An Exploratory Study on the Implementation of Social Sustainability Practices in Portuguese Industries

Abstract

Given the growing concern for social sustainability, companies have adopted practices to address stakeholders’ pressures and take responsibility for their suppliers. Although the social dimension of sustainability generates interest in academic and industrial communities, most published papers focus their research on emerging economies. This paper aims to address the degree of implementation of social sustainability practices - basic and advanced - in companies located in Portugal. The development of a survey allowed the collection of 142 answers. The findings show that both basic and advanced practices have a reduced level of implementation in the Portuguese industrial context. Regarding basic social sustainability practices, Portuguese industries should stimulate collaboration with their suppliers. At the level of advanced sustainability practices, there is a need to improve the involvement of NGOs and community groups in supply chains. Furthermore, the Kruskal-Wallis test shows that the companies’ size influences the implementation level of social sustainability practices.