Corporate sustainable supply chain management: from freestyle to compulsory

Corporate environmental and social responsibility has expanded focus and concern to extra-firm boundaries - deep into the supply chain and beyond national borders to where many of the most important sustainability issues are located. The supply chain includes upstream, downstream and loop-closing activities. It also includes multiple layers of organizations and markets that are typically globally dispersed. We provide an overview of different aspects to managing sustainable supply chains across international boundaries and locations. Some of the latest topics in upstream sustainable supplier selection, development and monitoring will be covered including dyadic and multi-tier considerations. We will consider operational activities such as lean and green operations, downstream considerations such as green marketing, sustainable transportation and logistics, as well as international circular practices. Major concerns from an international management perspective, including evolving cultural, regulatory and economic perspectives, will be overviewed. Potential research opportunities and questions will also be identified for future directions of this topic within international management.