Anchor company contribution to cleaner production dissemination: experience from a Mexican sustainable supply programme

Sustainable supply chain approaches consider the role of anchor companies in disseminating environmental improvements among their suppliers. This study analyses the relations between stimuli for anchor companies to contribute to cleaner production dissemination and their actual contribution in terms of programme results, following a stimulus–response approach. Empirical evidence drawn from the Mexican Sustainable Supply Programme pilot featured data from 14 anchor companies and 177 small and medium-sized suppliers. Findings reveal the importance of supply chain structures and the integration of anchor companies in environmental initiatives to disseminate cleaner production among enterprises in emerging markets. Drivers leading anchor companies to participate in initiatives such as the Mexican Sustainable Supply Programme include theory-supported factors, e.g., improving supplier performance, cost reductions, environmental leadership, and improved reputation. These drivers do not coincide with perceived participation benefits and collaborative approaches in project design might cause this shift in importance from dominating “hard” self-centred drivers towards “soft” partner-centred benefits. Moreover, anchor company learning contributes to dissemination of cleaner production practices among suppliers. Anchor company managers should be aware of cleaner production dissemination benefits, and approach sustainable supply initiatives pro-actively as part of their competitive strategy. Policy makers, consultants and services providers seeking improved environmental performance of small and medium-sized enterprises should consider the integrated framework for cleaner production dissemination as a scalable approach for effective diffusion. Differential cleaner production dissemination performance of anchor companies suggests further research on the dynamic capabilities that influence cognitive and behavioural processes in cleaner production dissemination under a stimulus-organism-response model.