Turning German automotive supply chains into sponsors for sustainability

Abstract

In recent decades, supply chains have become a critical source of competitive advantage. Yet, in the Germany automotive industry, supply chains have turned out to be untransparent and prone to sustainability breaches, with the recent Volkswagen manipulation scandal exemplifying the financial and reputational consequences. Many firms today, therefore, focus on what is called sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). While drivers, barriers, and performance implications of SSCM have been widely explored, little is known about its implementation process. Building on the foundations of organisational change, this study inductively analysed 54 sustainability reports from three German automotive triads between 2014 and 2019. Our results led to an SSCM implementation framework that sequentially employed the nine most prominent implementation stages and related change measures. The framework expands our knowledge on the SSCM implementation process; furthermore, it serves as an example for industry experts aiming to turn their supply chains into sponsors for sustainability.

Taking a different view: theorizing on firms' development toward an integrative view on socially sustainable supply chain management

“…First, research has often identified so-called sustainability leaders among conventional, profit-oriented focal firms (e.g. Reuter et al, 2010;Wilhelm and Villena, 2021;Wissuwa and Durach, 2021). Our research suggests that there is likely a lot of ground to be covered beyond what these firms aim to achieve.…”

“…Reuter et al. , 2010; Wilhelm and Villena, 2021; Wissuwa and Durach, 2021). Our research suggests that there is likely a lot of ground to be covered beyond what these firms aim to achieve.…”

Greening the manufacturing firms: do green supply chain management and organizational citizenship behavior influence firm performance?

“…This work also contributes to the expanding corpus of FPR research in developing nations. GSCM and FPR research has often concentrated on developed nations such as Germany (Wissuwa and Durach 2023) and the UK (Esfahbodi et al 2023). Current GSCM researchers have transitioned to nations like India (Gedam et al 2023), China (Sheng et al 2022), Taiwan (Kuwornu et al 2023), etc., as an increasing number of companies relocate a substantial portion of their manufacturing companies to Asia.…”

Blockchain-Based Secure Storage and Access Control Scheme for Supply Chain Ecological Business Data: A Case Study of the Automotive Industry

“…This not only amplifies the geographic dispersal of the supply chain but also introduces intricate interrelationships. In comparison to other sectors, the automotive industry’s supply chain is characterized by slow response, deficient integration, and limited visibility [ 2 ]. The root cause underlying this predicament lies in the opaqueness of transactions among entities within the supply chain, leading to a dearth of trust and coordination among its participants [ 3 ].…”