Promoting Sustainability in Supply Management Through Proactive Contracting and Legal Design




Storsjö, Isabell; Kaave, Piia

PublisherSAGE Publications

2025

International journal of commerce and contracting

29768829251369371

2976-8829

2976-8837

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1177/29768829251369371

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/29768829251369371

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/477012220



As the number of sustainability laws and regulations increase and stakeholders become increasingly concerned about the sustainability impacts of commercial activities, companies need to integrate environmental, social, and economic considerations not only in their own operations but also in their relationships with suppliers and throughout their value chains. Contracts will play a key role in promoting sustainability as they contribute to holding together the links and nodes in global supply chains. A key question, then, is how to integrate sustainability mechanisms into supply contracts and contracting processes. This article proposes proactive contracting and legal design as approaches to promoting sustainability in supply management. It uses a “jigsaw puzzle” metaphor to outline key elements at the intersection of the literature streams on proactive contracting and legal design and purchasing and supply (chain) management and proposes routes for further research to fill the identified gaps.


The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.


Last updated on 2025-28-10 at 12:35