Implications of green optimism upon sustainable supply chain management

In recent years, managers have increasingly integrated sustainability into their business models. However, they might overestimate the premium that average consumers are willing to pay for the environment. In this paper, we formulate a game-theoretical model that illustrates the impacts of green optimism which refers to managers' optimistic bias about consumer environmental awareness. We consider a sustainable supply chain in which one manufacturer invests in green product development and sells the green product through one retailer. Each firm within the supply chain is operated by one manager who is either realistic or optimistic. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that managers' optimistic bias might discourage investment in green product development. We also find that green optimism is always detrimental to the upstream manufacturer, but might be beneficial to the downstream retailer. Surprisingly, under certain conditions, green optimism can be detrimental to all stakeholders, i.e., firms in the supply chain, consumers, and the environment. This study suggests an interesting link between supply chain management and human resource management; that is, within a sustainable supply chain those managers who are optimistic about the future of green business might be an obstacle to the success of green business. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of optimism on companies in a green supply chain, finding that managers' optimistic bias may impede investment in green product development while being harmful to the upstream manufacturer and beneficial to the downstream retailer. Surprisingly, under certain conditions, green optimism can be detrimental to all stakeholders in the supply chain.