Abstract:

Integrating sustainability as a strategic capability across supply chains has become a critical priority in the automotive and fashion industries. This paper presents a developmental review of 81 recent studies (2019-2025) and organises insights into four themes: (1) governance and strategy alignment, (2) circularity and business model innovation, (3) transparency, due diligence and responsible sourcing, and (4) digitalisation and technology enablement. We argue that sustainability integration is best understood as an interdependent capability system: governance sets decision rights and incentives; circularity translates strategic intent into redesign and reverse flows; transparency enables credible verification and risk management across supplier tiers; and digitalisation provides the data infrastructure and feedback loops that coordinate, scale and accelerate learning. Drawing on institutional theory, stakeholder and dynamic capabilities perspectives, we develop the Strategic Sustainability Integration Capability (SSIC) framework and propose a set of developmental propositions to guide future cross-industry research. Here we offer a conceptual foundation for understanding how firms can build coordinated capabilities to embed sustainability into strategic and operational decision-making.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Sustainable and Responsible Business

Keywords: responsible business

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Ms. Chipo Dube