The effect of early supplier engagement on social sustainability outcomes in project-based supply chains

•This article uses a mixed methods research design to explore how integrating social sustainability factors, earlier in the product lifecycle can improve performance and strategies for realizing that performance.•An ANOVA procedure illustrates the positive effects of considering social sustainability factors and involving key suppliers earlier in the product lifecycle.•The results align with recent work by Pagell et al. (2010) in environmental sustainability concerning suppliers being engaged in early integration are not strategic in nature as one would expect.•The reason behind this behavior is that these suppliers possess specialized knowledge in increasing sustainable outcomes that can give the focal firm a competitive advantage.

This work uses a mixed methods research design to explore how social sustainability outcomes are impacted by early supplier integration and associated strategies for successfully implementing this integration. Much of the literature in the area focuses on environmental factors, while social sustainability factors such as worker and consumer safety have been underrepresented. The results quantitatively illustrate the positive effects on sustainable outcomes of making environmental, health, and safety (EHS) a decision factor earlier in the product lifecycle and of using early supplier involvement as an implementation strategy to accomplish this goal. More importantly, the results show that the suppliers that are being involved early are not always strategic suppliers as one would expect, but are often what are traditionally categorized as leverage suppliers. These results are relevant because they not only align with recent research in sustainable sourcing management, but also have practical implications for organizations trying to be successful in a triple bottom line environment.