Title: Exploring interrelationships among barriers and enablers of green procurement for a sustainable supply chain

Authors: Syed Imran Zaman; Md. Ramjan Ali; Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan

Addresses: School of Economics and Management, Southwest Jiaotong University, China; Department of Business Administration, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, Pakistan ' Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh ' Industrial Systems Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract: This study aims to visualise the prioritisation and interactions of ecologically responsible goods in the pharmaceutical industry between obstacles and enablers to green procurement. For this purpose, ten barriers and nine enablers are identified through an exhaustive analysis of the literature, and their interconnections are visualised by implementing the grey-DEMATEL technique. This study offers a unique perspective of having barriers and enablers interplay for green procurement together simultaneously. The findings also indicate that the pharmaceutical manufacturers should provide consumers with relevant, supportable information to disperse their products' sustainability. Also, pharmaceutical industry should spend much in increasing consumer understanding of the effects of collective buying actions. Other identified enablers would help mitigate the obstacles in this industry. This study offers crucial insights into the interdependencies between barriers and enablers that also lead to the decision-making initiatives of management that promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable goods by customers.

Keywords: green procurement; GP; sustainable supply chain management; SSCM; grey-DEMATEL; enablers and barriers; green environment; sustainable procurement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2024.136051

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2024 Vol.19 No.2, pp.226 - 252

Received: 19 Oct 2022
Accepted: 23 Oct 2022
Published online: 15 Jan 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article