Extending green practices across the supply chain: The impact of upstream and downstream integration

This research aims to extend the “collaborative paradigm” proposed by others in prior research beyond a supply chain's core operations. To date, this paradigm has generated relatively little empirical research on peripheral, non‐core areas such the natural environment. Antecedents (both plant‐level and supply chain characteristics) of green supply chain practices (GSCP) are examined. Among possible antecedents, prior research pointed to supply chain integration – both logistical (tactical level) and technological (strategic level) – as a potentially important determinant of green practices.

Green practices are defined along the two dimensions of environmental collaboration and monitoring. The empirical analysis used data from 84 plants in North America surveyed in 2002. Validity and reliability of scales for new and existing constructs were assessed through factor analysis. Hierarchical linear regression was used to test the hypotheses for the antecedents of GSCP.

Technological integration with primary suppliers and major customers was positively linked to environmental monitoring and collaboration. For logistical integration, a linkage was found only with environmental monitoring of suppliers. Finally, as the supply base was reduced, the extent of environmental collaboration with primary suppliers increased.

Greater supply chain integration can benefit environment management in operations, and the collaborative paradigm can be extended to this domain. A limitation is that the empirical analysis focused on one industry representing a single echelon.

This is one of the few studies that conceptualize and empirically test GSCP, and consider both and separately upstream and downstream interactions in the supply chain.