Supply chain social sustainability: Standard adoption practices in Portuguese manufacturing firms

Firms are increasingly under pressure to incorporate social sustainability practices into their operations and supply chain management strategies. The purpose of this research is to develop a taxonomy of the supply chain social sustainability (SCSS) practices adopted by firms. The methodology involves two steps. First, the taxonomy is built based on literature review. Second, our empirical analysis, using non-financial (sustainability) reports with a sample of 55 listed companies, identifies standard adoption practices. We used content analysis software to unearth the influential words in the sustainability reports from different industries, sizes, and geographical regions. The content analysis reveals three different themes that provide a snapshot of how Portuguese firms integrate social sustainability into their supply chain and operations. Firms emphasize diverse facets of social sustainability practices in upstream and downstream supply chain based on different industries. The results assume significance and provide unique insights on adoption practices to supply chain practitioners who otherwise have no information on what constitutes supply chain social sustainability in this region.