Collaborate for Good : What Pushes Companies to Collaborate More in Their Supply Chain?

Managing relationships within different tiers in the supply chain has become crucial from a disclosure and accountability point of view, as focal firms are held accountable for all the actors along their chain, particularly when sustainability is involved. These relationships, ranging from compliance with codes of conduct to collaborative strategies, can entail different engagement levels between the involved buyers and suppliers. The present work aims to study how internal factors, such as climate change risk exposure, climate change reduction initiatives and CO 2 emissions, and external ones, such as policymaker engagement, can enhance supply chain collaboration to achieve higher sustainability. In doing so, the research suggests additional reasons why firms should collaborate more along their supply chain. The analysis considers both the supplier and the buyer’s perspectives and differentiates focal firms and first-tier suppliers. The data gathered by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) within its Supply Chain program represent the primary source for this study. Riveting results concern the effectiveness of policymakers’ engagement on firms in different tiers and a greenwashing approach to environmental sustainability from first-tier suppliers