Sustainability spreading throughout downstream supply chain: When buyers learn from a key supplier

This paper investigates how a global supplier learn and disseminate sustainability knowledge to buyers in their supply chains (SCs). SC sustainability research overlooks the role of suppliers to implement sustainability. Thus, this paper uses an SC learning approach to analyse sustainability dissemination from suppliers to buyers. An in-depth case study was conducted with a Brazilian export-oriented global supplier with data being collected since 2019. Findings show knowledge sharing, learning behaviours, and trust as sources for sustainability-learning in four different stages: acquisition (R&D), distribution (training), interpretation (mutual engagement) and memory (software). Thus, a clear focus on SC sustainability is what also engages buyers for sustainability. Our findings highlight the relevance of suppliers in SC sustainability learning and spreading, demonstrating how they also can push buyers to operate more sustainably.