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This paper aims to illuminate the nuanced dynamics of green supply chain management (GSCM), specifically focusing on the intersections of supplier relationships, supplier governance and organizational agility. Recognizing a gap in the understanding of how these elements confluence to promote green purchasing, the paper uses a quantitative study on data collected from the Australian food industry. Advanced analysis techniques provide empirical evidence underscoring the pivotal roles these elements play, expanding on current GSCM literature within a resource-based view.

This study, based on a questionnaire sent to Australian food professionals, used higher-order reflective constructs to assess supplier relationships and governance. Data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and Hayes PROCESS, considering factors like firm revenue and manager experience. Both the reliability of measures and mediation hypotheses were stringently validated using established guidelines.

The comprehensive study validated supplier governance's key influence on green purchasing and supplier relationships. Notably, organizational agility emerged as a crucial mediator, underscoring the interplay of these constructs. Concurrently, the reflective measurement model exhibited robust validity and reliability. Interestingly, demographic factors such as company size, revenue and managerial experience showed no discernible impact on green purchasing practices.

In the Australian food sector, supplier governance and relationships are pivotal for advancing green purchasing. This study emphasizes the value of organizational agility in amplifying these practices. Managers, when aligning with supplier relationships enhanced by communication and mutual aid, can foster robust green initiatives. Embracing these insights and the critical importance of supplier governance, managers can drive more sustainable, informed supply chain decisions in the industry.

In pursuit of understanding the relationship between supplier governance, supplier relationships and green purchasing, this research uniquely situates itself within the resource-based view (RBV) to reveal critical theoretical and practical implications. By focusing on the Australian food industry, the study spotlights the often-overlooked mediating role of organizational agility in linking supplier relationships with green purchasing efforts. In doing so, this research not only strengthens the argument for fortified supplier relationships – as a catalyst for enhancing agility and thereby green practices – but also re-contextualizes the RBV in a fresh light. This new perspective provides managers with an enriched model, emphasizing the imperative of solid supplier governance for sustainable, agile and green supply chain operations in the food domain.

This study examines green absorptive capacity as an important intervening variable that elucidates the relationship between green supply chain management (GSCM) practices (specifically, green purchasing, customer cooperation and investment recovery) and firm performance.

Drawing from the theoretical underpinnings of the natural-resource-based view theory and information processing theory, a research model is developed and tested using data obtained from 368 manufacturing firms in Ghana. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling.

The results indicate that green purchasing, customer cooperation and investment recovery have a direct positive and significant effect on firm performance. Additionally, green purchasing and customer cooperation have a positive and significant effect on green absorptive capacity but investment recovery does not. Further, the results show that the paths from green purchasing and customer cooperation to firm performance are positively mediated by green absorptive capacity.

The study reveals to supply chain managers that green absorptive capacity is an important conduit through which firms can achieve enhanced firm performance from GSCM initiatives.

This study makes a contribution by integrating the absorptive capacity literature and green management literature and establishes green absorptive capacity as a mechanism through which GSCM practices enhance firm performance.

The authors mobilise stewardship theory, which delves into trust and collaboration dynamics, advocating for long-term gains through actions beneficial to the broader community. Used as a fundamental framework to conceptualise the model, stewardship theory enhances the understanding of the effect of purchasing social responsibility (PSR) practices to foster innovativeness and performance through the supply chain (SC). This study aims to examine the relationship between PSR, SC innovativeness (SC-INNO) and SC operational performance (SCOP). In addition, the moderating effect of sustainability labels on these relationships will be studied.

Based on survey data from 177 organisations analysed through partial least square structural equation modelling, the results suggest that PSR has a positive and significant effect on SC-INNO and SCOP. In addition, SC-INNO plays a partial mediation role since the direct effect between PSR and SCOP is validated. Furthermore, the moderating effects of holding a sustainability label and industry type about PSR and SCOP are supported.

The results indicate a significant positive influence of PSR on both SC-INNO and operational performance. SC-INNO is found to partially mediate the PSR–SCOP relationship. Moreover, sustainability labels and industry type significantly moderate the effects of PSR on SCOP.

The findings extend stewardship theory into the sustainable purchasing and supply management field by providing empirical support for PSR as a reflection of stewardship behaviours by fostering innovation and performance throughout the SC.

This paper explores the precedents for purchasing to contribute effectively to innovation exploration. We investigate how purchasing can become aware of innovation opportunities, their incentives or motivations to explore and capture innovation and the required capabilities.

