Exploring sustainable behaviour in international footwear supply chain management

The fashion industry is commonly considered to be unsustainable, being responsible for several economic, social and environmental burdens in which companies and their supply chains are involved. Scholars refer to fashion as a cross-sector, grouping companies active in different and highly competitive businesses, such as clothing, accessories, eyewear, jewellery, textiles and footwear. Among these, fashion footwear is still under investigated. Consequently, this study aims at exploring a fashion footwear company's orientation towards sustainability, and the way it affects the configuration and management of its supply chain. More in depth, the paper aims to explore the main drivers of a fashion footwear company's sustainable behaviour and their influence on the emergence of new business opportunities. The findings have revealed the importance of particular capabilities embedded in sustainable behaviour. These capabilities are constantly developed through synergistic actions with employees, suppliers, business clients, consumers and NGOs, which are able in this way to nourish the business sustainability. Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) orientation has led to a general reshaping of both inbound and outbound supply chains, configuring an integrated supply chain in which a new sustainable business model is configured.