Combating environmental pollution and climate change mandates strong commitment and participation of all firms across sectors. However, the environmental conduct of firms is seen to vary as per their characteristics, especially their size, ownership, and age. Current understanding of these characteristics' influence on environmental sustainability is limited, fragmented, and scattered across the literature, which this study seeks to improve and contribute to. Based on a rigorous screening of the last 25 years' literature (1996–2020), the study develops a comprehensive understanding of firm characteristics' implications for environmental sustainability, namely, environmental practices implementation, environmental drivers, environmental barriers, and associated (environmental, cost/economic, operational, and organizational) performance implications. Several meaningful and generalizable trends, conflicts, and consensus, or lack thereof, are revealed. For instance, the extent of environmental practices' implementation can be seen to be greater at large firms' (vis‐à‐vis small ones) and at foreign firms' (vis‐à‐vis local ones), though not much difference is seen between old and new firms. Also, several metafactors such as resources availability, innovation propensity, and bureaucracy and organizational inertia are identified that explain the differential influence of firm characteristics on environmental sustainability and dispel erroneous stereotypes. Finally, gaps in the literature offering avenues for future research are highlighted along with implications for research, theory, and practice. Results are expected to help policymakers and practitioners develop policies/interventions that ensure all firms, irrespective of their characteristics contribute to environmental sustainability. A comprehensive review of this kind has not been previously undertaken and constitutes the novelty of this work.

PurposeThe garments/textiles industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. However, efforts to understand and curtail its adverse environmental impacts have not been commensurate, and previous works have largely been fragmented and disjointed. This study aims to coduct a comprehensive and systematic green supply chain management (GSCM) investigation on this industry, where a multidimensional framework involving green supply chain practices and performance is developed, validated and applied.Design/methodology/approachA framework consisting of 12 constructs (8 on practices and 4 on performance) and their underlying measures were developed through an extensive literature review. A survey methodology was used to obtain responses from 403 garment-manufacturing firms in Bangladesh, one of the leading garment producers in the world. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used first to validate the first- and second-order constructs and then test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsInternal environmental management and cooperation with stakeholders were identified as necessary precursors for implementing the second-order green supply chain practices comprising green design, green purchasing, green manufacturing, green transportation, green facilities and end-of-life management. The implementation of green supply chain practices was found to have a (direct) positive impact on environmental, economic and operational performance and an indirect positive impact on organizational performance. Similarly, both economic and operational performance was found to impact organizational performance positively. Surprisingly, a negative relationship (albeit low) was observed between environmental and organizational performance. Also, garment-manufacturing firms were found to have been unable to translate their IEM capabilities into strategic and long-term cooperation with stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsThe study fills a gap in the literature about applying/implementing GSCM in the garment industry. Future studies in the garment industry and elsewhere could utilize the framework to understand further the synergistic impact of green supply chain practices on performance.Practical implicationsThe findings provide practitioners, policymakers and organizations associated with the garment industry with critical insights on the various opportunities and challenges in adopting GSCM. Also, the positive impact of green supply chain practices on performance could provide the impetus for manufacturing firms to adopt GSCM.Originality/valueA comprehensive GSCM investigation on the garment industry has not been previously attempted and constitutes the novelty of this work. Also, Bangladesh is the second-largest garment exporter worldwide, making this study contribution even more valuable.

Application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in managing supply chains has witnessed significant interest in recent years. However, the current understanding of the potential benefits that act as the motivating factors/drivers in implementing RFID technology (benefit-drivers), its link to competitive advantage, is fragmented and scattered across the literature. This formed the motivation of this study which seeks to address this gap in the literature through a systematic literature review. Based on a rigorous screening of the literature (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018), the study develops a comprehensive understanding of the various 1) corporate-driven and 2) customer-driven benefit-drivers from RFID implementation. The "2 C" categorization of benefit-drivers is novel and should provide more impetus for practitioners to leverage from RFID implementation. Further, the link between the benefit-drivers and competitive advantage is understood and proposed in the form of a conceptual framework. Finally, avenues for future research are highlighted. The study findings and the framework provide a good starting point for academics and practitioners to further explore the opportunities in supply chain afforded by RFID ABOUT THE AUTHORS Janya Chanchaichujit is an Assistant Professor in Logistics Management in the School of Management at Walailak University in Thailand. Dr. Chanchaichujit has over twenty years industrial, project consultancy and academic work experience. Her research interest focuses on incorporating various aspects of operational research applications, and technologies into the design and operation of sustainable supply chain management.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to take the first step in solving environmental supply chain management issues. It proposes a green supply chain management (GSCM) model which would provide environmental benefits to the Thai rubber industry. To this end, a GSCM optimisation model was formulated, whereby the manufacturing processes of rubber products, along with their distribution and transportation, could be improved. The expected result is that total greenhouse gas emissions would be minimised and environmental performance maximised. Design/methodology/approach – Linear programming was chosen as the mathematical programming for investigation into the problem of finding the association of quantity of rubber product flow between the supply chain entities (farmer, trader group, and factory) and the transportation mode and route, with a view to minimise total greenhouse gas emissions. Findings – The results indicate that by using the proposed model, GHG emissions could be minimised to 1.08 tons of GHGs per ton of product. Practical implications – A GSCM model developed in this research can be used as a decision support tool for Thai rubber policy makers. This would allow them to better manage the Thai rubber industry to achieve environmental benefit. Originality/value – This research is among the first attempts to develop a GSCM model for the Thai rubber industry. It can contribute to providing a basis for a GSCM modelling framework, along with a formulation for research development in this area.

PurposeEffective environment and climate change management require supply chain-wide focus (from the initial design to the end-of-life management) as well as universal participation and commitment of firms. However, the environment-related role and contribution of different sized firms in the supply chain are unclear from previous research which this study seeks to clarify using the context of UAE's construction sector.Design/methodology/approachUsing data collected from a structured survey (455 responses) and semi-structured interviews with 20 key supply chain stakeholders, this study analyses and understands hypothesized differences between small and medium firms (SMEs) and large firms on three key supply chain environmental sustainability aspects: the extent of green supply chain practices (GSCP) implemented, the strengths/influences of drivers and barriers affecting the implementation of GSCP, and the associated environmental, cost-related and organizational performance benefits derived from GSCP.FindingsLarge firms were found to show significantly greater levels of implementation of GSCP, greater internal drive for implementation and lower barriers to implementation than SMEs. SMEs though were found to be not too far behind large firms with regards to the environmental, cost-related and organizational performance benefits from GSCP implementation.Practical implicationsFindings from this study is useful for benchmarking the GSCP implementation of large firms and SMEs, influences of drivers and barriers affecting the implementation of GSCP and associated performance benefits derived from GSCP implementation. Policymakers and practitioners could use the study findings to develop suitable policies/interventions so as to ensure that all firms irrespective of their size can contribute equitably towards improving the environmental sustainability of supply chains.Originality/valueThis study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand how various environmental sustainability aspects in supply chains are perceived and performed by SMEs and large firms.