A Novel Model for Sustainable Supplier Selection in the Paint and Coating Industry

Given the significance of sustainability in the current global market, doing a comprehensive and current assessment of a supplier’s sustainability might be beneficial for improving a firm’s competitiveness. This study aims to develop sustainable supplier selection criteria, examine their interrelationships, and determine the critical criteria in the paint and coating industry. This study employed a focus group discussion (FGD), the Delphi method, a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory-based analytical network process (DANP), and a measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS). The findings indicated that most sub–criteria experts agreed that 11 economic sub–criteria, five environmental sub–criteria, and three social sub–criteria should be considered when selecting a sustainable supplier. The results show that the most influential criteria are environmental criteria, while the critical criteria are social criteria. In addition, “Service” (E4), “Green Material” (L3), and “Health and Safety” (S1) sub–criteria should be considered to assess the supplier because they have high relation and prominence. Globally, the top five highest weighted sub–criteria are “Respect for the Law” (S2), “Health and Safety” (S1), “Worker’s Social Rights” (S3), “Waste Management” (L5), and “Environment Management System” (L1). We practically selected 12 providers from the paint and coating sector to assess the scheme’s practicality. This work introduced a novel model for selecting a sustainable supplier that helps industries understand their core criteria and sub–criteria. This will enhance the industry’s competitiveness and sustainability by evaluating suppliers based on economic, environmental, and social criteria.