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Examining sustainable supply chain management via a social‐symbolic work

lens: Lessons from Patagonia

Article in Business Strategy and the Environment · August 2023

DOI: 10.1002/bse.3552

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Received: 8 September 2022 Revised: 6 May 2023 Accepted: 8 August 2023
DOI: 10.1002/bse.3552

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Examining sustainable supply chain management via a social-

symbolic work lens: Lessons from Patagonia

Mojtaba M. Shourkaei | Kelsey M. Taylor | Bruno Dyck

I.H. Asper School of Business, University of

Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Abstract
Patagonia, Inc. is widely recognized as a leading brand in sustainable supply chain
Correspondence
Mojtaba M. Shourkaei, I.H. Asper School of management in the garment industry, an industry known for its sustainability
Business, University of Manitoba, Drake
shortcomings. This study examines Patagonia's supply chain practices through a
Centre, 181 Freedman Crescent, Winnipeg,
MB R3T 5V4, Canada. social-symbolic work lens. It describes the intentional material work related to
Email: [email protected]
Patagonia's inputs, throughputs, and outputs, and also its complementary relational
Funding information and discursive work. We argue that Patagonia's relational and discursive work are
The research benefitted from funding from
crucial to understanding how Patagonia (a) pursues sustainable supply chain
Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada (Grant #435-2022-281) and practices, (b) influences its stakeholders to support sustainability, and (c) has positive
from the Norman Frohlich Professorship in
spillover effects beyond its primary stakeholders. Incorporating a social-symbolic
Business Sustainability (no grant number:
Asper School of Business). work lens draws attention to important theoretical and managerial insights—in
particular, the need for a holistic rather than reductionist approach and the merit in
creating self-reinforcing positive feedback loops—which are prone to be overlooked
in conventional studies of sustainable supply chain management.

KEYWORDS
holistic view, social-symbolic work, sustainability, sustainable supply chain management

1 | I N T RO DU CT I O N Much of the extant sustainable supply chain management (SSCM)

research focuses exclusively on material practices that organizations can
The garment sector has seen explosive growth due to the rise of fast employ to change the tangible conditions of the supply chain, such as
fashion, but as its negative social and environmental externalities become textile waste (Li et al., 2021) or worker safety (Wiengarten et al., 2017).
more visible, this sector is under increasing scrutiny (Niinimäki What is lost in these approaches is an eye to the behavioral and cognitive
et al., 2020). Large brands in this sector face highly complex sustainability changes required to shape the supply chain. By examining in isolation
issues (Börjeson & Boström, 2018; Pederneiras et al., 2022), comprising each of the tangible, behavioral, and cognitive factors in sustainable
various interacting social and environmental externalities. Importantly, supply chains, we are deprived of a comprehensive understanding of their
the sustainability practices implemented within the garment sector have interactions. For organizations to adequately address the myriad
far-reaching implications beyond a single firm's supply chain. For example, sustainability challenges facing the garment sector, they must be able to
the global textile industry accounts for approximately 3% of all global think and act holistically (Gao & Bansal, 2013) and understand how
greenhouse gas emissions (Nørup et al., 2018) and is one of the most different types of work undertaken in their supply chains contribute to
significant perpetrators of modern slavery (Benstead et al., 2021). positive or negative external spillovers.

Abbreviations: SSW, social-symbolic work; SSCM, sustainable supply chain management.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any
medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
© 2023 The Authors. Business Strategy and The Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bus Strat Env. 2023;1–20. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/bse 1

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2 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

To better address complex interdependencies within modern importance of “invisible” forms of work that are helpful enablers of
fashion supply chains, we appropriate a social-symbolic work (SSW) SSCM at Patagonia and that could be more deliberately undertaken in
perspective (Lawrence & Phillips, 2019). Thanks to its tri-fold other organizations pursuing SSCM. Third, we contribute to the SSCM
emphasis on material, relational, and discursive work at individual, literature by further illuminating how collaborative supply chain rela-
organizational, and institutional levels, SSW provides a framework tionships contribute to an organization's sustainability performance
that allows for comprehensive analysis of the material dimension and under what conditions. Finally, our findings guide managers
(e.g., tangible facets) typically studied within the SSCM literature, seeking to adopt a more holistic approach to SSCM.
while also compelling a more holistic analysis that examines relational The remainder of the paper is divided into three parts. First, we
work (e.g., the social relationships) and discursive work (e.g., the text review the literature underpinning our study. Second, we describe our
and talk) employed to shape supply chains as social-symbolic objects. data, our analysis, and our findings. Finally, we discuss our
Moreover, much of the research on SSCM adopts an instrumental contributions and implications for future research.
or triple bottom line approach to sustainability, prioritizing sustainable
practices that will enhance firm financial performance (Gao &
Bansal, 2013; Gold & Schleper, 2017). This instrumental approach is 2 | LI T E RA T U R E RE V I E W
illustrated by the wealth of studies that ask whether it pays to be
green/good (Ambec & Lanoie, 2008; Javed et al., 2016; Pagell & 2.1 | Social-symbolic work (SSW)
Shevchenko, 2014) and examine relationships between sustainable
practices and firms' financial performance (e.g., Jacobs & The SSW framework, proposed by Lawrence and Phillips (2019), seeks
Singhal, 2017; King & Lenox, 2002; Yadlapalli et al., 2018), rather than to integrate fragmented research on the different work individual and
examine realized positive or negative externalities for the environ- collective actors do (e.g., identity work, strategy work, relationship
ment and society. By prioritizing profit, research that focuses on work, and boundary work) (Phillips & Lawrence, 2012) to shape orga-
financial instrumentality detracts from the pursuit of sustainability nizational life. As socially constructed phenomena (Astley, 1985),
that goes beyond being “less unsustainable” (Pagell & Wu, 2009). organizations can be constructed and disrupted by internal and exter-
A strong form of SSCM occurs when an organization manages its nal agents via different types of SSW. SSW is defined as the “pur-
supply chain to operate profitably in perpetuity while doing no net poseful, reflexive efforts of individuals, collective actors, and
harm to social and environmental systems (Pagell & Wu, 2009) and networks of actors to shape social-symbolic objects” (Lawrence &
possibly creating net positive externalities. Pagell and Shevchenko Phillips, 2019, p. 31). In this definition, social-symbolic objects can be
(2014) maintain that SSCM research can best examine sustainability related to individuals (e.g., employees' identities and emotions),
beyond “less harmism” by moving away from investigating mainstream organizations (e.g., strategy and supply chain), or institutions
practices and by highlighting rare examples of organizations operating in (e.g., social norms), or they can cross multiple levels at the same time.
a new way. One organization that recognizes the shortcomings of Actors—such as consumers, governments, firms, and employees—have
mainstream sustainability thinking and actively seeks to improve its the agency to shape the objects via different types of work (including
sustainability policies and practices is Patagonia, Inc. It is a clothing relational, discursive, and material dimensions) that are omnipresent
company founded in 1973 that has pursued a less-harm sustainability but that vary in salience in different contexts (Lawrence &
logic from the beginning (Zint & Frederick, 2001) and has recently begun Phillips, 2019, p. 11). SSW's relational dimension involves influencing
pursuing a regenerative or net-positive sustainability approach distal/proximate social-symbolic objects by constructing social
(Mason, 2017). Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard, notes, “No human relationships with individual, organizational, or institutional actors
economic activity is yet sustainable … Still, it makes a difference to do less (Lawrence & Phillips, 2019, p. 33). The discursive dimension of SSW
harm, and lessening harm makes it possible to begin to imagine refers to “efforts to shape social-symbolic objects that rely on text
restorative and even, through biomimicry, regenerative practices for the and talk” (Lawrence & Phillips, 2019, p. 43). Finally, the material
future” (Chouinard & Stanley, 2013, p. 15). dimension of SSW includes its tangible facets, such as space,
Addressing these abovementioned concerns, our research is material inputs, final products, and the human body.
guided by the following question: SSW provides a conceptual framework to unpack and examine
how organizations strive to construct the social world in which they
RQ: How can a social-symbolic work lens contribute to a holistic are located. We deployed an SSW theoretical lens in our analysis for
understanding of sustainable supply chain management? two reasons. First, it significantly underscores the actors' agency to
intentionally shape objects, which is vital in the purposeful
This paper makes several theoretical and practical contributions construction of sustainable supply chains. Second, it offers a promise
to SSCM. First, this work highlights the usefulness of an SSW to “reduce the fragmented sprawl” in the SSCM literature by focusing
perspective as a tool to understand SSCM. In doing so, we contribute on both the individual, organizational, and institutional levels, as well
to a growing movement within SCM research veering away from as on the discursive, relational, and material dimensions of work,
purely positivist approaches and towards more interpretivism and which in tandem lead us to more “coherent stories of organizational
constructivism within the field. Second, we draw attention to the life” (Weick, 2020, p. 16).
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 3

