Examining Collaborative Green Supply Chains Through the Lens of Proximity Economics

The aim of this paper is to examine collaborative supply chain practices and their related ways of integrating an environmental dimension. Seven case studies were analysed relating to different stages of the supply chain (supply side, forward logistics, reverse logistics). We draw on “proximity economics”, a theoretical framework at the crossroads of spatial and industrial economics. Starting with a sample of (alleged) green collaborative initiatives taken from the specialised press in the SC field, and further studied through in-depth interviews, a typology of collaborative practices was developed and characterised in terms of forms of proximity. This typology enabled us to identify the preconditions for environmental collaborative practices in terms of the forms of proximity among the actors involved.