Table 3 SC stages: Extraction and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 3

SC stages:	Extraction and Refinement			Manufacturing		Retail and Use		Response strategies to sustainability tensions and divergent elements [* response practice presented in findings section]
Social-ecological goals (performing) Contradicting elements [context level of emergence]	Integration of disadvantaged producers and regions	Responsible sourcing of primary material	Traceability of ethical primary material	Ensure responsible manufacturing	Improve social-ecological performance	Longevity of consumer products	Sales of sustainable products to end-customers
vs. divergent identities and views (belonging)
suppliers' divergent understanding and perspectives (Belong1) [SC]	Lower-tier firms (1/5) Third parties (1/4)	Top-tier firms (1/6) Third parties (1/4)	-	Top-tier firms (2/6) Mid-tier firms (1/10)	Top-tier firms (4/6) Mid-tier firms (2/10)	-	-	Synthesis:Monitoring and controlling (RP04)for ensuring that suppliers with divergent perspectives are committed to sustainability (TT2, LT1); *Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of suppliers to shape their understanding of social-ecological topics and increase their willingness to engage in social-ecological improvements (TT1, TT2, TT3, TT4, TT6, MT3, MT6, MT8, LT1); Supplier selection (RP07),e.g., based on the suppliers' institutional context or willingness to engage in social-ecological improvements (TT1, TT2, TT3, TT4, TT6, LT1). Separation:*Long-term relationships (RP14)with suppliers to gradually work on their sustainability understanding and performance (temporal separation) (TT1, TT2, TT3, LT1). Contextualization:*Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the suppliers' divergent understanding and perspectives (TT1, TT3, MT3)
industrial customers’ sustainability requirements and expectations (Belong2) [SC]	Lower-tier firms (1/5)	Lower-tier firms (1/5)	-	-	Mid-tier firms (4/10)	-	-	Synthesis:*Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of industrial customers to shape their understanding of social-ecological topics and increase their appreciation for the taken sustainability efforts (MT3, MT6, LT1, LT3); Industrial customer selection (RP21)for building business relationships with industrial customers valuing the taken sustainability efforts (MT6). Separation:[no identified practices]. Contextualization:*External contextualization (RP11)(MT3, LT1) and *Internal contextualization (RP12)(MT3, MT6, LT1) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the industrial customers’ sustainability requirements and expectations
sustainability expectations of end- customers (Belong3) [SC]	-	-	-	_-	-	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Synthesis: [no identified practices]. Separation: [no identified practices]. Contextualization: External contextualization (RP11)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the sustainability expectations of end-customers (TT1)
workers’ acceptance of regulations and sustainability measures (Belong4) [SC, organizational]	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Top-tier firms (1/6)	-	Mid-tier firms (2/10)	Mid-tier firms (1/10)	_-	-	Synthesis:*Corporate social programs (RP22)designed for migrant workers to decrease the employee fluctuation and workers' motivation to engage in extensive overtime (MT3); *Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of workers through educational trainings (TT1). Separation:[no identified practices]. Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)(TT1) and Internal contextualization (RP12)(MT4) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the workers’ acceptance of regulations and sustainability measures
vs. competing structures and processes (organizing)
design of standards and certifications (Organ1) [SC, organizational]	Lower-tier firms (1/5) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	_-	-	-	Synthesis:[no identified practices]. Separation:*Public-private partnerships (RP09)for supporting disadvantaged actors in meeting common standards and requirements (vertical separation) (LT2). Contextualization:Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the design of standards and certifications (TT2)
varying measures and requirements of industrial customers (Organ2) [SC]	-	-	-	Top-tier firms (2/6) Mid-tier firms (1/10) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	-	Synthesis:Commitment to certifications and standards (RP02)that are widely accepted to meet the sustainability expectations and requirements of as many industrial customers as possible (MT4). Separation:*Driving universal certifications and standards (RP02)to comply with the sustainability requirement of as many industrial customers as possible (vertical separation) (TT4, TT6, MT4); Strategic business alliances (RP10)for developing and driving industry-wide sustainability standards (TT4, TT6, MT4). Contextualization:*External contextualization (RP11)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the varying measures and requirements of industrial customers (MT4)
current business operations and commercial decisions (Organ3) [SC, organizational]	Lower-tier firms ^(1/5)	Top-tier firms ^(1/6) Lower-tier firms (1/5)	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Top-tier firms (1/6) Mid-tier firms (2/10) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	Synthesis:Industrial customer selection (RP21)for being able to integrate more sustainability aspects into the business operations and commercial decisions by increasing the demand for (more) sustainable products (MT6; LT3); *Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of industrial customers to increase the demand for (more) sustainable products (MT2, MT6, LT2, LT3). Separation:*Offering conventional and (more) sustainable products (RP23)for being able to serve a wide customer range with different sustainability expectations and requirements (horizontal separation) (MT2, MT6, LT2, LT3); Public-private partnerships (RP09)for integrating more ethical minerals into the business operations by increasing the overall supply of ethical minerals on a systemic level (vertical separation) (LT2). Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)(TT3) and *Internal contextualization (RP12)(TT3, MT2, LT3) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the current business operations and commercial decisions
competition (Organ4) [organizational]	_-	Lower-tier firms (3/5)	-	_-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	-	-	Synthesis:[no identified practices]. Separation:*Strategic business alliances (RP10)only when having to address systemic issues and topics (vertical separation) (LT1, LT2). Contextualization:Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the economic competition with other companies (LT1, LT2)

