The study analyzes what kind of strengths a mid-size enterprise has in supply chain sustainability management compared to a multinational corporation. The paper uses P&G as a case company for a multinational corporation and Hair O'right as a case company for a mid-size enterprise.
They both differ in size, and business model, and in a way they collaborate with their suppliers. Two elements of the supply chain for the personal care industry were analyzed and compared: sourcing of raw materials and sourcing of packaging.
The method used in the study is secondary data and conducted interviews.
The paper, based on the case examples, proves that a mid-size enterprise has a deeper environmental collaboration with its suppliers in comparison to a multinational corporation. Their cooperation relies on sharing expertise, materials, and equipment and they often co-develop products together. In addition, the study finds that it is easier to build a sustainable supply chain with a smaller supply base as it is easier and more transparent to manage their compliance with the environmental standards.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Literature Review 2
2.1 Companies as environmental regulators 2
2.2 Sustainability in the personal care products industry 3
2.3 Organization size vs. sustainability 4
3. Methodology 5
3.1 Research background 5
3.1.1 Multinational corporation 6
3.1.2 Mid-size enterprise 7
3.1.3 The scope of the supply chain 8
3.2 Research question 8
3.3 Data Analysis Technique 8
3.3.1 Development of the Interview Questions 9
4 Data Analysis 10
4.1 Sourcing of raw materials for personal care products 10
4.1.1 Sourcing of raw materials for mid-size enterprise 10
Creating a sustainable formula 10
Deep environmental collaboration with suppliers 13
4.1.2 Sourcing of raw materials for multinational corporation 15
Cost-effective formulation 15
The case of palm oil 16
Certification as a way to make the supply chain more sustainable 17
4.1.3 The strengths of a mid-size enterprise 19
4.2 Sourcing of packaging 20
4.1.1 Sourcing of packaging for mid-size enterprise 21
Deep environmental collaboration with the suppliers 21
Additional efforts 24
Sustainable procurement 24
4.2.2 Sourcing of packaging for multinational corporation 25
Targets to achieve 25
Initiatives in development 26
4.2.3 The strengths of a mid-size enterprise 28
5 Conclusion 29
5.1 Discussion 29
5.2 Limitations and future research 33
References 34

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