Sustainable supply chain and governance mechanisms in the agri-food sector

Driven by increased awareness of the importance of preserving resources, companies are becoming more engaged in sustainable actions and seeking to meet the expectations of their stakeholders. Extending sustainability to all links in the supply chain (SC) involves activating governance mechanisms, i.e. practices, initiatives or processes to manage relationships between organizations. Also, this study aims to identify the formal and informal governance mechanisms most used in the implementation of sustainability. The research is based on semi-structured interviews carried out in eight companies in the agri-food sector. The objective is to identify the mechanisms that companies consider more effective and relevant for governing the supply chain. The results of the study show that depending on the mechanisms used, the focal company does not play the same role. This study provides guidance to managers and practitioners on how their governance can impact their sustainability results.