GREEN PROCUREMENT PRACTICES IN THE APPAREL FIRMS: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY FROM THE APPAREL SECTOR IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

Despite the identification of various green procurement practices, drivers and challenges in the adoption of green procurement, the variation of the level of their adoption by businesses, and why the adoption of green procurement is varied among organizations that are not well explained in the existing literature. The present study aimed to identify the green procurement practices of two selected apparel manufacturers operated in BOI zones in Sri Lanka and explored why the adoption of green procurement varied between them. The qualitative comparative case study approach was adopted, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected through ten in-depth interviews. The study found that both firms were using similar green procurement practices to procure product-related items. However, there is a noticeable variation when procuring plant-related items. Moreover, the adoption of green procurement among these two firms varies due to consumer desire, the commitment of the top management, employee awareness of green procurement and perceived business benefits. This study concluded that the adoption of green procurement in the selected two apparel firms were influenced by various internal and external organizational factors, namely consumer desire, the commitment of the top management, employee awareness of green procurement and perceived business benefits of green procurement.