IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlogis/v9y2025i1p12-d1567969.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unboxing: Exploring the Challenges of Green Supply Chain Initiatives in Thailand

Author

Listed:
  • Wethaya Faijaidee

    (School of Industrial Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand)

  • Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao

    (School of Transportation Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand)

  • Pornsiri Jongkol

    (School of Industrial Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand)

Abstract

Background: The increasing global focus on sustainability has made Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) a critical strategy for businesses to balance environmental responsibility with operational efficiency. Despite its benefits, GSCM adoption in developing countries faces significant challenges. This study addresses the gap by investigating these barriers within the Thai context, providing actionable insights for policymakers and businesses. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a survey of 480 business owners, executives, and supply chain employees, and expert analysis using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). The ISM technique was used to determine the relationships and hierarchy among key barriers to GSCM implementation. Results: The findings reveal that weak legal frameworks, insufficient supplier engagement, and a lack of social responsibility are the most significant barriers. Secondary factors, such as low consumer demand and minimal competitive pressure, exacerbate these challenges. The ISM analysis highlighted the cascading effects of foundational barriers on other dimensions of GSCM adoption. Conclusions: Strengthening environmental regulations, promoting supplier collaboration, and embedding sustainability in corporate culture are key to overcoming GSCM barriers to sustainably enhance Thailand’s competitiveness.

Suggested Citation

  • Wethaya Faijaidee & Sajjakaj Jomnonkwao & Pornsiri Jongkol, 2025. "Unboxing: Exploring the Challenges of Green Supply Chain Initiatives in Thailand," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:9:y:2025:i:1:p:12-:d:1567969
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/9/1/12/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/9/1/12/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pfohl, Hans-Christian & Gallus, Philipp & Thomas, David, 2011. "Interpretive structural modeling of supply chain risks," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 55230, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    2. Samyadip Chakraborty & Rajesh Kalepu, 2019. "IT and green practices as enablers of service-oriented capabilities and patient-focused care in healthcare industry," International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(2), pages 220-244.
    3. Rimi Karmakar & Sanat K. Mazumder & Md Billal Hossain & Csaba Balint Illes & Arindam Garai, 2023. "Sustainable Green Economy for a Supply Chain with Remanufacturing by Both the Supplier and Manufacturer in a Varying Market," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-48, July.
    4. Xianbing Liu & Jie Yang & Sixiao Qu & Leina Wang & Tomohiro Shishime & Cunkuan Bao, 2012. "Sustainable Production: Practices and Determinant Factors of Green Supply Chain Management of Chinese Companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 1-16, January.
    5. Andrea Chiarini, 2017. "Environmental Policies for Evaluating Suppliers' Performance Based on GRI Indicators," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 98-111, January.
    6. B P Sharma & M D Singh & Neha, 2012. "Knowledge Sharing Barriers: An Approach of Interpretive Structural Modeling," The IUP Journal of Knowledge Management, IUP Publications, vol. 0(3), pages 35-52, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Prajogo, Daniel & Toy, Jordan & Bhattacharya, Ananya & Oke, Adegoke & Cheng, T.C.E., 2018. "The relationships between information management, process management and operational performance: Internal and external contexts," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 95-103.
    2. Qazi, Abroon & Dickson, Alex & Quigley, John & Gaudenzi, Barbara, 2018. "Supply chain risk network management: A Bayesian belief network and expected utility based approach for managing supply chain risks," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 24-42.
    3. Stanley Kam Sing Wong, 2013. "Environmental Requirements, Knowledge Sharing and Green Innovation: Empirical Evidence from the Electronics Industry in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(5), pages 321-338, July.
    4. Rajiv Kumar Sharma, 2022. "Examining interaction among supplier selection strategies in an outsourcing environment using ISM and fuzzy logic approach," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 13(5), pages 2175-2194, October.
    5. Nishat Alam Choudhary & Shalabh Singh & Tobias Schoenherr & M. Ramkumar, 2023. "Risk assessment in supply chains: a state-of-the-art review of methodologies and their applications," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 322(2), pages 565-607, March.
    6. Zhen Zhang, 2024. "Exploring the green edge: the role of market orientation and knowledge management in achieving competitive advantage through creativity," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    7. Piera Centobelli & Roberto Cerchione & Eugenio Oropallo & Wael Hassan El‐Garaihy & Tamer Farag & Khalid Hassan Al Shehri, 2022. "Towards a sustainable development assessment framework to bridge supply chain practices and technologies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(4), pages 647-663, August.
    8. Peter S. Hofman & Constantin Blome & Martin C. Schleper & Nachiappan Subramanian, 2020. "Supply chain collaboration and eco‐innovations: An institutional perspective from China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2734-2754, September.
    9. Muhammad Waqas & Qian-li Dong & Naveed Ahmad & Yuming Zhu & Muhammad Nadeem, 2018. "Critical Barriers to Implementation of Reverse Logistics in the Manufacturing Industry: A Case Study of a Developing Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, November.
    10. Yu‐Xiang Yen, 2018. "Buyer–supplier collaboration in green practices: The driving effects from stakeholders," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1666-1678, December.
    11. Jesús Morcillo-Bellido & Alfonso Duran-Heras, 2020. "Sustainability Governance Mechanisms in Supply Chains: An Application in the Retail Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-16, August.
    12. Ivo Hristov & Andrea Appolloni & Antonio Chirico, 2022. "The adoption of the key performance indicators to integrate sustainability in the business strategy: A novel five‐dimensional framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3216-3230, November.
    13. Hsuan-Yu Pan & Shen-Ho Chang & Chuan-Chuan Huang, 2017. "The Success Key Factors of Medical Institutes in China," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    14. Saghiri, Soroosh Sam & Mirzabeiki, Vahid, 2021. "Buyer-led environmental supplier development: Can suppliers really help it?," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    15. Benjamin S. Thompson, 2019. "Payments for ecosystem services and corporate social responsibility: Perspectives on sustainable production, stakeholder relations, and philanthropy in Thailand," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 497-511, May.
    16. Bag, Surajit & Dhamija, Pavitra & Bryde, David J. & Singh, Rajesh Kumar, 2022. "Effect of eco-innovation on green supply chain management, circular economy capability, and performance of small and medium enterprises," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 60-72.
    17. Sanjay Kumar Tyagi & Sujeet Kumar Sharma & R. Krishankumar & K. S. Ravichandran, 2022. "An extension of interpretive structural modeling using linguistic term sets for business decision-making," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 59(3), pages 1158-1177, September.
    18. René Y. Glogg & Anna Timonina-Farkas & Ralf W. Seifert, 2022. "Modeling and mitigating supply chain disruptions as a bilevel network flow problem," Computational Management Science, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 395-423, July.
    19. Piera Centobelli & Roberto Cerchione & Emilio Esposito, 2018. "Environmental Sustainability and Energy-Efficient Supply Chain Management: A Review of Research Trends and Proposed Guidelines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-36, January.
    20. Alisha Lakra & Shubhkirti Gupta & Ravi Ranjan & Sushanta Tripathy & Deepak Singhal, 2022. "The Significance of Machine Learning in the Manufacturing Sector: An ISM Approach," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-15, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:9:y:2025:i:1:p:12-:d:1567969. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.