Supplier Collaboration and Trust Enablers of Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chain

Today’s cross-regional supply chains face rising disruptions from geopolitical conflicts and climate-related events, alongside increasing pressure to meet sustainability goals. This study explores how supplier collaboration and trust influence both supply chain resilience and sustainability. The objective is to assess whether, and how, these relational capabilities enhance a supply chain’s ability to manage disruptions while supporting environmental goals. The research is based on a structured survey of 252 validated, supply chain professionals. Quantitative analysis using descriptive statistics and regression models examined the relationships between collaboration, trust, resilience, and sustainability. The findings show that both collaboration and trust significantly impact resilience and sustainability, though in different ways: collaboration is more closely tied to resilience, while trust more strongly supports sustainability. This study provides new empirical insights in a field often led by theory and offers practical guidance for building supply chains that are both adaptive and environmentally responsible.