2.2 | Material, relational, and discursive work in et al., 2015) through practices like product recovery and remanufac-
the SSCM literature turing (Kazancoglu & Ozkan-Ozen, 2020; Meng et al., 2016), green
product selection (Tsai et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2019), or green logis-
Touboulic and Walker (2015) provide a comprehensive literature review tics (Kengpol & Tuammee, 2016; Lee et al., 2016).
of the use of theory in SSCM literature. Their investigation identified Some of the studies that include material characteristics also
five dominant theories that are most commonly applied, all borrowed integrate relational work, but discursive work is rarely if ever a focal
from other domains of management research. These theories, their point. For example, Chowdhury et al. (2019) discuss how network
phenomena of interest, and their consideration of material, relational, complexity (i.e., a material characteristic) and relational practices are
and discursive work are provided in Table 1. As Touboulic and Walker each contingent factors determining when supply chain resilience
(2015) note, these are all macro-level theories and are often employed enhances supply chain performance. However, by neglecting
in studies of large buying firms, as is common in SCM research. Further, discursive work, studies like this may fail to capture how network and
they note that the applications of these theories follow a larger relationship characteristics may shape or be shaped by how the firm
pattern in sustainability research of “building the business case for conceptualizes and therefore pursues supply chain sustainability
sustainability” (p. 32) or understanding its drivers and enablers. Finally, goals.
these theories all employ a positivist orientation, which assumes that The importance of relational work in SSCM via stakeholder
people and organizations react to characteristics of the external world relationships is also well documented (Dobele et al., 2014). For exam-
in predictable, deterministic ways (Darby et al., 2019). ple, Sharfman and Shaft (2009) examined cooperative supply chain
As shown in Table 1, none of the five dominant theories inte- environmental management initiatives, identifying factors that drive
grates all three elements of SSW, namely, material, relational, and dis- their creation, including trust and environmental uncertainty. Other
cursive work, though three of the five theories span at least two of research that emphasizes relational work has examined the success
the elements. Material work in supply chains is relatively underrepre- factors of sustainable supply chain initiatives, including the levels of
sented in the most popular theories. This may be due in part to the commitment within buyer/seller relationships (Chen et al., 2017), the
reliance in supply chain research on theories from other disciplines level of managerial support for the initiatives among suppliers
rather than those purpose-built to address supply chain management (Dou et al., 2015), and how buyers wield power to encourage more
(Flynn et al., 2020). However, material characteristics of supply sustainable supply chain practices (Marshall et al., 2019). This
chains that enable sustainability remain a popular phenomenon of literature also includes many studies on cross-sector collaborations in
interest in many SSCM studies. For example, several works emphasize SSCM (Arenas et al., 2013; Bryson et al., 2006; Perez-Aleman &
the importance of green investments, technologies, product Sandilands, 2008) and the role of intermediaries (Ramachandran
designs, and process designs as enablers of sustainability (Ateş et al., 2012; Saunders et al., 2017). This body of work presents
et al., 2012; Bhatia & Srivastava, 2019; Choudhary et al., 2020; substantial evidence of the value of collaboration and relationships in
Li et al., 2010, 2016; Yang et al., 2023), while others look at a broader SSCM. Using an SSW perspective, these collaborations are but one
range of firm characteristics enabling or inhibiting sustainability, like piece of a larger puzzle, a fact that is obscured when relationships are
size (Bourlakis et al., 2014; Danese et al., 2019; Heidrich & examined independently of material and discursive supply chain
Tiwary, 2013). Within the analytical SSCM research, a focus on practices.
sustainable supply chains is evident in the wealth of models aimed at The explicit study of discursive work within the SSCM literature
enhancing sustainability performance (Shaw et al., 2013; Tsai (e.g., Ellis & Higgins, 2006; Hardy et al., 2020) is currently limited to

TABLE 1 Main theories applied in supply chain.

Theory Phenomena of interest Material Relational Discursive

Resource-Based View (Barney, 1991) Examines how unique, valuable, rare, and inimitable firm X X
resources can be used to achieve sustained competitive
advantage
Natural Resource-Based View (Hart, 1995) Suggests pollution prevention, product stewardship, and X X
sustainable development capabilities can support
competitive advantage via lower costs, ability to pre-
empt competitors, and enhance future position
Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 1984) Positions firms within a wider network of stakeholders X
with legitimate but competing interests in the firm
Institutional Theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983) Identifies how coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures X X
contribute to institutional isomorphism
Transaction Cost Theory (Williamson, 1979) Addresses threat of opportunism by proposing different X
forms of governance to manage relationships involving
different types of investments
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4 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

studies grounded in institutional theory, and there are examples of 3 | METHODS

this type of analysis in disciplines like development studies and geog-
raphy (Lawrence, 2007; McGrath & Mieres, 2022). Issues implicitly As described in Table 2, which summarizes the elements of our
related to discursive work that have been studied in the SSCM research design to examine the research question, our study is nested
literature include how stakeholder reactions influence (un)sustainable in a post-positivist paradigm and adopts a qualitative approach with
corporate behavior (Hartmann, 2020; Huq et al., 2016; Stringer abductive reasoning. Our decision to focus on a single outlier case
et al., 2021; Testa et al., 2015), organizational legitimacy (Busse was informed by multiple observations. First, the case study method-
et al., 2016), and sustainability risk (Guo et al., 2015; Hofmann ology in general is appropriate for examining phenomena that are
et al., 2014). Research has also examined the importance of employee complex, broad, poorly understood, and require intensive and holistic
internalization of sustainability (Dobele et al., 2014) while revealing analysis (Njie & Asimiran, 2014; Yin, 2009), as is the situation for our
that a sustainable mission is insufficient for sustainable practice goal to develop a three-dimensional understanding of SSCM. Second,
adoption (Meehan & Bryde, 2011). In calling for greater adoption of case studies allow researchers to study the object within its real-life
discourse analysis within SCM generally, Hardy et al. (2020) explicitly context and investigate actual practices from different angles and in
identify SSCM as a fruitful arena for this research. Specifically, they relation to each other (Ebneyamini & Sadeghi Moghadam, 2018),
highlight the lack of consensus around what sustainability means and which was required to highlight sustainable practices and actions
note how the business-case discourse that subordinates sustainability in creating SSCM. Finally, examining an outlier case that could
to firm financial performance leads to the entrenchment of a weak “exemplify the analytical object of the inquiry” (Thomas, 2011,
understanding of it. p. 504), where the phenomena under investigation are more
In sum, as shown in Table 1, all the dominant theories employed transparently observable (Eisenhardt, 1989), is beneficial for
in SSCM research examine the relational work between focal firms theorizing (Gibbert et al., 2021).
and other actors, and some of these theories analyze relationships in Several criteria were critical in our choice of Patagonia as the out-
interaction with material or discursive practices. However, none of lier case for our study. First, Patagonia is well known and highly
these theories facilitate the simultaneous exploration of interactions regarded for its sustainability performance. For example, Patagonia
between material, relational, and discursive characteristics of supply has received national and international awards for its socio-ecological
chains or SSCM practices employed within organizations. Because responsibility initiatives, including the UN's Champions of the Earth,
theory represents a way of seeing and not seeing (Touboulic & Multiplying Good Jefferson Award, and the Accenture Strategy Award
Walker, 2015, p. 20), by using an SSW lens that integrates material, for Circular Economy Multinational. Based on Axios Harris's 2021
relational, and discursive work, our analysis presents a study that Reputation Quotient ranking, it has the best reputation among US
promises a richer three-dimensional picture of the work firms like customers. It is also known for its sustainability initiatives outside the
Patagonia do to shape their supply chain. By applying the SSW lens to firm's boundary. For example, in 2002, Patagonia co-founded
Patagonia, our study points to the utility of the SSW lens for SSCM the NGO “1% for the Planet,” whose members donate 1% of their
(and SCM) research questions. gross sales to environmental causes. Patagonia also co-founded the

TABLE 2 Summary of elements of research design and process.

