Social sustainability in the supply chain: a literature review of the adoption, approaches and (un)intended outcomes

Purpose - The concept of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) integrates the environmental and social sustainability dimensions into the management of supply chains. However, our understanding of the management of social sustainability in the supply chain is relatively underdeveloped. This paper, therefore, seeks to explore the adoption, emerging approaches and the (un)intended outcomes of social sustainability in the supply chain as well as supply chain social sustainability in the Arab world. Design/methodology/approach – This paper systematically reviews 396 peer-reviewed papers on social sustainability in the supply chain published between 1997 and 2020. Findings – The review identifies and discusses three types of factors influencing the adoption of social sustainability in the supply chain: drivers, enablers and barriers. The review also identifies four main approaches to tackling social issues in the supply chain, namely an internal approach (e.g. internal adaptation), a hands-off approach (e.g. supplier switching), a hands-on approach (e.g. collaboration practices) and a relational approach (e.g. justice). The review also reveals that although addressing these issues can generate positive outcomes, it can also lead to unintended negative outcomes such as increased social violations and the perception of unfairness among suppliers. Originality/value – This study complements the existing literature reviews on the social dimension of SSCM by not only providing an update of the current literature and shedding light on emerging approaches (e.g. justice) to tackling social issues in supply chains, but also by exposing the unintended negative consequences of tackling social issues, a subject that has largely been overlooked to date