Internal vs. External Barriers to Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM): An Empirical Study of Egypt’s Petrochemical Sector

Overview

This empirical investigation examines internal and external barriers to Green Supply Chain Management adoption within Egypt's petrochemical sector, which annually produces 4.5 million tons while generating substantial greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous waste. The study applies a mixed-methods approach incorporating Interpretive Structural Modeling to establish hierarchical relationships among identified barriers across the full petrochemical supply chain spanning upstream raw material sourcing, midstream manufacturing and refining processes, and downstream distribution, waste management, and reverse logistics operations.

Methods and approach

Data collection involved a structured questionnaire administered to 400 employees across Egyptian petrochemical firms. Responses were analyzed using Interpretive Structural Modeling to map causal relationships and establish barrier hierarchies. The analytical framework encompassed both internal organizational impediments and external environmental factors, with particular attention to emission and waste reduction practices throughout the supply chain ecosystem.

Key Findings

Internal barriers functioned as primary driving forces in the hierarchical structure, with lack of corporate leadership and support, critical resource scarcity, and absence of green initiatives identified as foundational obstacles exerting cascading influences over external factors. External barriers including insufficient government support, limited market demand for recycled materials, and human resources or expertise deficits were positioned as dependent factors responding to internal organizational constraints. The ISM analysis revealed that internal organizational deficiencies constitute the underlying causal mechanisms sustaining broader sectoral barriers to GSCM implementation.

Implications

The findings establish that remediation of GSCM adoption barriers in Egypt's petrochemical sector requires prioritized intervention at the organizational level, specifically addressing leadership commitment and resource allocation as prerequisite conditions for downstream implementation. The hierarchical structure suggests that internal organizational transformation precedes effective engagement with external policy and market mechanisms. This structural insight indicates that sector-wide environmental performance improvements depend fundamentally upon internal organizational restructuring rather than exclusive reliance on external regulatory or market interventions.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.