Elements Description
Motivation • A holistic understanding of creating, maintaining, and improving SSCM
Paradigm • Post-positivism
Approach • Qualitative with abductive reasoning
Methodology • Single case study on an outlier case (Patagonia, Inc.)
Data sources • Public reports and website
• Owners, managers, and employees' writing, interviews, and speeches
• Online press news (1996–2022)
• Customers' online reviews
Data analysis • Qualitative interpretation including open, axial, and selective coding
• Abductive dialoguing with the selected conceptual lens: SSW
• Designing data structure scheme and linking concepts, themes, and constructs
Trustworthiness • Using diverse sources of archival data and keeping a record of them
• Prolonged engagement with data, over 1 year
• Describing coding process in detail and using QDA Miner software
• Ongoing conversation between authors for sensemaking/discussing disagreements
• Showing many direct quotations in elaborating arguments, not just telling
Theory building • Linking theoretical constructs to provide a visual model
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 5

Regenerative Organic Alliance to shift towards net-positive interviews from Patagonia's founder, subsequent CEOs, and key
sustainability in agriculture. Finally, while Patagonia has not been free managers; statements in news releases; and customers' reviews. We
of criticism among academics (e.g., see Hepburn, 2013), for about included any data source that could give insight into our research
three decades now, it has been oft-recognized for its extraordinarily questions. In total, we listened to (and transcribed) 27 h of publicly
sustainable practices/policies (e.g., Hartman & Haas, 1995; Khmara & available Patagonia managers' interviews and speeches, and we read
Kronenberg, 2018; Rattalino, 2018; Shrivastava & Zsolnai, 2022; about 2000 pages of material (including about 1000 pages of Patago-
Zint & Frederick, 2001). Its mission statement—We Are in Business to nia's archival material, 500 pages of media news about Patagonia, and
Save Our Home Planet—indicates its extraordinary environmental 500 customer reviews). All data were entered into QDA Miner
purpose. software for analysis. A summary of data and their usage is listed in
Second, Patagonia met the criteria of being at least a medium-size Table 3.
firm that has survived and grown organically for more than 50 years Second, we utilized QDA Miner software to organize and help
in the international market while deepening and expanding its SSCM analyze our data. Figure 1 summarizes the data analysis structure,
practices; thus, it had enough complexity to investigate our research including first and second-order codes and conceptual categories.
question. Patagonia has about 2000 employees with $1B in revenue Here, the first step was identifying the subset of data directly or indi-
and international operations. It owns no factory but has offices and rectly related to supply chain management, which we started to code
about 70 retail stores in North and South America, Europe, Asia, using an open-coding logic. First-order codes, such as “multifunctional
and Australia. To manufacture its clothing products, Patagonia works design,” “eco-efficiency,” “upcycling,” “consumerism,” and “supplier
with about 70 factories worldwide. This scale of operation enables us relationships” emerged. Reflecting on these codes and working
to capture many dynamics in the entire supply chain. iteratively back and forth between codes and original data, we
observed that (1) Patagonia has implemented diverse tangible core
practices throughout its supply chain in pursuing SSCM, and (2) Pata-
3.1 | Data collection and analysis gonia's core SSCM practices have been supported by other initiatives
that went beyond the parameters of a typical understanding of what
Our data collection and analysis followed several steps consistent constitutes SSCM.
with a qualitative study based on abductive reasoning (Mantere & Recognizing that operations management and the subdomain of
Ketokivi, 2013). First, we familiarized ourselves with Patagonia's supply chain management focus on managing the processes that turn
history, products, and socio-ecological practices. This meant collecting inputs into outputs (consistent with an understanding of supply chain
and reading a large body of secondary data from a variety of sources, management that is aligned with system theory that examines
including textual materials published by Patagonia (e.g., environmental organizations as an input-throughput-output system; Coleman &
reports, media news, and books); publicly available speeches and Palmer, 1973), we noted some of our first-order codes of Patagonia's

TABLE 3 Overview of data.

Data type and source ID Amount transcribed Nature of insight

Patagonia leaders' interviews/speeches 200 single-spaced Provided insights into the philosophical basis of
Founder (#1); CEO, 1999–2005 (#2); CEO, 2006–2014 (#3); CEO, pages Patagonia's SSCM and its future goals.
2014–2021 (#4); CEO, 2021 onwards (#5);
Director of Philosophy (#6)
Internal managers' interviews 150 single-spaced Provided insights into how different dimensions
Supply Chain Social Responsibility Manager (#7); Marketing Director pages of SSW were beneficial for the company and
(#8); Head of Product Environmental Impact (#9); Human Resource beyond.
Manager (#10); Vice-President of Social and Environmental
Responsibility (#11); Global Communication Manager for Products
(#12); Vice-President of Global Supply Chain (#13)
Patagonia textual data 1000 single-spaced Provided insights into tangible policies and
Founder's book “Let My People Go Surfing” (#14) and “The Responsible pages practices of the SSCM.
Company” (#15); Patagonia website (our footprints and climate goals
sections) (#16); Social and environmental initiative reports (#17);
Store-specific reports (#18); Annual Benefit Corporation reports
(#19); Packaging and Merchandising Principles (#20)
Media textual coverage 500 single-spaced Provided descriptions of specific initiatives and
Media articles 1996–2021 (#21) pages served as a third-party verifier of Patagonia's
claims.
Stakeholder textual data 500 reviews Provided insight of customers' views of
Customer reviews (#22) company.
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6 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

FIGURE 1 Overview of data analysis structure.

SSW focused on input (e.g., product design, materials, and sourcing), non-business actors in the field, including local and international
some on throughput (e.g., eco-efficient and responsible manufacturing NGOs, universities, governments, and activist groups. We labeled
and distribution process), and some on output (e.g., product life these as non-business relationships. Third, some categories were
extension and closing the loop). associated with SSW designed to increase customers' awareness
We also noted that the remaining coded practices were enablers about consumerism and socio-ecological issues, which we identified
of SSCM. We identified four “types” of such enablers. First, we saw as informing outsiders. Finally, the remaining first-order codes were
that some codes were related to Patagonia's business-to-business associated with Patagonia's purposeful efforts to communicate
partnerships and coalitions for socio-ecological improvements and sustainable messages to its internal organizational members—we
sharing sustainable solutions. Thus, we bundled them together under called these guiding insiders.
the heading of Patagonia's business partnerships. Second, we observed The final stage of data analysis involved making meaningful
that other codes were related to collaborations and interactions with categories of our second-order codes. Appropriating abductive
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 7

reasoning (Mantere & Ketokivi, 2013) and inspired by the SSW frame- T A B L E 4 Key features in the input-throughput-output elements
work, we categorized the second-order codes based on material, of Patagonia's sustainable supply chain management.

