Beyond traditional pressures: how civic and custodial forces shape green logistics adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose Owing to the increasing significance of green and sustainable practices in global supply chains, this study examines the influence of supply chain pressures (internal and external) on the adoption of green logistics practices. The study further proposed and validated the roles of civic and custodial forces as additional institutional pressures that could facilitate the adoption of green logistics practices in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) setting. Design/methodology/approach The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze survey data collected from 208 managers of logistics firms in Ghana. Findings The study revealed that pressure from supply chain stakeholders (internal and external), as well as custodial and civic forces, significantly influences firms to adopt GLPs. The findings further showed that custodial force significantly amplifies the influence of supply chain stakeholders (internal and external) on GLP adoption. Finally, civic force was found to positively and significantly moderate the path between external supply chain pressure and GLP adoption but contrary to the path connecting internal supply chain pressure and GLP adoption. Originality/value The study advances the institutional theory and sustainable logistics literature by theorizing and validating additional dimensions of institutional forces (civic and custodial forces) and how they interact with supply chain pressures to facilitate the GLPs' adoption in sub-Saharan African (SSA) settings.