Exploring sustainability practises in Gulf Cooperation Council petrochemical sector supply chains

Purpose
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries derive much of their gross domestic product (GDP) from the oil & gas industry but are nevertheless committed to improving sustainability in this industry through enacting regulation, developing standards and practices, and monitoring environmental performance. The exploratory study reported in this paper investigated how GCC petrochemical companies are implementing sustainability in their supply chains to identify sustainable best practices, performance measurement methods, and related drivers and barriers used within those supply chains by adopting an Institutional Theory context.

Research Approach
A case study approach was used for primary research with companies in the GCC petrochemical sector, as well as government and non-government organizations (NGOs). A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants able to participate in the study and conveniently accessible. Selection was based on several factors such as position within the company and relationships and knowledge about sustainability and supply chain management. Thirty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait along with secondary data published by the companies, governments and NGOs to provide additional information. NVivo12 was used to code interview transcripts to find themes and interrelations in subsequent analysis.

Findings and Originality
This study is the first to provide a deep qualitative understanding of the GCC petrochemical sector context pertaining to sustainability and its importance for companies, governments, and NGOs. Four themes, designated as pillars, emerged concerning the best sustainability supply chain practices for this GCC sector: digitalization, value creation, risk management, and partnerships. Originality stems from these four pillars being holistically considered at the same time, the identification of key drivers and barriers, and the development of matrices of key performance indicators (KPIs) and best practice to inform all three stakeholder groups.

Research Impact
This study informs Institutional Theory as elements all three institutional isomorphic pressures: coercive, mimetic, and normative, influence and impact the GCC petrochemical sector. Further, partnerships and self-regulation practices emerged as important drivers for implementing sustainable supply chain practices beyond usual Institutional Theory elements.

Practical Impact
Four pillars and related KPIs will provide guidance to the GCC petrochemical sector and oil & gas sector companies, governments, and NGOs, to improve sustainability through best practice. The GCC oil & gas industry needs to prepare for a digital ecosystem after Industry 4.0 through integration and a Supply Chain Control Tower. Eight policy recommendations for governments to enhance sustainability implementation.