relational, and discursive dimensions of SSW. First, we put Patagonia's Three basic elements
more tangible and observable intentional efforts in input, throughput, of supply chain Key features
and output practices into the category of SSCM material work. Second, Inputs Product design
we observed that Patagonia's intentional networking, collaborations, • Need-based, multifunctional, durable,
repairable, easy maintenance, timeless
interactions, and partnerships with other actors in the organizational
Raw materials
field were generally related to the relational aspect of SSW. Thus, we • (P)recycled, renewable, organic,
called them SSCM relational work. Finally, we noted that Patagonia's regenerative, less harmful
textual and verbal communications with its customers and employees Sourcing criteria
• Respecting human rights and animal
fit with the discursive dimension of SSW. Hence, we labeled them as
welfare
SSCM discursive work.
Throughputs Manufacturing processes
• Emphasis on eco-efficiency, workers'
well-being, transparency
4 | FINDINGS Distribution
• Green packaging, eco-efficient
warehousing and retailing
Examining Patagonia's SSCM practices through the social-symbolic
Outputs Product life extension
lens revealed that its material work in the input-throughout-output
• Lifetime warranty, repairing service,
system benefited from complementary forms of relational and discur-
reselling, upcycling
sive work. This complementary non-material work included building Closing the loop
and maintaining distinctive relationships with business and • Recycling, storing for the future solution
non-business actors in its organizational field (relational SSW)
and informing customers and guiding internal stakeholders about
socio-ecological issues in general and the supply chain in particular
(discursive SSW). In the following subsections, we describe Second, regarding design, Patagonia asserts that “90% of a
Patagonia's material SSW towards tangibly enhancing the sustainabil- product's environmental impact is determined at the design stage”
ity of its supply chain and, second, its relational and discursive SSW (#13). Therefore, to reduce consumption and waste, the founder
towards (a) sustaining and enhancing its SSCM; (b) inspiring its describes how:
primary stakeholders to pursue a sustainability path; and (c) creating
positive socio-ecological spillovers beyond its primary stakeholders. Everything we make should be designed to be
repairable. For instance, a zipper should be sewn in to
be easily replaced without the entire jacket having
4.1 | Patagonia's material work to be taken apart … We want to make it easy for you
to wear your product for as long as possible (#14).
In examining our research question, we found distinctive features of
the material dimension of SSW focused on the physical and tangible When Patagonia became aware of the impact of post-sale energy
aspects of Patagonia's SSCM and how they are evident in input, use related to its products, it added “easy to care for and clean”
throughput, and output processes. Table 4 provides an overview of (#14) as another pillar of its design. Its last design principle is
our findings in this section. timelessness, achieved by “producing original art” instead of “chasing
fashion” (#14).
Third, regarding sourcing, Patagonia aims for responsibility “at
4.1.1 | Input the source” (#17), seeking raw materials with minimal/no negative
socio-ecological impacts, even when less financially advantageous.
Our data describe how Patagonia chooses which products to sell, For example, in its 1996 shift to using 100% organic cotton, it “lost
designs them, and sources raw materials to cause less socio-ecological money for two years because there wasn't enough [organic cotton] to
harm. First, Patagonia deliberately chooses products informed by satisfy even [its] needs” (#17). Patagonia states that most of its mate-
both “functional need” (vs. “just desire”) (#14) and environmental rials are recycled and environmentally friendly (#9), and it has a goal
assessments through “environmental profit and loss metrics” (#16). to use only recycled petroleum-based fibers by 2025 (#5). Patagonia's
Thus, product selection is not rooted solely in a desire to maximize pre-cycling program also helps to reduce virgin material usage by
profits by producing everything marketable but rather a goal of using scrap to create a line of clothing for infants (#21). Moreover,
addressing customer “needs” while minimizing environmental and Patagonia has established thoughtful rules for animal-related inputs
social externalities. such as down and wool, developing a “Traceable Down Standard”
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8 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

(#17) and making it accessible to other companies to encourage wider packaging, Patagonia has only minimized rather than ceased its use
implementation. under the justification of preserving product quality.
Consistent with its ecologically responsible practices, Patagonia
also seeks socially responsible practices and is watchful of working
conditions at their suppliers, including second or third-tier suppliers. 4.1.3 | Output
For example, concerns about human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region led it to stop all sourcing from that Patagonia describes its efforts to extend the life of its products as much
region (#21). as possible. The Head of Product Environmental Impact suggests the
Still, Patagonia experiences challenges in making all materials most responsible action is to reduce the amount of newly
completely harmless. For example, in the outdoor industry, Durable manufactured products by “selling used [products to] displace the need
Water Repellent (DWR) coatings are used to increase the durability to sell new” (#9). To do so, Patagonia implements its own 5R principles:
and effectiveness of rain gear. However, these coatings include che- reduce, repair, reuse, reimagine, and recycle (#17). This means reducing
micals that are toxic and slow to degrade in the environment. Despite consumption, repairing damaged items, reusing secondhand products,
Patagonia's commitment to sustainability, its use of these chemicals reimagining (upcycling) worn-out gear, and recycling those items that
persists. Such shortcomings are recognized by both Patagonia (#16) cannot be upcycled. To support these principles, Patagonia has a
and outside sources (O'Rourke & Strand, 2017). lifetime guarantee for everything it sells, enabling customers to replace,
repair, or return products. Its Worn Wear program is also vital, working
as “both a resource for customers looking to repair used gear and a
4.1.2 | Throughput platform for reuse, resale, and recycling of discarded Patagonia prod-
ucts” (#21). Since launching this program, “many competing outdoor
Throughput refers to how raw materials are manufactured and brands have followed suit. From The North Face Renewed program
distributed. Patagonia aims for transparency regarding its production that launched in 2018 to the Arc'teryx ReBird initiative unveiled last
process, publishing and regularly updating a list of its suppliers online. year [2021]” (#21). Despite the Worn Wear infrastructure in the
It also describes socio-ecological impacts of its production process on organization, lack of consumer participation remains a significant barrier
its website (#16) and participates in the “Transparency Pledge to attaining circularity in Patagonia's products.
Coalition and Open Apparel Registry” (#19). Through transparency, In line with these practices, Patagonia undertakes initiatives to
Patagonia allows others to follow its actions and exposes itself to maximize the usage phase of products. For instance, Patagonia recently
critics who highlight Patagonia's shortcomings. As its Supply Chain refused to produce branded gear for corporate customers as “people
Social Responsibility manager explains: are less likely to pass on Patagonia clothing to another person due to
the [third-party] logo” (#21). This decision has financial drawbacks, at
[Transparency about the list of suppliers] allows some of least in the short term, but environmental benefits in the long term.
our critics … to raise issues if they find out those Taken together, the data suggest that Patagonia engages in
workers that [we] involve in our supply chain are being material SSW to implement SSCM practices in its inputs-
abused in some way. So this information can be used by throughput-outputs (and in at least some cases this likely involves
consumers to get to know where the product is made, voluntarily reducing its financial performance). Whereas its material
by activists to trace faulty working conditions, and it is a SSW helps to explain the what of SSCM at Patagonia, relational and
way for other companies to copy us if they want to (#7). discursive dimensions help to explain how these green efforts are sus-
tained and have grown over time. Our examination of the data via a
On the social side, Patagonia seeks safe working conditions holistic SSW lens suggests that Patagonia purposefully seeks to: a)
through Fair-Trade certifications for sewing (now around 85% of its build responsible relationships with a diverse range of business and
products have the certificate) (#16) and developing partnerships non-business actors in its organizational field (relational work) and b)
focused on supporting migrant workers (#19). influence its customers and employees by intentional socio-ecological
On the ecological side, Patagonia describes how its warehouses, rhetoric efforts (discursive work). These relational and discursive
distribution centers, retail stores, and offices have been designed to dimensions of SSW benefit Patagonia and its stakeholders and
be green and eco-efficient regarding energy usage and construction provide spillover benefits to groups beyond its primary stakeholders.
materials. This includes repurposing existing buildings or requiring any Table 5 provides an overview of the roles of relational and discursive
new construction to be aligned with recognized environmental work in developing SSCM, which will now be described in more detail.
standards like LEED (a certification for green buildings) (#14). Finally,
packaging and merchandising policies for the transportation and
delivery of final products emphasize its efforts to become net-zero, 4.2 | Patagonia's relational work
including to “minimize packaging for all applications, and identify and
use less environmentally harmful materials” (#20). However, despite In addition to its material SSW—which focuses on the material aspects
its efforts, Patagonia is not (yet) net-zero. Despite the harms of plastic of its input-throughput-output operations—another dimension of
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 9

TABLE 5 The role of relational and discursive work in sustainable supply chain management.

