Integration of Quality and Sustainability in Supply Chain Operations

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly expected to improve both operational performance and sustainability across their supply chains. While Quality Management (QM) and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) share several common principles, limited research has explored how they are integrated in practice. This study inves- tigates how organizations integrate sustainability into Quality Management Systems (QMS), the challenges and trade-offs involved, and how different operational con texts influence this integration. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted in three companies from the hygiene, telecommunications, and construction indus- tries using semi-structured interviews and company documents. The study fur ther demonstrates that the implementation of these mechanisms varies according to product characteristics, supply chain context, and Product Time-Value Sensitivity (MVT). The findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence of how quality management supports sustainability in supply chain operations and by extending the application of the MVT framework to explain differences in sus- tainability integration across industries. The study also offers practical insights for organizations seeking to strengthen sustainability through existing quality manage- ment capabilities.