Environmental sustainability, innovation capacity, and supply chain management practices nexus: A mixed methods research approach

Sustainability has become an integral part of today's business environment and decision-making processes. At all levels of the organizational structure, awareness of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices is now a priority. This paper investigates the potential relationships among environmental sustainability, innovation capacity, and stakeholder relationships of business organizations in the context of SSCM. A mixed methods approach is proposed and designed to understand and assess these complex relationships. Data were collected from 57 firms in Pakistan. The results show that organizational innovation and supplier relations are significant enablers of sustainable practices. Moreover, cluster analysis depicts that service industry lags the production industry in adopting sustainable practices. The analysis of the proposed model also reveals that the role of supply chains in Pakistan towards achieving credible environmental sustainability is still at its infancy and that supplier relationships and organizational innovation are the predecessors of environmental sustainability