The Impact of green supply chain management practices on sustainability performance of retail firms in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices on the sustainable performance of retail firms in Sri Lanka addressing the dearth of empirical evidence in the context of the retail sector compared to the manufacturing sector of Sri Lanka. This study aims to explore the impact of six dimensions of GSCM practices on sustainability performance in the retail firms of Sri Lanka. The literature review was done through the systematic literature review process. This relationship between GSCM practices and sustainability performance is tested using the deductive approach of positivism philosophy under the quantitative methodology. The population of the study is all the retail organizations that have already implemented and considered the possibilities of implementing GSCM practices in the retail sector of Sri Lanka. The absence of retail industry statistics in Sri Lanka resulted in an unknown population. Therefore, the sample was identified as 170 based on the Sample-to-item ratio. The sample of the study was selected using the random sample technique. The collected data, from the managers and above personalities in supply chain management of retail organizations in Sri Lanka, was analyzed using multiple regression analysis with the aid of SPSS 21. The findings show that green production, green marketing, green logistics, customer cooperation, and investment recovery are directly affecting to the improvement of sustainability performance of retail firms in Sri Lanka while green purchasing is not making an impact on sustainability performance. Findings suggests that GSCM practices enhance operational performance while also minimizing environmental emissions, waste, and accidents. Further, the critical insights of the findings lead the managers to prioritize the GSCM practices with the re-evaluation of their purchasing strategies and provide a roadmap for the UN’s SDGs. The findings of the study contribute to the literature on ESG practices and the Triple Bottom Line.