Static Supply Chain Complexity and Sustainability Practices: A Multi-Tier Examination

The issue of sustainability is receiving increasing attention from both managers and academics, and this debate now needs to be extended to consider the perspective of the supply chain. This paper aims to investigate sustainability choices made along the supply chain (SC) by considering the static complexity of the SC, which stems from the structural configuration of the SC system. The paper considers the perspective of different actors by studying how the complex structure of a SC impacts on their adoption of sustainability practices. It investigates the different perspectives and tensions that can exist between supply chain partners when sustainability programmes are introduced. The paper is case-based, and eighteen fashion companies are interviewed. This includes not only focal companies but also first and second-tier suppliers. Consequently, the paper addresses the different types of static SC complexity faced by the different tiers of the supply chain. For the focal company, the complexity is both upstream and downstream; for first-tier suppliers it is upstream; and for second-tier suppliers the complexity is largely downstream. These various types of complexity require the adoption of different sustainability practices: for the focal company these involve sourcing and organisational practices; for the first-tier suppliers they involve sourcing practices; and for the second-tier suppliers, organisational practices. The link between static SC complexity and sustainability practices is investigated by considering international supply chains.