Abstract
This study presents a theory-driven analysis of the case of a digital platform supporting sustainable supply chain governance (SSCG). Ongoing concerns over the effectiveness of current approaches have paved the way to alternative forms of organizing for SSCG. Digital platforms provide solutions to share sustainability data, while also engaging experts for improvement. The model blurs the boundaries of supply chains and questions the central role of the buyer in managing suppliers for sustainability risks and performance. As this has long been seen as a lever of competitive advantage, it is important to understand how cross-supply chain approaches can take place. We addressed this issue through theoretical perspectives commonly grounded in the contingent view of organizations; a single embedded case study analysis (11 sub-cases) allowed us to explicate the federation and coordination of firms within and across supply chains. The results indicate that buyers used the functionalities provided by the platform to pursue their SSCG agenda, while ecosystem-like coevolutionary trajectories were emerging as information was collected, processed, and channeled within and across different supply chains. These trajectories appeared facilitated by common sustainability pressures. The contribution fits in the growing debate on collaborative efforts to make supply chains more sustainable, while expanding the view of digital platforms as new organizational forms.