Supply base complexity and sustainability performance: An analysis in the textile industry

Supply chains have become increasingly complex and managers often associate supply chain complexity with detrimental outcomes. Supply chain complexity can stem from internal operations or external actors in the supply chain. This research focuses on complexity stemming from suppliers and aims to understand the impact of supply base complexity on firm sustainability performance in the textile industry. Regarding supply base complexity, the focus will be on structural complexity (i.e. number of suppliers, heterogeneity of suppliers, geographical spread of suppliers, etc.). Regarding sustainability, three dimensions will be examined: economical (financial), environmental and social sustainability. In this project, the students will collect secondary data from sources such as supplier lists of textile retailers (see for instance H&M supplier list: https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/leading-the-change/transparency/supply-chain/), financial performance data (e.g. ORBIS database from our University Library), and sustainability ratings. After the data collection, the students are expected to run regression analyses to investigate the link between supply base complexity and sustainability performance and report the findings.