Supply Chain Connections and the Triple Bottom Line in the Global Wine Industry

This research examines relationships between supply chain connectedness and components of the triple bottom line (environmental, social and financial sustainability). The study is based on Stakeholder Resource Based View. The authors use a mix of qualitative methods. The context is the wine industry, and data are collected from 100 companies of six countries across the globe. Results suggest that higher levels of supply chain connectedness is related to higher degrees of focus on sustainability dimensions (TBL). This study relied on practices discussed by respondents to categorize companies on high or low sustainability and high, medium or low supply chain connections; it is likely there are more than these levels and further exploration into this (quantitative) could tease out what those are. Only a few wine businesses are truly sustainable from the TBL perspective; thus strong supply chain connections may be necessary for most to achieve the TBL. The supply chain and connections among the parties may provide a means to drive this further into the industry.