Most salient Key themes evident in

dimension of descriptions of
social-symbolic Patagonia's social- Benefit for Patagonia's Benefit for Patagonia's Benefits beyond
Object of work work symbolic work supply chain stakeholders primary stakeholders
Businesses Relational - Building long-term Facilitates access to Provides financial and Promotes socio-
• Suppliers relationships with green material non-financial ecological
• Distributors like-minded partners resources/inputs and resources to improvements in
• Financial is mutually beneficial provides green continue and expand government policies,
institutions - Sharing with and capability related to socio-ecological new technologies,
• Startups trusting business/ throughputs and efforts manufacturing
• Business non-business actors outputs processes, sourcing
coalitions - Providing intentional practices, and
transparency to assessment methods
facilitate positive
spillovers beyond
primary stakeholders
Non-businesses Relational - Targeting socio- Provides green know- Provides financial and
• NGOs ecological how, assessment non-financial
• Academia improvements, in tools, and possibility resources to expand
• Governments particular ones that of collaboration to socio-ecological
• Grassroots may not be the goal address socio- efforts
activists in a business- ecological issues
as-usual model
- Generating mutual
benefits
• Customers Discursive - Challenging Fosters financial Enhances socio- Empowers and
consumerism support and ecological knowledge encourages
- Promoting simple participation in for personal life customers and
lifestyles sustainable programs employees to
- Conveying socio- (e.g., repairing demand and support
ecological product service) sustainable products
knowledge and from other firms and
raising general demand green
awareness of socio- governmental
ecological issues policies
• Organizational Discursive - Encouraging Increases commitment Provides meaningful
members relationship-building and engagement jobs aligned with
with nature towards SSCM individual values
- Describing dangers of
the economic growth
narrative
- Urging long-term
thinking
- Promoting the view
that profit is not the
first priority

SSW we observed at Patagonia is relational work evident in its Patagonia's Director of Philosophy describes the importance of
partnerships with business and non-business actors. Relational work relational work at the company and how partnerships are built over
aims to purposefully shape an object (here, the supply chain) by time to benefit partners and the overall community:
building relations with other actors. As we shall see, a key feature of
this relational work at Patagonia is in the give-and-take with its What we have done all along the way is to find people
partners and the self-reinforcing cycles where Patagonia and its part- of shared value and shared purpose who kind of dug
ners each work towards enhancing each other's sustainability and that what we were doing and wanted to engage with us to
of the industry overall. In addition to business alliances primarily get the work done. We certainly never had enough
related to formal and informal B2B exchanges, Patagonia's relational employees with enough expertise to pursue the kinds
work extends to its interactions with non-business actors like NGOs, of goals that we wanted to do without help … I think
academia, governments, and grassroots activists. government and civil society, and business have to
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10 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

work together to solve problems. Because the problem problem for Patagonia (#1). Subsequently, these improvements
is not whether business is successful, the problem is can be offered to other firms, benefitting partners and creating
whether communities and buyer regions can thrive. positive spillovers.
And business is just a part of that (#6). These responsible relations also extend into the downstream sup-
ply chain. Patagonia deliberately seeks to build strong, long-term,
trusting relationships with its distributors (#14). For example, when it
4.2.1 | Relational work with business partners became apparent that Patagonia's environmental values did not align
with the values of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a popular ski resort
Our data indicate that building constructive relationships with other and Patagonia's “largest single customer in the area,” Patagonia termi-
business actors is important for Patagonia. Patagonia has purpose- nated its relationship with the retailer at the resort (#21). Its CEO
fully built a network of business partners to expand SSCM practices describes how Patagonia deliberately chooses to deal with financial
inside the company and to encourage its stakeholders to develop institutions that have shared values rather than “taking money from
and diffuse responsible practices. Patagonia's business-oriented and spending money with insurance companies and pension funds
relational work includes at least four components: building who have a very, very different relationship with climate” (#4). This
long-term mutually beneficial relationships with their carefully chosen further serves to grow the sustainable financial services industry for
business partners; investing in sustainable startups to grow the use by other sustainability-minded firms.
sustainable business ecosystem; receiving ecological services from Second, through its Tin Shed Ventures arm (initially named “$20
sustainability solution providers; and having ongoing interactions with Million & Change”) launched in 2013, Patagonia invests in “companies
other businesses in coalitions to share best sustainability practices that are solving the environmental crisis through business” (#4).
and inspire them. The feedback loops in these relationships and investments “also help
First, because “Patagonia does not own any factory” (#7), in developing supply chains” (#4). A former CEO explains Tin Shed
having like-minded suppliers is crucial in its SSCM effort. Patagonia's Ventures' goal in more detail:
former CEO describes four groups of people involved in choosing
suppliers: A lot of people call themselves social capital, but
they're not really social capital because they still
[1] our sourcing people, [2] our quality people, [3] our wanna’ cash out in five years, and they still want all
environmental group, [4] our social responsibility this stuff that they normally would get. So we just
group. They all have to approve the supplier. And any- decided to do it differently, have these longer time
one can veto the supplier for, you know, issues they frames in which we'd invest, invest in different kind of
may have … So, it's not totally a [financial] business- structures. And also, to really green the supply chain,
driven decision. It's a values-based decision and a busi- you have to invest in infrastructure … so we also use
ness decision (#4). the fund for that, as well … it's basically to fund the
next generation [of] Patagonia-like companies that are
This “fourfold process” is part of the ongoing relationship with balancing environmental issues and also business (#4).
suppliers. Suppose a supplier becomes socio-ecologically irresponsible
or cannot fulfill its planned socio-ecological improvements. In that These investments create benefits not only for Patagonia and the
case, Patagonia may implement its “responsible exit” policy, providing startups but also for the broader field that benefits from new eco-
suppliers 9 months to 1 year's advance notice that the relationship innovations. For example, Patagonia's investment in Yulex resulted in
will be terminated (#7). the production of plant-based rubber, and now other brands are using
Nurturing long-term relationships with suppliers and contractors it increasingly (#21).
contributes to the mutual trust required for investments in SSCM Third, building on the theme of incentivizing sustainable infra-
(#14, #5). In fact, “invest[ing] in relationships in the long term with structure development, as a customer, Patagonia has sought help from
suppliers” and “partner[ing] with suppliers who are like-minded” other businesses who can assist it in developing SSCM. For instance,
enable both Patagonia and its supplier to “constantly have a feedback Patagonia has been partnered with Bluesign since 2000 to monitor
loop” (#13) where they mutually identify and implement socio- and minimize the environmental impacts—including energy, water,
ecological improvements (#13). Patagonia provides resources (includ- and chemical usage—of Patagonia's suppliers' manufacturing pro-
ing stable financial resources via being a trusted long-term client) and cesses. This relationship has, in turn, positively affected the larger
technological support to enhance the sustainability practices of its industry. Whereas Patagonia “became the first brand to officially join
suppliers (#14). In return, these suppliers provide Patagonia access to the network of Bluesign system partners … there are now close to
responsible products and their R&D capabilities to develop further 1,000 brands, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers that are Bluesign
process improvements (#21). For example, spinning organic cotton is system partners” (#17).
more complicated than spinning conventional cotton because it Finally, Patagonia proactively interacts with other businesses,
has more stems and leaves, but a supplier in Thailand solved this “including direct competitors” (#19), in socio-ecological-related
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 11

