Multi-factor driving paths of green supply chain management implementation in leading manufacturers: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

Abstract

Environmental pollution and ecological exploitation have increasingly received global attention. Manufacturers in global supply chain are one of the biggest polluters. Green supply chain management (GSCM) has become an important operational strategy for companies to achieve sustainable production. Companies in different sectors implement GSCM practices in different ways. Therefore, it is important to understand which factors affect a company's GSCM and how these factors work together to drive corporate green behavior. Previous studies focused on the individual impact of GSCM practices, while a few studies have examined how different combinations of multiple factors lead to GSCM practices. This study uses content analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the main driving factors, such as the leading global manufacturing companies, market, competitors, and countries, on GSCM (n = 74). We apply configuration thinking and qualitative comparative research methods to explore the multiple concurrent factors and complex causal mechanisms that affect the differences in GSCM levels. The multiple configurations reveal the complexity of companies on GSCM. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions.