Barriers to Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) Adoption on Construction Projects

The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers to green supply chain management (GSCM) implementation in the Nigerian construction industry with a view to providing a sustainable environmental friendliness and green construction practice. The research approach deployed for this study includes targeting purposively selected construction firms that are involved in GSCM in construction related projects in Imo State, Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was deployed amongst a sample of construction firms. Barriers to GSCM implementation were identified via an extensive literature review. Specifically, data for the study was acquired via questionnaires from relevant industry practitioners. The study was limited to construction firms that are involved in GSCM related activities within Imo State which is located within the high construction /‘Niger Delta’ hub of Nigeria. With the limited nature of the study in terms of geographic coverage, the results from this study can be extrapolated to cover other parts of the country. The findings revealed that barriers to GSCM implementation were mostly lack of knowledge and experience which headed the list of barriers as stated by the respondents. This is followed in that order by lack of top management support, cost of implementing GSCM, lack of government regulations and support systems amongst others were ascertained to be obstacles to GSCM implementation in Imo State. The study concludes by recommending that a more detailed analysis be carried out with a view to building the capacity of practitioners in GSCM pursuant to better construction project performance