Towards sustainable procurement

Sven-Anders Stegare

This PhD project examines how procurement can drive social sustainability by navigating ethical challenges and relational dynamics within complex supply chains, particularly in Sweden's hospitality and construction sectors. It addresses key research questions on procurement’s role in managing social sustainability, navigating cost-sustainability tensions, and promoting ethical sourcing. Using social capital theory and tension management frameworks, the PhD project provides insights into how relational dynamics and continuous adjustment processes can influence procurement’s ability to uphold social sustainability. Early findings indicate that effective dialogue is essential for advancing proactive sustainability approaches, that managing cost-sustainability tensions requires adaptable strategies, and that procurement functions in high-risk sectors like construction and hospitality are critical in promoting ethical sourcing and preventing labor exploitation.

The project has been funded in part by Formas (grant number 2018-02226).

Publications:

EL Bizri, Jad and Sven-Anders Stegare. (Forthcoming). From inactive to proactive: Examining social sustainability approaches and relational dynamics in procurement from a social capital perspective. International Journal of Procurement Management (IJPM).