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Modeling the barriers of green supply chain management in small and medium enterprises: A case of Indian clothing industry

Abhijit Majumdar (Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India)
Sanjib Sinha (Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India)

Management of Environmental Quality

ISSN: 1477-7835

Article publication date: 10 July 2018

Issue publication date: 4 September 2018

2102

Abstract

Purpose

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Indian clothing industry have become one of the most important cogs of global fashion supply chain. However, the implementation of green practices is still in the nascent stage. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the important barriers of green supply chain management in Indian clothing SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 36 barriers related to green supply chain management (GSCM) practices were identified through exhaustive literature review. Then ten important barriers were shortlisted through questionnaire survey among supply chain practitioners using five-point Likert scale. Finally, interpretive structural modeling technique was used to decipher the contextual relationships among these barriers.

Findings

Complexity of green process and system design and lack of support from regulatory authorities were found to be the barriers having the maximum driving power. Lack of consumer support and high investment and low economic benefits were also found to be important barriers in the way of green practices implementation in clothing SMEs. In contrast, lack of reward systems for suppliers, uncertainty of green outcome, lack of green materials, process and technology and lack of flexibility to switch over to green system were the dependent barriers.

Originality/value

The important barriers of GSCM practices in Indian clothing SMEs have been identified and analyzed. The finding will be helpful in making the Indian clothing SMEs environmentally sustainable by eliminating the important barriers.

Keywords

Citation

Majumdar, A. and Sinha, S. (2018), "Modeling the barriers of green supply chain management in small and medium enterprises: A case of Indian clothing industry", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 1110-1122. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-12-2017-0176

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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