The contribution of CSR standards to sustainable supply chain management practices: a case study of Dutch food retailers

Abstract

Businesses are increasingly held accountable by external stakeholders for the social and environmental performance of their supply chains. This leads many businesses to engage in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which integrates environmental and social concerns into a company’s supply chain processes. One of the instruments which businesses use to engage in sustainable supply chain management are corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards. However, the growing number of CSR standards is presenting businesses with a problem. Businesses are increasingly struggling to understand and manage the plethora of available CSR standards regarding how they, in all their multiple forms, can support companies in fostering sustainable supply chains. Therefore, this thesis examines how different types of CSR standards support the SSCM practices of companies. Based on a single case study of the food retail industry with five food retailers as the embedded units of analysis, 28 CSR standards were analyzed and classified according to five dimensions (form, function, key drivers, regulatory implication and geographic representation) to conceptualize different types of CSR standards. Subsequently, the different types of CSR standards were analyzed on their contribution to various SSCM practices using qualitative content analysis of company documents and interviews with food retailers. This thesis found that seven SSCM practices are supported by different types of CSR standards with characteristics that relate to the dimensions form, key drivers and regulatory implication. These SSCM practices are: a dedication to supply chain management and the triple bottom line, supply chain partner selection, selective monitoring, enhanced communication, stakeholder management and joint collaboration. The findings of this research are formulated into seven propositions and contribute to further theory development by pointing towards a model of comparison of CSR standards which can help business to better understand how CSR standards support SSCM practices. Additionally, this thesis contributes to the scientific literature by analyzing the trajectory of different types of CSR standards within companies and how they affect management practices to foster sustainable supply chains.