SC stages:	Extraction and Refinement			Manufacturing		Retail and Use		Response strategies to sustainability tensions and divergent elements[* response practice presented in findings section]
Social-ecological goals (performing)Contradicting elements [context level of emergence]	Integration of disadvantaged producers and regions	Responsible sourcing of primary material	Traceability of ethical primary material	Ensure responsible manufacturing	Improve social-ecological performance	Longevity of consumer products	Sales of sustainable products to end-customers
vs. divergent identities and views (belonging)
suppliers' divergent understanding and perspectives (Belong1) [SC]	Lower-tier firms (1/5) Third parties (1/4)	Top-tier firms (1/6) Third parties (1/4)	-	Top-tier firms (2/6) Mid-tier firms (1/10)	Top-tier firms (4/6) Mid-tier firms (2/10)	-	-	Synthesis:Monitoring and controlling (RP04)for ensuring that suppliers with divergent perspectives are committed to sustainability (TT2, LT1); Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of suppliers to shape their understanding of social-ecological topics and increase their willingness to engage in social-ecological improvements (TT1, TT2, TT3, TT4, TT6, MT3, MT6, MT8, LT1); Supplier selection (RP07),e.g., based on the suppliers' institutional context or willingness to engage in social-ecological improvements (TT1, TT2, TT3, TT4, TT6, LT1). Separation:Long-term relationships (RP14)with suppliers to gradually work on their sustainability understanding and performance (temporal separation) (TT1, TT2, TT3, LT1). Contextualization:*Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the suppliers' divergent understanding and perspectives (TT1, TT3, MT3)
industrial customers’ sustainability requirements and expectations (Belong2) [SC]	Lower-tier firms (1/5)	Lower-tier firms (1/5)	-	-	Mid-tier firms (4/10)	-	-	Synthesis:Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of industrial customers to shape their understanding of social-ecological topics and increase their appreciation for the taken sustainability efforts (MT3, MT6, LT1, LT3); Industrial customer selection (RP21)for building business relationships with industrial customers valuing the taken sustainability efforts (MT6). Separation:[no identified practices]. Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)(MT3, LT1) and *Internal contextualization (RP12)(MT3, MT6, LT1) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the industrial customers’ sustainability requirements and expectations
sustainability expectations of end- customers (Belong3) [SC]	-	-	-	_-	-	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Synthesis: [no identified practices]. Separation: [no identified practices]. Contextualization: External contextualization (RP11)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the sustainability expectations of end-customers (TT1)
workers’ acceptance of regulations and sustainability measures (Belong4) [SC, organizational]	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Top-tier firms (1/6)	-	Mid-tier firms (2/10)	Mid-tier firms (1/10)	_-	-	Synthesis:Corporate social programs (RP22)designed for migrant workers to decrease the employee fluctuation and workers' motivation to engage in extensive overtime (MT3); Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of workers through educational trainings (TT1). Separation:[no identified practices]. Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)(TT1) and Internal contextualization (RP12)(MT4) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the workers’ acceptance of regulations and sustainability measures
vs. competing structures and processes (organizing)
design of standards and certifications (Organ1) [SC, organizational]	Lower-tier firms (1/5) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	_-	-	-	Synthesis:[no identified practices]. Separation:*Public-private partnerships (RP09)for supporting disadvantaged actors in meeting common standards and requirements (vertical separation) (LT2). Contextualization:Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the design of standards and certifications (TT2)
varying measures and requirements of industrial customers (Organ2) [SC]	-	-	-	Top-tier firms (2/6) Mid-tier firms (1/10) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	-	Synthesis:Commitment to certifications and standards (RP02)that are widely accepted to meet the sustainability expectations and requirements of as many industrial customers as possible (MT4). Separation:Driving universal certifications and standards (RP02)to comply with the sustainability requirement of as many industrial customers as possible (vertical separation) (TT4, TT6, MT4); Strategic business alliances (RP10)for developing and driving industry-wide sustainability standards (TT4, TT6, MT4). Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the varying measures and requirements of industrial customers (MT4)
current business operations and commercial decisions (Organ3) [SC, organizational]	Lower-tier firms ^(1/5)	Top-tier firms ^(1/6) Lower-tier firms (1/5)	-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	Top-tier firms (1/6) Mid-tier firms (2/10) Third parties (1/4)	-	-	Synthesis:Industrial customer selection (RP21)for being able to integrate more sustainability aspects into the business operations and commercial decisions by increasing the demand for (more) sustainable products (MT6; LT3); Raising sustainability awareness (RP15)of industrial customers to increase the demand for (more) sustainable products (MT2, MT6, LT2, LT3). Separation:Offering conventional and (more) sustainable products (RP23)for being able to serve a wide customer range with different sustainability expectations and requirements (horizontal separation) (MT2, MT6, LT2, LT3); Public-private partnerships (RP09)for integrating more ethical minerals into the business operations by increasing the overall supply of ethical minerals on a systemic level (vertical separation) (LT2). Contextualization:External contextualization (RP11)(TT3) and *Internal contextualization (RP12)(TT3, MT2, LT3) of the challenges and tensions stemming from the current business operations and commercial decisions
competition (Organ4) [organizational]	_-	Lower-tier firms (3/5)	-	_-	Top-tier firms (1/6)	-	-	Synthesis:[no identified practices]. Separation:*Strategic business alliances (RP10)only when having to address systemic issues and topics (vertical separation) (LT1, LT2). Contextualization:Internal contextualization (RP12)of the challenges and tensions stemming from the economic competition with other companies (LT1, LT2)