coalitions for mutual learning and sharing of responsible practices. A The CEO of FairTrade USA acknowledged this in an interview with
former CEO said, “I think collaboration with the rest of the apparel one of Patagonia's managers: “As the result of [the] domino effect
industry was really important because, at the end of the day, we need that you are doing FairTrade in such a big loud and proud way, it
to shift to these more responsible supply chains, and we need more clearly has catalyzed other brands to follow” (#11). Building on this
brands to come on board” (#4). Patagonia's relational work fostering relational work, Patagonia engages with local NGOs to access special-
business-to-business collaboration and mutual enforcement is ized/place-based domestic knowledge regarding local socio-ecological
evident in its partnerships with the Outdoor Industry Association, issues in each supplying country (#7).
Textile Exchange, B Corp Network, The Conservation Alliance, and Patagonia also establishes good relationships with local
Sustainable Apparel Coalition: governments. As explained by Patagonia's Supply Chain Social
Responsibility manager, sometimes it helps governments meet their
When we do something good, we want to share that responsible governance goals, and in so doing, they help Patagonia
information with the outside world, even if it gets us to meet its socio-ecological goals. For example:
the microscope and people examine our claims and try
to ask for more information. We think transparency With our migrant labor issue, we needed the govern-
and sharing is really important to show that we can ment in Taiwan to do more … We meet with them on
back up with our claims and to give the people the [an] annual basis, we share with them the practices
tools to follow suit (#7). that we have in place. They are trying to figure out a
system for monitoring the abuse of migrant workers in
In summary, Patagonia's relational work with other businesses the raw material supply chain. So, [a] little more
provides tangible sustainability resources (e.g., cutting-edge materials engagement directly with the governments, exploring
and technology) and intangible capabilities (e.g., sustainable process the issues and sharing the tools that are used, is helpful
know-how) to continuously improve SSCM. Moreover, these benefits to design policies that are practical (#7).
also diffuse beyond Patagonia, benefiting and enhancing sustainability
among its business partners and the larger industry. Other non-business groups Patagonia partners with are research
institutions and universities (#14), which have helped Patagonia to
develop solutions to reduce its impact through, for example, partnering
4.2.2 | Relational work with non-business actors in research and case competitions (#19). These partnerships benefit
students/faculties by providing real-world learning opportunities and
Our data show that Patagonia also engages in relational work with research funding (#21).
non-business groups such as governments, national and local NGOs, Finally, Patagonia has a long-standing relationship (since 1974) with
academics, and grassroots activists. Here, it seeks to develop purpose- grassroots environmental activists. Patagonia donates 1% of its annual
ful mutual relationships that enhance socio-ecological improvements sales to environmental grassroots through their “1% for the Planet
in the supply chain and beyond: Foundation” and provides technical services such as editing, donated
clothes, and co-learning opportunities like the Tools for Grassroots
The nonprofits and coalitions we partner with help us Activists conference, which has been held every 18 months since the
to fulfill our mission to use business to inspire 1990s. Building a solid relationship with these groups benefits both the
and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. grassroots organizations and Patagonia. A former CEO explains:
They help us set—and then meet—the rigorous
standards of social and environmental performance, [We] have activists that we've funded come back and
accountability, and transparency we set for ourselves attack us. And I actually think that's kinda cool. Not
and others in the private sector. And they keep us when it's happening, ’cause it sort of sucks [laughs]. I
connected to a community that acts for a greater think it's cool 'cause they help keep us honest. They're
good (#17). part of the whole ecosystem (#4).

To begin, Patagonia does relational work with international NGOs Another sustainability benefit of establishing a deep relationship
to assist it in making its global supply chain more sustainable by with grassroots activists is the possibility of putting pressure on other
sharing know-how and assessment tools. For example, Patagonia has companies and policymakers to stop irresponsible practices and
participated in the Fair Labor Association since 2001, the regulations and advance sustainable ones that eventually benefit
Forest Stewardship Council since 2006, and FairTrade USA since larger society (#14).
2014. Patagonia benefits from the capabilities it receives from such In summary, Patagonia's relational work with non-business actors
NGOs, and the NGOs benefit from having an influential business provides it with intangible resources (e.g., sustainability knowledge,
share their practices and work towards meeting the NGOs' agendas. monitoring tools, and ideas) that help it to enhance its SSCM
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12 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

practices. In turn, the non-business partners benefit because Patago- Some businesses are not gonna' change unless they're
nia purposefully supports and shares with them resources/capabilities under fire from activist[s] and from purchasing power.
to address socio-ecological concerns beyond its supply chain. More- So, we need to educate [the] public on these issues,
over, Patagonia describes how it deliberately seeks to ensure that why they exist (#7).
other businesses and the community benefit from positive spillovers
from these collaborations. Patagonia uses different communication channels to raise
awareness among customers and the general public. Their catalog has
historically been used to educate consumers about environmental and
4.3 | Patagonia's discursive work political issues, in addition to being used to sell products (#14).
Moreover, since 2007, Patagonia's film division has been active in dif-
The discursive dimension of SSW includes verbal and textual efforts fusing environmental and social messages. Documentaries such as
to create, maintain, or challenge taken-for-granted narratives Why Recycled?; Unbroken Ground; Why Regenerative Organic?; Fair
(Lawrence & Phillips, 2019). Patagonia's discursive work seeks to Trade: The First Step; and A Net Plus aim to explain why and how
question prevalent norms, raise customers' socio-ecological aware- Patagonia is developing SSCM. Patagonia also diffuses environmental
ness, and guide employees in everyday decisions and practices. Possi- messages through special events, such as repair events associated
ble benefits of this discursive SSW include having more informed with its Worn Wear program:
employees and customers, which may (a) help Patagonia to improve
its SSCM, (b) enhance the sustainability commitments of customers We accomplished our most ambitious Worn Wear tour
and employees in their personal lives, and which, when taken to date, visiting 21 colleges over 70 days … It was a
together, (c) result in greater public demand for more sustainable busy, if not exhausting, tour with an average of about
products, policies, and lifestyles. 900 people attending each event. But it was refreshing
to share the values of Worn Wear with a generation
that's genuinely excited to change its relationship with
4.3.1 | Informing outsiders (extra-organizational stuff—to live happily with less, share more and keep
discursive work) what they own going … Events are attracting more and
more people, many of whom show up with an
Customers play an important role in enabling SSCM. Patagonia's increased awareness of Worn Wear and its goals (#17).
founding CEO Yvon Chouinard believes that changing consumers'
consumption behavior can change corporations: “Making a dent in Patagonia's book division and its executives' public speeches are
our collective consumption footprint will require shared responsibility other instances of discursive work raising socio-ecological awareness
between companies that make things and customers who buy and telling customers how Patagonia is trying to address these issues
them” (#14). in its supply chain. For instance, the VP of Social and Environmental
Patagonia uses extra-organizational discursive work to deliber- Responsibility underscores the value of hosting events and “bringing
ately develop an “environmentally conscious and loyal customer base” the community together in person at our retail stores” to raise
(#21). This serves to inform customers about, and attract them to, awareness about Fair Trade among customers (#11). Finally, Patagonia
Patagonia's repairing, reselling, recycling, and upcycling programs. uses extraordinary marketing campaigns and advertisements to target
Such discursive work also provides information regarding why people wider audiences. For example, Patagonia's full-page ad, “Do not buy
should purchase products from companies like Patagonia, even when this jacket,” on Black Friday in 2011 urged its viewers not to buy their
these products are more expensive than at mainstream clothing com- jacket (#21).
panies (#1). This is consistent with Patagonia's customers' reviews, as In summary, Patagonia engages in discursive SSW to increase
one of them wrote: socio-ecological awareness among current and potential customers,
thereby hoping to garner their patronage and active participation
This brand is one of the few in the capitalist market- to expand and deepen Patagonia's SSCM. Moreover, Patagonia's
place that is using every ounce of power they have to discursive work may also compel other firms to become more
change the environmental situation worldwide. So, for sustainable.
that alone, they are one of my favorite brands …
Patagonia is a rare company that has a commitment to
both its customers AND to the planet (#22). 4.3.2 | Guiding insiders (intra-organizational
discursive work)
In return, these environmentally informed customers may push
Patagonia and other businesses to take more steps towards Patagonia's SSCM is also enhanced by discursive work that focuses
sustainability: on organizational members. This employee-oriented discursive work
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SHOURKAEI ET AL. 13

