Implementing environmental practices within the Greek dairy supply chain Drivers and barriers for SMEs

TY - JOUR

T1 - Implementing environmental practices within the Greek dairy supply chain Drivers and barriers for SMEs

AU - Ghadge, Abhijeet

AU - Kaklamanou, Merilena

AU - Choudhary, Sonal

AU - Bourlakis, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Abhijeet Ghadge, Merilena Kaklamanou, Sonal Choudhary and Michael Bourlakis. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited.

PY - 2017/10/16

Y1 - 2017/10/16

N2 - Purpose – Food supply chain (FSC) in Greece is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who face several challenges in adopting green practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers and barriers influencing the environmental performance of SMEs within the Greek dairy supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive research methodology attempts to prioritize the drivers and barriers for improving the environmental sustainability performance. Analytical hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis are used to understand the complex nature of the influencing factors. Findings – The analysis identifies five barriers and six drivers for the implementation of green practices within the dairy SC. While external drivers significantly influence the market structure and logistics network, government, competitors and customers are the driving factors for improving environmental performance. Research limitations/implications – The study contributes to filling the literature gap on key factors influencing the implementation of green practices within the FSC. The identified influential factors will contribute toward building a framework for improving sustainability performance within the Greek dairy SC. Practical implications – The study is expected to benefit the Greek and European SMEs by driving their environmental practices within the perishable SC network. Originality/value – The paper provides directions for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in understanding the challenges for implementing green practices in the dairy SC. The holistic approach followed in this paper is a building block for a conceptual framework on implementing environmental sustainability within the FSC. Apart from contributing to the current literature by extending the research horizon to SMEs’ green adoption capability, this study also provides better understanding of the pivotal role of internal and external key factors in influencing sustainability performance.

AB - Purpose – Food supply chain (FSC) in Greece is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who face several challenges in adopting green practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers and barriers influencing the environmental performance of SMEs within the Greek dairy supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive research methodology attempts to prioritize the drivers and barriers for improving the environmental sustainability performance. Analytical hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis are used to understand the complex nature of the influencing factors. Findings – The analysis identifies five barriers and six drivers for the implementation of green practices within the dairy SC. While external drivers significantly influence the market structure and logistics network, government, competitors and customers are the driving factors for improving environmental performance. Research limitations/implications – The study contributes to filling the literature gap on key factors influencing the implementation of green practices within the FSC. The identified influential factors will contribute toward building a framework for improving sustainability performance within the Greek dairy SC. Practical implications – The study is expected to benefit the Greek and European SMEs by driving their environmental practices within the perishable SC network. Originality/value – The paper provides directions for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in understanding the challenges for implementing green practices in the dairy SC. The holistic approach followed in this paper is a building block for a conceptual framework on implementing environmental sustainability within the FSC. Apart from contributing to the current literature by extending the research horizon to SMEs’ green adoption capability, this study also provides better understanding of the pivotal role of internal and external key factors in influencing sustainability performance.

KW - Barriers

KW - Drivers

KW - Environmental practices

KW - Food supply chain

KW - Greek dairy sector

KW - SMEs

KW - Sustainability performance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031277573&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/IMDS-07-2016-0270

DO - 10.1108/IMDS-07-2016-0270

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85031277573

SN - 0263-5577

VL - 117

SP - 1995

EP - 2014

JO - Industrial Management and Data Systems

JF - Industrial Management and Data Systems

IS - 9

ER -