Analysis of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Criteria and Supplier Selection Problem in the Textile Industry with the Analytical Hierarchy Process Method

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to determine the primary selection criteria in the enterprises where the supplier selection will be made based on the sustainability priorities in a textile industry and to select the most suitable supplier according to these criteria. Design/methodology/approach – The sustainability criteria, which were determined based on the literature and expert opinions, were weighted by making pairwise comparisons according to the Analytical Hierarchy Process method. The sustainability performances of the suppliers of a ready-made clothing company operating in the textile sector were evaluated according to these criteria. Findings – In the ready-made clothing business evaluated within the scope of the study, economic criteria (0,792) among the sustainable supplier selection criteria took the first place, followed by social criteria (0,131) and environmental criteria (0,076), respectively. This result reveals that the profitability of a business is more important than social and environmental factors. Within the scope of all three criteria, supplier 1 was selected as the most suitable supplier within the scope of sustainability. Discussion – Supply chain managers of ready-made clothing companies operating in the textile sector can use this research model when determining the criteria they need to consider in the selection of suppliers based on sustainability and which supplier to choose within the scope of above mentioned criteria. Future research on this subject can be made more comprehensive by including different criteria for sustainability in companies operating in different sectors and countries with different levels of development.