Towards a contingency-based framework to analyze supply chain sustainability: evidences from three supply chains in the coffee industry

An effective sustainability management requires the development of a holistic approach, thus considering social, economic, as well as environmental dimensions and simultaneously adopting a supply chain perspective. This exploratory study intends to investigate through a multiple case study how contextual factors influence the adoption and the implementation of sustainability practices along a company’s supply chain. Moreover, a contingency perspective is adopted to examine the certification and collaboration mechanisms developed in three different supply chains managed by a focal firm operating in the coffee industry.