Aiming for theory elaboration, we analyse an exemplar case study of a company developing leading-edge practices for involving purchasing in innovation exploration applying an Awareness-Motivation-Capability (AMC) framework.

This study elaborates on purchasing theory with a comprehensive set of AMC-based precedents for purchasing’s innovation exploration contribution that we categorise into three dimensions: motivations, capabilities and awareness. Our findings indicate interrelations between these and purchasing motivation as a precedent of capabilities and awareness.

We demonstrate the useful of applying AMC theory to researching purchasing’s contribution to innovation and how AMC needs to be adapted in this research context. We explore interrelations between awareness, motivation and capabilities but propose future research on the nature of these interrelations.

We suggest ways for managers to shape, adapt or redesign their purchasing organisations to better support innovation exploration.

This study proposes a framework for purchasing contribution to innovation based on AMC theory.

This study evaluates how well Victorian local councils’ procurement policies align with the sustainable and circular economy (CE) approach that prioritises sustainable and regenerative practices. It proposes a set of criteria designed to effectively integrate environmental sustainability issues into purchasing policies.

Employing the Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) framework, a multi-dimensional content analysis guided by the goal-setting theory was applied to evaluate all 79 Victorian local councils’ procurement policies. This approach provided an assessment of policy specificity, measurability, assignability, realism and time sensitivity in promoting environmental sustainability through purchasing policies.

The findings underscored a significant deficiency in policy adherence to all SMART criteria concerning environmental sustainability, hindering the effective green purchasing decisions within government entities. This lack of integration of greening in purchasing policy poses challenges for manufacturers of waste-derived goods, obscuring the procurement objectives of these critical public sector customers.

The paper contributes to the sustainable procurement (SP) discourse by proposing guidelines aimed at improving the efficacy of governmental purchasing of sustainable products. These guidelines address the broader imperative to mitigate the environmental impacts of governmental spending on less sustainable goods, thereby fostering ecological sustainability and promoting responsible consumption.

While past studies have often relied on subjective content analysis methods, the SMART assessment used to develop the environmental sustainability criteria for purchasing policies, which distinguishes this study from previous governmental policy evaluation studies. This approach marks a departure from traditional governmental policy evaluation studies, offering a more structured analysis of policy effectiveness in promoting SP practices.

Previous literature reviews mainly focus on green supply chain, however, there is surprisingly little effort made in the systematic literature review to focus on a specific function of green supply chain, i.e. green procurement (GP). Regarding research methodology, most reviews are qualitative and inductive generalizations. Quantitative methods such as bibliometrics have started to be applied in recent years. This paper responds to this trend by counting the largest amount of literature with 238 articles in the last 24 years from 2000 to 2023 to visually analyze different theoretical perspectives and research topics into a comprehensive framework and identify future research directions and opportunities in the GP field.

Based on CiteSpace and in-depth content analysis, this paper attempts to visually analyze 238 valid papers to identify key literature and analyze the evolution of research hot spots and frontier development trends.

Combined with the visualization results and the content analysis of key references, we identify key literature and examine the evolution of research hotspots and frontier development trends. The bibliometric analysis mainly includes knowledge mapping to identify key themes, co-occurrence and clustering analysis of keywords, cooperation networks in researchers' countries. An overall GP research model is presented and our research suggests future avenues for GP research, such as low carbon, digitalization, servitization and ecosystem perspectives.

Firstly, in terms of time and volume of literature, we have counted the most comprehensive and up-to-date literature in the field of GP research, which is conducive to further expanding and enriching GP research. Secondly, this study clearly describes the theoretical evolution of GP research from bilateral and multilateral to ecosystem perspectives, and constructs a new and comprehensive research framework of “driver-practice-outcome”. Thirdly, based on the bibliometric analysis results, our research suggests future avenues for GP research, such as low-carbon, digitalization, servitization, and ecosystem perspectives, which can contribute to expanding our understanding of GP development.

This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) on social inclusion within upstream supply chains, targeting a notable literature gap in modern SCM discourse. By delving into this critical, yet underexamined, domain, this study spotlights the pressing need to incorporate social inclusion practices, particularly as global supply chains face increased scrutiny over their social ramifications. It examines social inclusion’s intricacies, offering practical insights for industry professionals to adopt, so that trustworthy social inclusion practices can proliferate across their upstream supply chains, thereby making a substantial contribution to both theoretical understanding and practical application.

Employing five search queries across two leading academic databases, this investigation reviewed 86 articles that examined social issues related to social inclusion in the upstream supply chain. Via content analysis, this study aims to answer essential research questions and employs statistical bibliometric analyses to investigate the collected data further.

