Cross-Sector Relations in Global Supply Chains : A Social Capital Perspective

Virtually unheard of 30 years ago, collaborations involving environmental NGOs and businesses are now common, and are increasingly being used to address sustainability issues in supply chains. We argue that a supply chain perspective is instrumental for collaborative NGOs in helping them to understand environmental impacts, interorganizational dynamics, and optimal collaborative partners and tactics. We apply a framework that integrates three predominant social capital theories to cross-sector partnerships to explain how three dimensions of social capital, individually and in interaction, may create strategic value for NGOs who seek to improve the environmental performance of companies through collaboration. Finally, we survey the nature of the progress that has (and has not) been made through cross-sector partnerships, and offer suggestions for how social capital may be deployed to accelerate change