How selection of collaborating partners impact on the green performance of global businesses?: an empirical study of green sustainability

In recent days, both collaboration and sustainability have become an integral part of many global supply chains to achieve business excellence. Although previous literature and actual practices confirmed the successful implementation of sustainability practices through supply chain collaborations, it is not clear how collaborating partners can support financial and environmental performance, and hence strengthen the partnership performance in the global supply chains. To address this practice-based research question, we test the theoretical underpinning of suppliers and logistics partners in relation to required skills selection. We capture the depth of interdependencies in collaborations for routine operations and sustainability, through empirical evidence. We used case study observations from three global companies to develop a conceptual model and also conducted a questionnaire survey to test the conceptual model. The results of case analysis confirmed two dimensions of collaborations that could strengthen relationship; namely, partners’ selection and sustainability team formation. Data analysis strongly support business collaborations having careful choice of supply chain partners and logistics operators who are ready to maintain green operations with transparent information sharing. Results of this study also inform managers about the importance of commitment from collaborating partners to achieve sustainability in their global supply chains. It is clear from the results that both the business and financial performances will be strengthened by environmental positioning (green objectives) of the companies.