is particularly important for Patagonia because the firm has a decen- has accomplished over the year” (#14). Similarly, he condemns rapid
tralized structure, which gives employees a lot of autonomy to act growth gained by encouraging consumption and instead promotes
independently (#14). Key messages that Patagonia intentionally sends “organic growth” that enables Patagonia to have more control over its
to its members include how socio-ecological responsibility is more supply chain (#14).
important than profit and growth; quality and long-term thinking are Intra-firm discursive work also includes written policies, such as
valued more highly than fast fashion and short-termism; connection human resource policies that encourage employees to have ongoing
with nature is positive and valorized; and inspiring other companies to interactions with nature (e.g., policies related to flexible working hours
become socio-ecologically responsible is critical (#1). Taken together, for surfing or other activities in nature and active transit commuting
these messages create a sense of meaningful work, fostering incentives) and Patagonia's Environmental Internship Program that
employee commitment and engagement that encourages employees allows employees to have paid leave to work for environmental
to continuously participate in building SSCM. groups for up to 2 months (#21). This ongoing connection with
Examples of critical intra-organizational discursive work include nature, in turn, fosters a strengthened commitment to save the
Patagonia's mission statement, its statement of organizational values, environment:
the founder's books and environmental philosophies, and internal
policies. Patagonia's Director of Philosophy described how the When Patagonia employees are not in the office, we
discursive work evident in these channels serves to diffuse and take to the mountains to climb or ski, paddle a
instill organizational values in the context of Patagonia introducing stretch of river or cast a fly into its riffles, or head to
its new mission statement “We Are in Business to Save Our the ocean to surf or kayak. We see the wild lands
Home Planet”: we love so dearly being polluted, shorelines
altered, streambeds eroded, forests clear-cut, and
We've had this experience repeatedly where aspira- everywhere we see less wildlife and fewer wild fish.
tional language becomes directional for folks … I think it That is why those of us who work here share a strong
helped that we had [books written by our founder like] commitment to protecting what's left of these wild
Let My People Go Surfing and … later we had The places (#17).
Responsible Company. We had a lot more than just a
mission statement on a plaque. We had a lot of things These written policies are discursive work, purposefully initiated
that we discussed with employees [and] that we to foster employee–nature interactions and allow organizational mem-
discussed with customers that were part of a larger bers “to do what they are passionate about. That molds into their
conversation (#6). work and folds into everything, and it becomes just one big cycle of
passion leading passion” (#12).
Patagonia's mission statement is elaborated on in its environmen- Finally, this discursive work encourages employees to have a
tal philosophies, including the sixfold statement: “1. Lead an examined more meaningful and sustainable personal life. As a Patagonia human
life. 2. Clean up our own act. 3. Do our penance [donating one percent resource manager explains:
of gross sales to environmental causes]. 4. Support civil democracy.
5. Do good. 6. Influence other companies” (#14). The mission connects up and confronts you so much
Patagonia's first mission statement (1992–2018) was: “Make the about, you know, you have to ask yourself, your own
best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire personal transformation. I think I've gone through a
and implement solutions to the environmental crisis” (#14). The data personal transformation in Patagonia as well as a pro-
showed that this mission statement served as a roadmap for organiza- fessional one. I think this is where the more that we
tional members to make decisions within their roles that were coher- educate on our mission, the more we're getting
ent with the larger organizational mission. As described by a supply employees very naturally to sort of ask themselves.
chain manager at Patagonia: “Well, if I do this in my private life, and if I travel by
plane all the time, or, you know, if I really want to
On a daily basis, we actively pursue our mission state- protect wild spaces, maybe I have to stay more local.
ment's provision to “cause no unnecessary harm” … At Or, you know, if maybe I shouldn't buy so much
every step we ask ourselves, how does this fibre or input clothes anymore” (#10).
affect the environment we live in and the people making
the products, and how can we reduce that impact? (#18)
4.4 | Developing SSCM through SSW: An
Similar discursive work is evident in the books written by integrative framework
Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard. He writes that “our mission
statement says nothing about making a profit. In fact, our family Patagonia's supply chain is exemplary in its scope, depth, and integra-
considers our bottom line to be the amount of good that the business tion, given the scale of its operations (Khmara & Kronenberg, 2018;
 10990836, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.3552 by Cochrane Canada Provision, Wiley Online Library on [06/09/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
14 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

Rattalino, 2018; Shrivastava & Zsolnai, 2022). Some organizations and ecological sustainability issues and solutions, which, in turn, may
may prioritize, for example, sustainable inputs in a conventional increase customer demand and support for SSCM. Whereas material
manufacturing process or implement improved sustainable work provides a means for customers to behave conscientiously
manufacturing practices for its throughputs. In contrast, Patagonia (e.g., providing the opportunity to purchase durable eco-friendly
excels in the sustainability of its inputs, throughputs, and outputs. Of products and repairing services), extra-organizational discursive work
course, this begs the question, what has enabled Patagonia to develop can help customers to be aware of the socio-ecological importance of
such a sustainable supply chain? these products and services. In this way, both customers and the
Our study points to an answer to this question by examining the company can act more sustainably over time: the former with ever-
relational and discursive work that Patagonia does to support increasing socio-ecological awareness and the latter with the support
the material work related to its supply chain. We speculate that and participation of loyal and aware customers who create demand
Patagonia would be less effective at maintaining and improving the for increasingly sustainable practices.
sustainability of its supply chain without this deliberate relational and Fourth, Figure 2 depicts the two-directional loops evident in
discursive SSW. While examining how firms act as agents to maximize Patagonia's intra-organizational discursive SSW. Complementing the
their profits is commonplace, Patagonia provides an example of how a material work involved in creating SSCM, Patagonia's employee-
firm uses its agency to optimize socio-ecological well-being while centered discursive work informs and assures employees that socio-
maintaining financial viability. As summarized in Figure 2, Patagonia's ecological sustainability is an absolute priority and serves to shape
purposeful SSW in developing SSCM engages primary stakeholders their worldview accordingly. On the one hand, this guides employees
and may contribute to positive spillovers experienced beyond itself to pursue SSCM in their everyday work and fosters employees who
and its primary stakeholders. are passionate about Patagonia's mission. On the other hand, this dis-
We will describe the framework in Figure 2 moving from the cursive work (including Patagonia's policies that facilitate an ongoing,
middle outward and review the SSW Patagonia does as it creates reflective presence in nature) also informs employees' lifestyles beyond
SSCM (the object of its SSW). At its core, the supply chain includes their core jobs at Patagonia and encourages them to become more
sustainable design, material sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and attuned to nature and socio-ecological issues facing society, which, in
after-sales services. Consistent with previous research in SSCM, we turn, enhances their ability and commitment to create SSCM.
have highlighted key material work SSW Patagonia does to manage Finally, in its outer circle, the framework in Figure 2 depicts how
inputs, throughputs, and outputs in its supply chain. Patagonia's purposeful SSW in building SSCM may have positive
Beyond this material work at the core, the framework also impacts beyond its organizational field. The lefthand side of Figure 2
depicts internal and external stakeholders—including business and points to positive spillovers that may be created through Patagonia's
non-business partners, customers, and employees—that significantly relational SSW intended to benefit others even outside of its industry.
contribute to Patagonia's SSCM. These actors are targets of relational For example, Patagonia (a) hosts an international conference for
and discursive work, and the goal of that work is to foster socio- grassroots activists where they can meet and learn from one another
ecological outcomes beneficial for both Patagonia's supply chain and as they fight for the well-being of the environment, which may
for its stakeholders. (eventually) have positive system-level impacts; (b) works with local
First, Figure 2 highlights the two-directional feedback loops that governments to help them to develop sound policies that could be
characterize Patagonia's deliberate relational SSW with its suppliers. beneficial in institutionalizing sustainability beyond Patagonia's direct
On the one hand, Patagonia's effort in creating SSCM depends on sus- influence; and (c) collaborates with NGOs to address local and
tainable materials and capabilities that it gains from its purposeful international socio-ecological matters that would enhance the overall
relationships with sustainability-minded suppliers. On the other hand, well-being of the larger community. The righthand side of the figure
sustainability-minded suppliers (including sustainable startups) benefit depicts how Patagonia's discursive extra- and intra-organizational
from the long-term and trust-based support from a customer like work encourages employees and customers to pursue a sustainable
Patagonia, enabling them to contribute increasingly sustainable lifestyle beyond their interactions with Patagonia. As public citizens
materials, technology, or capabilities to firms like Patagonia (and to and consumers and workers, they thus add to Patagonia's voice in
other customers in the industry) over time. demanding and supporting more sustainable products and policies
Second, Patagonia's relationships with its sustainability-minded that eventually have the potential to create socio-ecological benefits
non-business partners have similar feedback and benefits. On the one for actors who are not Patagonia's primary stakeholders.
hand, these relationships enable Patagonia to address socio-ecological
issues in its supply chain more quickly and thoroughly by providing
local know-how and reliable assessments. On the other hand, non- 5 | DI SCU SSION
business stakeholders also benefit from this relationship, as illustrated
by how FairTrade USA's expansion and legitimacy may have been Developing SSCM requires organizations to recognize complex
accelerated by Patagonia's proactive membership in it. interdependencies between positive and negative socio-ecological
Third, the framework depicts the role of Patagonia's discursive externalities generated by input-throughput-output processes.
SSW that informs its customers (and the general public) about social Patagonia intentionally integrates sustainable material, relational, and
 10990836, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.3552 by Cochrane Canada Provision, Wiley Online Library on [06/09/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
SHOURKAEI ET AL. 15

