of the institution-based view: A longitudinal case study of an Indian higher educational institution," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 124-141.
    8. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg, 2012. "A passage to India: A dual case study of activities, processes and resources in offshore outsourcing of advanced services," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 311-326.
    9. Knudsen, Eirik Sjåholm, 2019. "Bad weather ahead: Pre-recession characteristics and the severity of recession impact," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 118-130.
    10. Clint Chadwick & Adina Dabu, 2009. "Human Resources, Human Resource Management, and the Competitive Advantage of Firms: Toward a More Comprehensive Model of Causal Linkages," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(1), pages 253-272, February.
    11. Colombelli, Alessandra, 2014. "The Impact of Top Management Team Characteristics on Firms Growth," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 201412, University of Turin.
    12. Lippert, Inge, 2008. "Perspektivenverschiebungen in der Corporate Governance: Neuere Ansätze und Studien der Corporate-Governance-Forschung," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Knowledge, Production Systems and Work SP III 2008-302, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    13. Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya & Arvind Sahay & Arunaditya Sahay, 2022. "The Quest for Competitive Advantage: The Role of Technology Depth and Breadth at the Customer Interface," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 47(4), pages 274-287, December.
    14. Schriber, Svante & Löwstedt, Jan, 2015. "Tangible resources and the development of organizational capabilities," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 54-68.
    15. Jan-Erik Vahlne & Jan Johanson, 2017. "From internationalization to evolution: The Uppsala model at 40 years," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(9), pages 1087-1102, December.
    16. Jorge Vareda Gomes & Mário José Batista Romão, 2023. "Gaining a Competitive Advantage Through Benefits Management," International Journal of Strategic Decision Sciences (IJSDS), IGI Global, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, January.
    17. Lin, Hsing-Er & Hsu, I-Chieh & Hsu, Audrey Wenhsin & Chung, Hsi-Mei, 2020. "Creating competitive advantages: Interactions between ambidextrous diversification strategy and contextual factors from a dynamic capability perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    18. Carayannopoulos, Sofy & Auster, Ellen R., 2010. "External knowledge sourcing in biotechnology through acquisition versus alliance: A KBV approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 254-267, March.
    19. Zahid Hameed & Rana Muhammad Naeem & Tahir Islam & Safiya Mukhtar Alshibani, 2024. "How does CEO ethical leadership transform Saudi SMEs into green firms? A moderated mediation model," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3855-3868, September.
    20. Johan Wiklund & Dean A. Shepherd, 2009. "The Effectiveness of Alliances and Acquisitions: The Role of Resource Combination Activities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(1), pages 193-212, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:1:p:1284-1297. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    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.