Abstract:

Global value chains are marked by deep power asymmetries, information gaps and limited visibility, yet dominant approaches to responsible supply chain governance rooted in CSR, sustainability and compliance often fail to address how fairness is experienced across layers of the chain. Organisational justice offers a promising but under‑utilised foundation for understanding responsibility in inter‑organisational contexts. While prior research has examined distributive and procedural justice in dyadic buyer–supplier relationships, justice has rarely been extended to the structural, relational and epistemic challenges that define multi‑layer supply chains.

This conceptual paper develops a justice-based framework for responsible supply chain governance by integrating distributive, procedural, interpersonal, informational and epistemic justice. It argues that justice functions as a structural counter‑power mechanism capable of addressing systemic distortions such as inequitable value capture, opaque decision‑making, relational domination and epistemic exclusion. The paper advances a layered justice‑as‑governance model that positions justice as a multi‑layer architecture comprising structural, relational and epistemic foundations, operationalised through governance mechanisms including due diligence, purchasing practices, transparency systems and participatory voice structures.

This framework bridges fragmented literatures, reconceptualises justice as a governance property rather than solely a perceptual construct, and provides a theoretically grounded basis for more legitimate, equitable and inclusive supply chain governance. The paper concludes with implications for organisations, policymakers and civil society, and identifies future research directions for justice‑oriented governance in global production networks.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Sustainable and Responsible Business

Keywords: responsible business;PRME;CSR;secondary research/concept paper;CMS

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Dr. Maria De Lourdes Lazzarin

Biography