This study’s findings establish a definition of social inclusion within the upstream supply chain and present a conceptual framework delineating levers and indicators for evaluating such practices. Through rigorous analysis, it becomes apparent that mechanisms such as supplier compliance, collaboration and development are crucial for promoting social inclusion; however, their importance differs at various levels of suppliers in multi-tiered supply chains. Furthermore, a methodological matrix is introduced for assessing social inclusion practices’ efficacy, equipping practitioners with a roadmap for developing and executing strategies that extend social inclusion efforts throughout the supply chain, as well as emphasising these levers through monitoring, assessment and application of six specified indicators.

This study contributes to the dialogue surrounding upstream supply chain management by spotlighting social inclusion practices, addressing the literature gap in comprehending how social inclusion dynamics operate within upstream supply chains and outlining a distinct direction for forthcoming research. By highlighting the pressing importance of enhancing social inclusion practices, this study not only enriches the theoretical landscape but also lays the groundwork for subsequent empirical studies aimed at deciphering the complexities and practical hurdles associated with the efficient execution of these practices.

The role of procurement managers is crucial for diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. Whether or not they are willing to pay for sustainability is an important and not yet fully understood question. The authors examine antecedents and consequences of their willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability.

The authors develop a multi-level framework to examine the WTP for sustainability in a B2B context. The authors test this multi-level framework with 372 procurement managers from multiple sectors and countries using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The authors find that individual values of procurement managers and institutional pressures directly, while ethical organizational culture indirectly influence WTP for sustainability. Functional and cognitive competencies of procurement managers improve the sustainability of procurement, but not WTP for sustainability. Importantly, WTP for sustainability directly influences the performance of the procurement function which in turn is positively associated with increased organizational performance.

The study, examining the interplay between individual, organizational and contextual factors, provides empirical evidence on the pivotal role of procurement managers in diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. The findings of the study, on the one hand, contribute to the literature on operations management and sustainability, and on the other hand, guide policy and managerial actions.

In response to multiple disruptions, the purchasing supply management (PSM) function in construction supply chain management (CSCM) has gained prominence due to stakeholder pressures, dynamic market conditions and the need to adhere to complex sustainability, safety and health regulations and standards. However, there is a noticeable absence of empirical research on measuring and mitigating PSM vulnerabilities, especially considering the distinct challenges faced by large engineer-to-order project-oriented manufacturers. To address these issues, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a novel method to assist companies in construction supply chains in assessing and managing risks associated with sustainable procuring and sourcing materials.

Grounded in the literature gaps on construction PSM and a real case supply chain, the research uses the design science research (DSR) approach to develop an integrated method for assessing PSM strategies in this sector. The method integrates three essential purchasing dimensions: supply risks, profit impact and sustainability risks of materials, supported by nine subdimensions. Empirical validation took place within a multinational European construction company based in Denmark.

Findings from the supplier–buyer relationships confirmed that the developed method allows for the identification of the key components that significantly impact supplier–buyer relationships, profitability and sustainability. The research further suggests that construction supply chain managers and purchasing practitioners can use the proposed method to evaluate PSM, thus enabling them to make more informed decisions.

Through the utilization of the proposed artifact, construction companies can take a more proactive approach to address PSM uncertainties, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in dynamic construction supply chains.

The research contributes to bridging the theory and practice, providing valuable assistance for construction companies assessing and managing the PSM and supply risks within global construction value chains. This paper provides original insights for the CSCM, aiding in adopting competitive PSM strategies to improve overall supply chain performance.

This paper aims to investigate consumer sustainability awareness. In addition, it examined consumer purchasing behaviour as well as the use and disposal of used clothes.

To investigate consumers’ understanding of sustainability, clothing consumption, use and disposal of cloth. Primary data was gathered through the use of open-ended questionnaires. The study used a total of 56 consumers.

It was shown that consumers are aware of sustainability as a worldwide concern. It was also established that customers occasionally buy garments based on their hobbies and end up not using all of the clothes before the season ends. They also revealed that destroying or discarding used clothing can be bad for the economy, the environment and society.

Consumers in Bolgatanga were the primary subject of this investigation. Different outcomes might be produced if the study was conducted in different regions of Ghana.

Outlining the behaviour of consumers is important to advance awareness on sustainability to avoid congesting the environment/society with used clothes.

To reduce the potential impact that clothing may have on the many agents of sustainability, fashion designers ought to provide instructions to consumers on how to use and dispose of clothing.

This study contributes to policy development strategies of disposing off used clothes and consumers purchasing behaviour of clothes.