To what does sustainable sourcing enhance supply chain resilience and enviromental conservation? A focus on small and medium enterprises.

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which sustainable sourcing practices contribute to supply chain resilience and environmental conservation in SMEs, along with the main barriers and opportunities shaping their adoption. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants across different sectors in France and Belgium, analysed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis using an abductive approach. Sustainable sourcing practices were applied unevenly and rarely followed a deliberate strategy, while supplier verification remained largely passive. Sustainable sourcing supported resilience mainly when it aligned with other priorities such as cost or risk management, and some resilience strategies worked against sustainability rather than reinforcing it. Cost emerged as the most consistent barrier, alongside a lack of dedicated staff and structure, while opportunities such as regulation, client demand, and collaboration were experienced unevenly. Read through the Resource-Based View (Barney, 1991), adoption depended less on intent than on whether the resources needed were already available. Five recommendations are proposed, grounded in the findings and the literature: targeted financial support, training programmes, clearer regulation, inter-company collaboration, and stronger regulatory requirements.