FIGURE 2 A holistic view in creating sustainable supply chain management.

discursive dimensions of SSW to strengthen sustainable material 5.1 | Theoretical contributions

flows within its supply chain and the garment industry. Further, it
builds mutually beneficial relationships with traditional and non- Our study makes several theoretical contributions. First, this study
traditional supply chain actors to increase capacity among businesses, describes the reinforcing effects of material, discursive, and relational
governments, and activists to tackle complex sustainability problems work employed by Patagonia to shape its supply chain. As shown in
at local and global levels. Finally, Patagonia uses discursive work to Table 1, a focus on relationships and collaboration is a central concern
support employees in the integration of sustainability into their organiza- in the most widely used SSCM theories. The existing research often
tional and individual identities and to influence public perceptions of sus- focuses on the material outcomes of these collaborations
tainability and consumerism to shape the use of and demand for clothing (e.g., product characteristics and environmental performance). Discur-
and other consumer goods. Through an in-depth investigation into sive work, in contrast, is significantly underrepresented in this field,
Patagonia's SSCM practices, our study describes how intentional engage- despite the importance of discourse in shaping how sustainability
ment in material, relational, and discursive dimensions of SSW may aid goals are formulated and pursued within organizations (Hardy
organizations in recognizing and managing these interdependencies. et al., 2020).
 10990836, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.3552 by Cochrane Canada Provision, Wiley Online Library on [06/09/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
16 SHOURKAEI ET AL.

Furthermore, through their one- or two-dimensional focus, exist- throughput-output processes within their supply chain; and (b) a
ing theories obscure the interactions between the three dimensions framework that highlights the importance of a holistic view in estab-
of material, relational, and discursive work. In contrast, the findings of lishing deliberate linkages between material, relational, and discursive
this study suggest that all three can play important roles in supporting elements in achieving SSCM. Both sets of findings can be instructive
Patagonia's goal of building a sustainable supply chain. Through delib- for practitioners, although the latter may be more transferable to
erate relational and discursive work, Patagonia creates positive feed- other firms than the former.
back loops that strengthen the material work undertaken in its supply First, managers may be inspired by the range and content of Pata-
chain and fosters positive spillovers outside the supply chain. gonia's material sustainable practices (e.g., Table 4). However, rather
The SSCM literature has historically used positivist rather than than blindly copy Patagonia's practices, firms must be aware of situa-
constructivist or interpretive approaches (Darby et al., 2019). The tional differences in the applicability of Patagonia's practices in their
overreliance on positivist methods in operations and supply chain own SCM and consider necessary adjustments or develop new solu-
management research has been the subject of criticism within the dis- tions. In particular, for example, our study highlights the need for col-
cipline for decades (Meredith et al., 1989), resulting in many scholars lective action within organizations to ensure sustainable practices are
and respected outlets calling for greater diversification in methods implemented throughout the operational system.
and approaches in supply chain research. Potential techniques that Second, the present study moves beyond the visible material sus-
have been highlighted in recent work include discourse analysis (Hardy tainability practices extolled in mainstream SSCM literature
et al., 2020), interpretive research (Darby et al., 2019), phenomenological (e.g., sustainable product design and sourcing) to examine intentional
methods (Towers et al., 2020), and critically engaged research (Touboulic engagement in relational and discursive work and their essential con-
et al., 2020; Touboulic & McCarthy, 2020). The SSW perspective is an tribution to fostering SSCM material work. Supply chain managers
additional analytical tool SCM scholars can add to their toolbox to help implicitly participate in this work daily. Our findings illustrate the
break the field out of its long-term positivist bent, following some other transformative potential of intentional relational and discursive work
very creative recent work undertaken towards these ends (e.g., Stephens in enabling and deepening material work towards SSCM. Material,
et al., 2022; Wieland 2021). relational, and discursive dimensions of SSW are present in all efforts
Existing SSCM research has extensively investigated relationships to shape social-symbolic objects, but as Lawrence and Phillips (2019)
as a tool in sustainable supply chains to mitigate reputational risks in note, they are not always equally salient. Accordingly, with different
SSCM (Roehrich et al., 2014), pursue collective action for sustainabil- levels of influence, visibility, and resources, supply chain actors may
ity (Carmagnac & Carbone, 2019), and achieve improved environmen- differ in their abilities to engage intentionally in different dimensions
tal performance (Vachon & Klassen, 2008). Even so, other work has of SSW. By describing how SSW towards SSCM is enacted within
found that supply chain collaboration is an insufficient, if necessary each dimension, our findings suggest multiple meaningful courses of
condition for improved supply chain environmental performance action for firms that may struggle to shape the supply chain from their
(Luzzini et al., 2015). Our study provides a potential explanation for particular position within it.
these disparate findings by examining the observable relationship
management practices described by Patagonia in their supply chain
and observing how these relationships can shape each actor's under- 5.3 | Limitations
standing of the supply chain as a social-symbolic object. Of course,
long-term relationships and value alignment within the supply chain All studies have their limitations, and this research is no exception.
are priorities not unique to Patagonia (e.g., Gold et al., 2010; The first limitation of this study that may impact the generalizability
Prajogo & Olhager, 2012). However, when understood alongside of its results comes from the reliance of the findings of a single case
Patagonia's insistence on transparency within and outside the supply study. Although a single deep case study of a firm where the phenom-
chain, these practices suggest that how Patagonia's supply chain rela- enon under investigation is transparently observable allowed us to
tionships are unique because they are not used as a strategic resource capture nuances in answering our research question, it limits the
that can enhance their competitiveness (Ketchen & Hult, 2007) but transferability of the practices to other spatial and temporal contexts.
instead as a platform to build capacity for sustainability across the Future research can address this limitation by testing our findings in
entire garment sector and beyond. different contexts or examining a large sample of firms.
Second, while our findings rely on extensive archival data, access
to primary sources could enrich our final model by providing more
5.2 | Practical contributions detailed explanations or examples. This also limited our ability to
deploy complete triangulation where, except for media news and cus-
Patagonia's ability to operate at scale while strengthening its commit- tomer reviews, we did not have access to firsthand sources
ment to socio-ecological responsibility over time can position it as a (e.g., interviews, site visits, and surveys) to crosscheck the trustworthi-
role model for businesses seeking improved supply chain sustainability ness of the data. That said, relying on archival data may also be con-
in the garment industry. This paper provides (a) an extensive catalog sidered a conservative research design because we could not prompt
of sustainability practices employed by Patagonia through the input- responses, for example, from interviewees.
 10990836, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bse.3552 by Cochrane Canada Provision, Wiley Online Library on [06/09/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
SHOURKAEI ET AL. 17

Third, our data did not allow us to delve into how Patagonia navi- in-depth qualitative study of Patagonia, a firm known for its exem-
gates the potential tensions or how they would respond to potential plary SSCM, enabled us to develop a holistic understanding of the
critics. As a result, our findings may oversimplify the positive aspects complementary roles of material, relational, and discursive work in
of Patagonia's SSCM practices, leaving room for future research to nurturing SSCM. Beyond nurturing its own SSCM, our findings also
uncover blind spots or potential dark sides of Patagonia's activities. describe how Patagonia's material, relational, and discursive works
Finally, the SSW theoretical lens enabled us to look at SSCM may enhance the sustainability of its primary stakeholders (employees,
more holistically and agentically, although it could also blur our vision suppliers, and customers) and beyond. We hope this study inspires a
vis-à-vis analyzing the case in other ways. Utilizing other theories more holistic understanding and enactment of SSCM research and
(e.g., paradox theory) can provide complementary insights to uncover practice.
the different angles and possible tensions involved in creating SSCM.
CONFLIC T OF INTER E ST STATEMENT
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
5.4 | Future research
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